Let me start this whole thing off by saying that I think it is worthwhile for any diehard Seattle Seahawks fan to watch that Dallas Cowboys Netflix show America’s Team, as much as the subject and title might offend. It is incredibly well produced, but more importantly, it offers tons of insight into how a proper championship quality team gets built over the duration of about three to four years.
Three years is probably how long it takes a good head coach to see their vision of how they want their team to win fully take hold. Could happen sooner, as was the case of Sean McVay in LA, but most often, it takes about three or four years.
That is how long it took Pete Carroll here, and Mike Holmgren years before. That is how long it Jimmy Johnson years ago in Dallas, and that is how long it took Kyle Shanahan with the dreaded 49ers. This is how long it could take Mike Macdonald here in Seattle now, and that felt evident after yesterday’s dud against San Francisco.
As the dust has settled upon yet another disappointing home loss to these pesky 49ers, I cannot summon that much anger as I reflect on this 17-13 defeat. Was this a blown opportunity to beat a bitter division rival? Sure, and that blows, but.. I dunno.. also feels like a game that could prove teachable for a young team and a young coaching staff, and maybe this is the Cowboys Netflix show rubbing off on my perspective.
Truthfully, I’m not even really all that upset that Lumen Field was that packed with 49ers fans. I mean, I hate that it was, but I also think, what are we, as Seahawk fans, really expecting at this point?
It is what it is. The Niners are now the significantly more established team, with more top end talent, and Seahawk season ticket holders, perhaps many of them transplants now who work for Amazon and Microsoft, feel more compelled to sell off to Niner fans to turn a profit than be at the game themselves. It sucks, but there is only one way to turn this back around in favor of the home team.
This all changes when the Seattle Seahawks give 49er fans strong reasons to stay at home in Northern California. For the first time in a while, I do feel like those reasons could be coming sooner than later, as bad as this loss feels, and this game was an indicator.
Seattle’s defense, generally speaking, played good enough to win this game had in not been for some fourth quarter coverage issues (Riq Woolen, please come down to the principal’s office). As for their offense, while they were not great, they flashed potential, and nearly pulled off a come from behind win at the end. It didn’t happen, but I don’t think most 49er fans were necessarily feeling tons of confidence right before that strip sack of Sam Darnold happened in the final seconds, as he guided Seattle straight up the field into the red zone with plenty of time to score a game winning touchdown.
I know a lot of frustrated Seahawk fans won’t see it this way, but when the game was over, I kinda thought that in another match, Seattle would take these Bay Area clowns, and really, it was a game that could have gone either way. We shall see if that’s true in their end of season rematch down in Santa Clara.
This was not an easy game for the San Francisco 49ers, who some have projected as being the top team in the division based on talent, experience, and ease of schedule. This is probably the best positive that Seattle fans can take from another disappointing outcome.
Seattle fought them tough. Maybe that is not going to make a lot of Twelves feel assured about new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and new QB1 Sam Darnold, but at the end of the day, I never thought this game would make or break either team this year.
I think the truth about the Seahawks offense is that it will likely be a process of finding itself through the first half of the season, much like Mike Macdonald’s defense did last year. I had hopes that they would come out of the gates on fire, but I am now tempering expectations. My new more rooted in reality view is that it might take to the end of October before we start seeing it gel.
Darnold is brand new to these receivers, and linemen, and runners. Klint Kubiak is probably still assessing what kind of offensive attack he can lean into with the talent on the team, and maybe he overthought scheming against his old boss Kyle.
I will say that I was pretty surprised (and annoyed) about how much of a mixed bag of looks concepts that Kubiak chose to use in this game. By everything that I kept hearing coming out of training camp, and seeing in games, I thought we would see way more Darnold under center, playing out of I formation with a fullback, getting the ground game going, and using play action out of it.
From the jump, it felt as though we got into a lot of the same crap we saw last year with Ryan Grubb’s calling plays. Lots of shotgun, drop backs, empty backfield passing, and stupid screens that weren’t working, and really not nearly enough trying to lock in and build off of the run.
Darnold’s best plays of the day seemed to be when he was allowed to go downfield, and when he was rolling out of play action. Zach Charbonnet seemed like Seattle’s most effective runner, and yet they head scratching-ly kept going to Ken Walker with seeming hopes of getting him going. JSN seemed like Seattle’s best deep threat, yet they were trying to get him going on screens instead of having him route up DBs downfield off of play action passing.
