The reality of \u201cvoluntary\u201d offseason workouts in the NFL is that they\u2019re only voluntary for the established players. The majority of the players on the 90-man offseason roster are just trying to impress the team enough to make the 53-man regular-season roster, and they attend all the offseason workouts because they know they\u2019re going to get cut if they don\u2019t do everything in their power to make a good impression.<\/p>\n
But when those veteran, established players with guaranteed contracts who know they won\u2019t get cut choose to participate in voluntary offseason work, that can be a good sign for the culture the team is building. And that\u2019s what Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams says is happening in Seattle\u2019s offseason program.<\/p>\n
Williams said that there\u2019s no sign of complacency on the defending Super Bowl champions, and the players who have already proven they belong are the ones showing the young guys what hard work in the offseason is all about.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it\u2019s been great,\u201d Williams said, via ESPN. \u201cIt\u2019s been great attendance from the leaders, from the older guys<\/a>. Young guys have been working hard, trying to be sponges of the game and learn as much as possible. To me, I really just see our culture elevate to another level. I feel like last year we started putting the mix together, all the ingredients and all that type of stuff. This year, you really see it boiling and becoming more just of a foundation. To me, the culture is the biggest thing that we need here. Guys are going to come and go . . . I feel like if we have a culture and foundation like that, we\u2019ll always be a winning team.\u201d<\/p>\n