SEATTLE – Dean Wells, a former linebacker for the Seahawks who led the 1996 team in tackles, died Thursday after battling cancer for two years, the Carolina Panthers confirmed. He was 54.
Wells was diagnosed with leukemia in 2023, according to On3.com, which detailed his fight against the disease in a story published last year, reporting he had received a bone-marrow transplant in May, 2024.
Wells played primarily middle linebacker for the Seahawks from 1993-98, serving as a pillar of consistency for the defense during an especially turbulent time for the franchise as former owner Ken Behring threatened to move the team to Los Angeles before selling the team to Paul Allen in 1997.
Wells arrived in Seattle as a fourth-round draft pick out of Kentucky in 1993.
Wells told The Seattle Times later that year he had an idea the Seahawks might be in his future when he bet on a horse named Seattle Bound at Keeneland track in Lexington 10 days before the draft and won $70.
“I hadn’t even checked the horse’s name and ended up betting on it,” Wells, a Louisville native, was quoted as saying.
Wells spent his first two seasons with the Seahawks mostly as a reserve and on special teams.
He moved to middle linebacker from outside in his second season and became a starter in his third in 1995 when Dennis Erickson took over as coach.
Wells started 49 games over the next four seasons, leading the Seahawks with 107 tackles in 1996 and making another 92 in 1997.
Wells had 255 solo tackles in his Seahawks career, which ranks tied for 30th in franchise history according to Pro Football Reference.
He signed as a free agent with Carolina in 1999 and spent three years playing with the Panthers. He signed with New England in 2002 but retried without playing in a game for the Patriots.
Wells still holds a University of Kentucky record with five sacks in a single game against Indiana in 1992.
Wells returned to Kentucky following his playing days, according to On3.com, which reported he is survived by his wife, Lisa, and two sons.