I think all of this frustrating stuff is probably symptomatic of Kubiak and Mike Macdonald needing to further iron out the newness of this offense, and figuring out what best to do with this personnel. I can forgive them for this game, but I don’t think I will be very forgiving if in week six against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the offense still looks this way.
We cannot have another year of erratic offensive play, especially with a schedule as favorable as this one appears to be. If this happens, it is squarely on Macdonald and nobody else.
Who knows if Sam Darnold is a franchise QB for this team, but it seems like he is used best as an under center play action guy. Maybe commit to him mastering that before trying to “trick opponents” with things further in the bag of the playbook.
Perhaps hold back on trying any Milroe Package stuff until the regular offensive starters all got the basics down like clockwork through the course of a game. I was hoping to see what the rookie could do, but that QB sneak play early in opening drive of the first quarter was a dud of a play when other parts of the offense seemed to be initially working, it felt head scratching to watch, and painfully forced. If it would have worked, we would be celebrating it today, but Milroe on the field pretty much signals what the play will be to any talented All Pro linebacker such as Fred Warner.
I also think it would be nice to decide who the main running back is between Walker and Charbonnet, and roll with him. For my money, it looked like Charbonnet was destined to be the hot hand against the 49ers until they shifted to K9, who was ineffective. I think it is possible that Charbonnet is the better fit for this scheme in terms to how he sees and reads the holes, but because K9 is the more dynamic athlete, perhaps they are trying to see if they can get him going. I think they need to decide on one being the primary guy, and for my money, I think it should be Zach.
I also cannot stress it enough how important it is to be what your state you want to be on offense. If your head coach says that he wants a tough as nails running style offense, then be that. Sam Darnold is not making so much money that you need to feel like you need him out of shotgun to get things going through the air. You can be more stubborn about getting the run game going, use that fullback, and tight ends.
And where were the much anticipated tight ends in this game, anyways? San Francisco had their top guy knocked out, and still found ways to get their reserves going.
Be what you say you are going to be.
I’m not going to criticize the defense much in this one. Nope, won’t do it.
They fought hard, but were on the field way too much, and you could say they struggled on third downs, but I would also say they clearly weren’t supported much by the offense. Against the well oiled offensive machine of the 49ers, who have been dominating with this offense for years now, they still managed to give Brock Purdy fits all day. They gave an effort worthy of a quality home win.
It was just the offense that didn’t deliver, and it is what it is. Nothing more, or less.
Ultimately, however, I would also say that now is not the time to panic about it, either, comparing Darnold to what Vegas did with Geno Smith against the Patriots, and all this other stuff that some fans and media will, inevitably, feel compelled to do. Let’s just resist that impulse, and think about the greater picture and process of this team moving forward with Macdonald at the helm.
If you are an overly stressed out Seahawk fan right now, or an underwhelmed one, then get even more behind the Mariners as they push for the playoffs, and then keep your fingers crossed that Kubiak, Darnold, K9, JSN, Charbonnet, and Cooper Kupp and company will settle in together better after September. I still think there is a good chance that they all will.
And I still believe this could be a fun year for Seahawk fans.
This Sunday, at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, the Seattle Seahawks will face their dreaded foe the San Francisco 49ers. The forecast for the game is usual for early September in Seattle, a high of about 70 degrees, with some chance of rain. It is also in the forecast that 49er fans will be traveling well, and the stands will be packed with them.
Would it shock me if Seattle drops this game to San Francisco, and Seahawk fans will have to suffer all the obnoxious Bang Bang Gang crap that 49er fans will throw their way?
Absolutely, not. San Fransisco has been the class of this rivalry for a number of years now, and while their roster is older now, and isn’t projected to be as strong as it has been in recent years, they will come into Lumen with extra motivation to squash any upstart attempts by the younger Seahawks team. The 49ers need this year to be special for them perhaps more so than Seattle does given the amount of money they have paid into players who are getting older, and therefore, the clock on their window for a title is ticking more loudly. If they have another down year, it could spell the end of the Kyle Shanahan tenure.
I would also say, however, that I wouldn’t be surprised, at all, if the Seahawks end up beating them pretty handily in this one, sending the legion of 49er Faithfuls departing for their hotel rooms before the final whistle is blown. Objectively speaking, Seattle feels like one of the bigger X factor teams that is tough for prognosticators to get a handle on, and therefore, could be surprise contender. The Seahawks will have tons of motivation to beat the 49ers and send a message to their fanbase, warning them of buying tickets to travel all the way up to the PNW expecting any more easy wins.
