D.C. Defenders offensive lineman Liam Ryan is returning to the Seattle Seahawks for a second stint after spending time with them last year as an undrafted free agent.
After training camp, Ryan was assigned to their practice squad before he was waived midseason. Following his release, he landed on his feet with the Defenders via the XFL Supplemental Draft in January.
Ryan was a valuable member of the Defenders’ offensive line last season – statistically the best blocking group in the XFL – which allowed a league-few ten sacks and created holes for the league’s best-rushing attack during the 2023 regular season.
Last season, Ryan started in all ten of D.C.’s contests at left tackle (nine starts) or left guard (one start). He saw 654 total snaps – the most by any Defenders player. He earned a 69.9 pass-blocking grade and a 58.4 run-blocking grade on Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Before his professional career, Ryan spent six seasons at Washington State University, including the 2017 season which he redshirted. He started 42 straight games to close out his career, including 13 games at left guard during his redshirt sophomore season and then the last 29 games at left tackle.
With this signing, Ryan represents the sixth member of the 2023 Defenders to make the jump to the NFL. Chris Blair, Ferrod Gardner, Lucky Jackson, Brandon Smith, and Daniel Whelan are the five others.
Surprisingly or not, Ryan is just the fourth offensive lineman and the first D.C. offensive lineman to make the XFL-to-NFL jump.