I would also say, as a longtime fan of this team, it would be extra gratifying if they did decisively handle the 49ers in a few days, setting a tone early for everyone to see that they are going to be a tough out for any team to play this year. It would be extra, extra gratifying watching all the 49er fans who spent upwards to $300 a ticket, thinking this was going to be a cakewalk for their team, depart the stadium stunned and angry, and suddenly full of doubt. I would enjoy getting bunched in the face by any angry 49er fella just to look him in the eye and smile, knowing my guys kicked the crap out of his. Football is that stupid and ridiculous like this sometimes.
This all said, a win or loss out of this game won’t make or break the season for either team, and the season is a long one with many storylines within teams to tell. In short, injuries happen, and the difference between good teams and bad ones, outside of coaching, is most often the quality of depth at key positions.
Could things unravel for the Seahawks this year in a competitive division against the Rams, 49ers, and Cardinals? Absolutely, they can. No question about it.
They could lose a couple key starters on the offensive line, and suddenly, they are depending on late round rookies and street free agents to start, and Seattle fans will lament over the offensive line, yet again. If they lose Jaxson Smith Njigba for the year, I could see that putting the team in a bind, as well. If Sam Darnold loses significant time, well then, get ready for the Drew Lock Show on Sundays because Jalen Milroe is likely going to redshirt this year, and who knows what comes out of that.
And this is just me thinking about the offense. If the defense were to lose Devin Witherspoon to injuries, if middle linebacker Ernest Jones misses games, or Leonard Williams ends up on IR, it could cause a regression to the side of the ball thought to be the strongest for Seattle, no question. It is a bit of a grim thought.
This is the gamble for every team in the NFL, though. Losing key starters sucks for every franchise, ask 49er fans about it last year, or Dallas fans. They know.
If Matthew Stafford’s back can’t stay healthy enough for him to be an effective quarterback on Sundays this Fall, it could spell the odd lost season for Sean McVay and the Rams as they then perhaps eye the 2026 draft for a new franchise quarterback. Perhaps it wouldn’t be the worst thing for them, if it all plays out this way, anyways.
Each NFL season tells its own story, though, and in that, it is folly to think what a team was in the previous year will carry through to the next. This is why I don’t put a lot of stock in projections and predictions for each team, the Vegas odds, and neither should you.
Here in Seattle, I think we have a football team that is tough for the national perspective to figure out. After finishing 10-7 in his first year as head coach, Mike Macdonald decided that his offense wasn’t cutting it. He fired his pass happy offensive coordinator and brought in Klint Kubiak to coach a more run centric attack to compliment his defense. Weeks later, QB1 Geno Smith, and WR DK Metcalf individually requested trades out of Seattle, they were granted, and collectively, they were replaced by Sam Darnold, and Cooper Kupp via free agency.
I will avoid getting drawn into debates as to who the better quarterback is between Sam and Geno, or who the better receiver is. There are plenty of strong opinions out there by folks who have voiced them loudly many times over the past months. I will just say that I like the upside of Sam Darnold a lot in this particular style of offense, and I think Cooper Kupp brings much needed leadership to Seattle’s young receiver room.
People are free to offer opinions on Darnold, Klint Kubiak, and Mike Macdonald. If you feel compelled to parrot skeptics over Seattle’s decision making process this last offseason, you are welcome to it. If you feel more compelled now to root for the Raiders because Geno and Pete Carroll are there, go for it. Jump back on the Seahawk bandwagon whenever it feels right for you to do it, I say. I will be here to welcome you back.
For me personally, being a long time, Gen X-y, Seattle Seahawk fan, I feel a genuine sense of excitement over this year that I have not felt in a while. It is fun to see a new regime take over, fully put into place their vision on a team, and watch it mold together. Thus far, I dig the vision of Mike Macdonald, and I don’t mind, at all, that he is a bit of a Harbaugh guy, and that cuts a bit against the gain of those who grew use to Pete Carroll.
If you are a fan of the Legion Of Boom era Seattle Seahawks, ironically however, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t be excited about a return of the philosophy of having an offense built off of a strong run game, and playing strong defense. I would argue that, through the 50 year history of this franchise, this very philosophy has carried this team to all of its peaks, starting with the Chuck Knox era that began in 1983, picked up again by Mike Holmgren in the early 2000’s, and then established by Pete Carroll again by 2012.
If Geno Smith had no interest in being Macdonald’s game managing QB1 in a run centric scheme this year, and just wanted to get back with Carroll in Vegas going against Patrick Mahomes twice a year, then God bless him, and best of luck with that. Let’s see what Sam Darnold provides.
Here is what I like about the move to Sam Darnold and why I think it could pay off nicely for Seattle moving forward
If you really peel back the tea leaves with Darnold (which is something I do not think most of his critics have done), I believe you will see his underrated potential for Klint Kubiak’s play action scheme. He’s tall, and athletic with a good arm. He plays naturally under center, and functions well rolling out as a passer, and over the years, he has built up a quick release, has improved his footwork, and thus, has improved his accuracy.
Generally speaking, however, there is a narrative on Sam Darnold that reads, as follows.
I don’t know what version of Sam Darnold we are going to get.. will it be the Vikings Sam Darnold.. or the one with the New York Jets?
We see this statement from various NFL talking heads across the land who, in all likelihood, are not very invested in professional football played in the Pacific Northwest. It is an easy thing for them to spit out on airwaves when they are paid to comment on 32 NFL franchises, and I am willing to cut them slack for that. However, there are the nuances about Darnold that these sorts are not considering.
In 2018, Sam Darnold was taken third overall in the draft by a very bad Jets franchise, and he was placed into an offensive system designed to be run by Peyton Manning. There was only one QB on the planet fully capable of running that offense, and it was Manning, himself, and certainly not a 20 year old kid who played in a rudimentary play action style offense at USC.
Going against the world class Patriots twice a year with all of that on his plate, with not a lot of talent around him, and a guy ill suited to be a NFL head coach, Darnold was destined to fail in New York. In fact, he found himself in Carolina a few years later, coached by someone from college who was running a college spread system that he was also unfamiliar with. Again, Darnold was stuck on a bad team, playing in an ill suited system, and he was eventually replaced by Baker Mayfield who busted out of Cleveland.
The interesting thing with Darnold in Carolina, however, is that when Matt Rhule was fired in the middle of 2022, and replaced by an interim coach, Darnold regained his QB1 job over Mayfield, the Panthers shifted to a run centric, play action attack, and Darnold played decently during the second half of the season for them, guiding them towards playoff contention.
In 2023, he had offers from teams to compete for a starting job in free agency, but he purposely chose to go to San Fransisco to backup Brock Purdy for a year. He told Kyle Shanahan that he wanted to learn how to be a proper NFL quarterback in a scheme that suits him as a player. He spent a year learning from Kyle, went to the Vikings in the following year, and the rest is history. Last year was his breakout and he finished top ten in MVP voting, despite that bad loss against the Lions at the end of the season, and that ugly playoff loss against the Rams.
So, the Seahawks don’t have Justin Jefferson, and I get it. They don’t have Kevin O’Connell calling plays, and I am aware of that, as well.
But isn’t it still possible that Darnold, who just turned 28 years old in June, is starting to finally blossom as an NFL quarterback simply because of the proper coaching he has finally gotten matched with the appropriate scar tissue he has built up as a starter in this league?
I think it is, and there is a decent chance that he gets even better here over time. We shall see.
As for the whole How is Darnold under Pressure Debate.. well, again, I think there is a bit of laziness happening here with him in this regard. Skeptics will say that he is terrible under pressure, yet Pro Football Focus rated him as elite in the league last year under pressure. Is this an instance where the analysts at PFF are dumb on Darnold and naysaying talking heads know best? Or is it that the bulk of Darnold’s doubters have fallen victim of lazy narrations about him as a player over the years? I will let you decide.
If you are not convinced about the upside of Darnold in this offense, and are circling back to how much better the situation was for him in Minnesota than what he will have here, I’m onto you. Truth be told, I don’t think the situation last season in Minnie was that much better than what Macdonald and company are building up here, presently. Allow me to explain.
Jaxson Smith Njigba is destined for stardom and his crew will surprise this year
Let me start this off by saying that I understand your concerns about the Seahawk receiver room, and lack of star power it now has compared to recent years. I think you have cause for concern.
As I already mentioned above, if Seattle loses JSN for an extended time this season, it could be the thing that derails their season. I will be the first to admit that.
Cooper Kupp is still a good player, but he hasn’t stayed healthy for a season in many years now, and I don’t think he’s a guy you want to rely on making it through a full season. Rookie receiver Tory Horton has shown promise through training camp, but he is coming off of a knee injury in college, and I think it could be a bit of a fingers crossed hope that he stays healthy through 17 games, as well. Behind these fellas, we have possession receiver Jake Bobo, journeyman Cody White, and the unknown potential of Dareke Young.
If we are heading into a Week 16 matchup against the Rams, needing a win to stay in playoff contention, and our primary receiver in the offense is Jake Bobo, it’s probably going to be a nerve racking matchup for hopeful Seahawk fans. I can feel my blood pressure rise just thinking about it.
Seattle fans have been spoiled with the presence of DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett together. Even though JSN grew into the primary receiver role over them in 2024, not having either known commodity on this roster anymore takes away a major security blanket for most Seahawk fans. I get the anxiety, but conversely, I think ripping this security blanket away sorta has me more excited about this offense, and its desired new direction.
I love that the coaching staff and front office is banking on JSN fully being The Guy in this offense. When I look at the classic West Coast Offense, a system for which this offense is rooted in, it has never been an attack that has required a take the top of the defense off speed demon receiver. It was all about solid route runners who could get quick separation, who had reliable hands, and who had just enough of a size and quickness to get yards after catch and contact.
The GOAT WCO receiver, Jerry Rice was famously not a fast guy. He was a sudden possession receiver with strong hands, elite precision as a route runner, and interestingly enough, he was built similarly to JSN.
When Seattle first made the Super Bowl in 2005, sporting Mike Holmgren’s version of the WCO, their primary pass catcher was Darrell Jackson, a pure route runner, not a speed guy, also built similarly to JSN. When Seattle went to back to back Super Bowls over a decade ago, playing with a WCO, Doug Baldwin was their primary dude, purely a precision route runner, a bit smaller than JSN. Justin Jefferson plays in this style of offense with the Vikings, is built similarly to JSN, and also, isn’t a fast track fella.
I am telling you now, Jaxson Smith Njigba is tailor made by the hand of God, himself, to be a top shelf receiver in the league playing in this style of offense. He can play inside and outside, he can catch the quick outs, find the creases over the middle, and he can get deep. If Seattle gets a full season out of him this year, he will ascend to stardom in this league, and be thought of as one of the best. Bank on this happening.
He will be thought of in the same breath as Justin Jefferson, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Book it.
As for the rest of this bunch of pass catchers?
When we are taking about Kupp, Bobo, White, and Young, we are talking about physical players willing to do whatever dirty work is needed as perimeter run blockers. We are also talking about tough guy over the middle inside the mouth of the lion pass catchers, and we guys with profiles who fit the mold of what the classic WCO requires.
With rookie Tory Horton, we are looking at a guy who has the talent to be the steal of the entire 2025 NFL draft, and could ascend to the second main option for Darnold by the end of this season. His potential is that promising.
But truth be known, when we look back to this season by the time January rolls around, I think we will be talking a lot about the tight ends, and it is going to be in a good way. The Kubiak offense, and the heart of the WCO pass game, features tight ends in big ways. People are going to be excited about rookie Isaiah Arroyo and the athleticism he provides, but if I am to pick a breakout player for the offense this year, I am picking second year player AJ Barner to wear that hat.
Last year, in a dysfunctional mess of a Ryan Grubb offense, I thought Barner showed a lot of promise. He was a good blocker coming out of Michigan, but he showed surprisingly reliable hands, and play making abilities as a pass catcher as a rookie. It is fun to think about what might lay ahead for him next in an offense that will now know more what it wants to be.
In an offense that will dedicate itself this year to being built on the run, the well roundedness of Barner is practically destined to flourish, and shine, I believe, and I say that with confidence. If all goes as well as I believe it can, I would not be surprised if he’s a pro bowler. I think this is out there for him.
We shall see, but I am excited to find out.
Why I expect Seattle to have one of the top running offenses in the league this year
Seattle’s revamped offensive line led by Charles Cross, Grey Zabel, and Abe Lucas, with massive and athletic Anthony Bradford, and Jalen Sundell is tailor made to become a potentially dominant zone blocking offensive line. All of these guys are athletes who combine size and power with speed and athleticism. It helps tremendously that they are being coached by guys who have PHDs in coaching up this style of blocking.
They can run inside zone, outside zone stretch, and power gap. If you don’t know all this football jargon, I’m just saying that this a young offensive line physically capable of doing a lot together as run blockers as they grow together as a unit.
Depth might be a concern at the moment, but let’s see how that shakes out as the season progresses. After week one of the season, teams can add free agents and they don’t have to guarantee contracts for the year. Typically, after week one, more transactions occur and rosters then become more set.
As it stands now, through these preseason games, heading into the week one matchup against the 49ers, I like what Klint Kubiak, and offensive line coach John Benton are cooking. Bradford feels reborn and reshaped, and Sundell feels like a potential hidden gem at center. Cross, Zabel, and the newly extended Lucas feel like potential cornerstone players for the offense.
While fantasy geeks will debate whether Seattle should start Ken Walker, or Zach Charbonnet at running back, I could honestly give two flips about it. With the potential of this young line, I think they could roll with George Holani, and be just fine.
Truth be told, I think we are going to see exciting production from all three backs, and I don’t think it will matter who starts. It is a system that produces great running back production, and this dates all the way back to the Denver Broncos in the 1990’s.
if I had to predict what Seattle will do at running back, I would lean toward Charbonnet and Walker splitting the bulk of the duties, and Holani mixing in here, and there, as needed. I suspect all three will have their moments of shining brightly in this scheme, and I am not even factoring in the potential of third string quarterback Jalen Milroe in the special packages Kubiak will have for him during the course of the season.
It will remain to be seen how much Milroe will be called on during each and every week in short yardage situations, and in and round the goal line, but I anticipate that it will be just enough to keep oppositional coaches spending extra time during the weeks to plan for his usage. Right now, I am cautiously optimistic about it. Could be the talk of the season, but it could also be just a bit of an extra wrinkle we see in games, here and there.
What I really want to talk about, however, is the glorious return of the fullback in Seattle and rookie phenom that is destined to be Robbie Ouzts. I have a sneaking suspicion that as Seattle attempts to pry the division title out of the old dead hands of the Los Angeles Rams in late December, one Robert Ouzts will have grown into a huge fan favorite both as a punishing lead blocker, and a play maker catching outlet passes and pulverizing tacklers as he charges upfield. I am here for that big time.
If this becomes truth, I will buy a Robbie Ouzts jersey and proudly wear it each Sunday moving forward with this team. I will be fully Ouzts-pilled as the cool kids like to say (I think).
I am ready for this to be a thing. I am ready to wear the Ouzts jersey on Sundays. Please, Sweet Lord, let it be a thing!
But the real reason for supreme over the top optimism for the Seahawks remains the defense
Defense wins championships. Don’t let any punky keyboard warrior tell you differently. Defense will forever always win you championships.
The whole entire point of bringing in Klint Kubiak is to connect this offense to a potentially dynamic defense brewing in Seattle. Period, end of story. No questions about that, at all.
Am I a bit disappointed that the Seattle Seahawks didn’t ship two first round picks and Leonard Williams to Dallas for Micah Parsons?
No, I am not. I wanted him here, but that would have been too much for him. Parsons to Seattle, minus the best defensive tackle on the team would have been too much.
Give me Leo Wiliams, Jarran Reed, and Byron Murphy all day, every day, mixing in with edge rushers DeMarcus Lawrence, Derick Hall, Boye Mafe, and Chenna Nwosu. That’s the defensive line rotation, I am pretty good with it, to be honest.
Could they add another nose tackle to the mix? Absolutely, and they could add another veteran edge rusher, as well.
But at the end of the day, I want to see Mafe and Hall talk the next step as rushers off the edges, and I want to see Byron Murphy take a positive step forward at DT, as well. These guys are the present and future.
As is Ernest Jones and Tyrice Knight at middle linebacker, mixing in with Nick Emmawori who will see time as a chess piece moving around between nickel linebacker and safety. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see backup linebacker Drake Thomas take on a greater role on the defense, as well. Macdonald has talked glowingly about Thomas all throughout training camp, and I, for one, am a bit intrigued.
It is the backend of this defense that could be real stars, though. Devon Witherspoon is becoming an elite cornerback in this league, and could take a further step this year. The other corner, Riq Woolen still possesses the length and athleticism that make him a league wide rarity, and he is going into a contract season. That could easily spell bad news for the rest of the teams in this division, and this is not factoring in the steady play of safeties Julian Love and Coby Bryant, who are interchangeable, sharp minded, play-making pieces for Macdonald.
Emmawori is poised to be the x-factor chess piece, though, I suspect. Expect him to line up almost everywhere at linebacker, safety, and corner.
Personally, I suspect that Macdonald kept him intentionally in a very vanilla role during the preseason games. Fans and media were left with a “meh” sorta response on his impact in games, and I think that’s probably just how Macdonald would have it heading into opening weekend against the 49ers.
It is an interesting tell that Seattle is choosing to go a bit light at middle linebacker heading into the season. It makes me suspect that the usage of Emmawori is factoring, but we will see.
At any rate, I fully expect Seattle to have a top five-ish defense this year. They might make roster additions here and there as the season unfolds, but the defenders we see on the roster now are probably mostly the fellas we see factor into it.
They will utilize practice squad veterans like corner Shaq Griffin, and nose tackle Quinton Bohanna, as needed. The 53 man roster isn’t what it used to be with the practice squad expanded to 17 players with vested veterans being able to be added. Teams league wide use their practice squads as if they have expanded 70 man rosters. So, it is little worth stressing out about how you see initial 53 man rosters get announced.
But mark my words, Seattle will have an elite defense this year, one way or another. Mike Macdonald will make sure of that, and he will pair it with a dominant run game on offense. This combination almost always spells out a playoff team. It is okay to dream about that for Seattle this year.
My concluding thoughts about the Seahawks and their potential this year.
I think the NFC West is wide open for the taking, and in many ways, so is the NFC conference. Outside of the Eagles, again, maybe Green Bay with the addition of Parsons, maybe Washington, I don’t know who the sure fire real contenders are in the conference.
The Detroit Lions lost their offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator to head coaching jobs, and their All Pro center surprisingly retire. Can Dan Campbell, who is more of a culture guy than an X’s and O’s fella, get them in top contention with those losses? I am not sure.
Then there is the 49ers and Rams, who, honestly, I don’t understand why there is so much national hype over. The Niners are older and less talented than in years past, and Matthew Stafford is a 37 year old quarterback who now has to manage through a bad back for 17 games. While I can see both teams having big years, I can also see Seattle and Arizona being the top two teams in the division this year because of these factors, as well.
As for other outside the division NFC teams, I am not sold on the Vikings switching to JJ McCarthy at quarterback, and as much as I like Baker Mayfield in Tampa, I don’t know how much better they really are after losing their talented offensive coordinator to a HC gig.
Then you have the who’s who’s of Dallas, Carolina, Chicago, Atlanta, and the Giants. I don’t know what cream can be expected to rise out of this lot, and I am barely even thinking about the Saints.
So, yeah, I’m kind of sun shiny, rosey, good vibes optimistic about Seattle. I dig the potential of the coaching here. I am high on the defense, and I think people are sleeping on the offense. That is all perfectly fine.
In many ways, I feel like it’s a bit of a positive for Seahawk fans to have watched this lackluster effort from the Seattle Seahawk offense in this third and final preseason game. I like Jalen Milroe a lot, and I think he was as good as any developmental quarterback to have come out of this year’s draft, and I was fine with Seattle using their third round pick on him.
But he is a developmental quarterback, and I think it is important for Seattle fans to understand this. He is not Russell Wilson who came out of the third round of the draft thirteen years ago ready to start on a talented Seattle roster. He lacks polish as a passer, and it was evident in this game when he played against starters on the Green Bay defense, and then back end talent of the GreenBay defenders later on.
He wasn’t terrible, and I don’t mean to make this piece sound like a hit job against his day. There were plays he made with his arm, and legs, and he had a beautiful touchdown run called back after a hold, and that, in itself, is encouraging as to what he can become, but he is not ready to start NFL games. Not in my view, in the offense that Seattle that is reliant on timing and anticipatory throws. He works best when designed runs are called for him with frequency, when he is balanced by effective running backs, and he is not asked to throw out of the pocket on third and long.
Aside from the sacks he took in this game, and the fumbles that happened in various ways with him, I thought his day of throwing was fairly erratic, especially when he would try to get out of the pocket and throw on the run. He’s not the throw-on-the-run-master that Russell Wilson always was, and this was evident early when he badly missed on an open receiver as he tried to throw right while rolling out.
He will tease you with some beautiful dimes downfield, though, which was the case more in the second half. I just think that it is good to have some Seattle fans see what four quarters of Jalen Milroe would be like if he were to start as a rookie. It is fun to fantasize about his upside, but it is important to understand that Sam Darnold, and probably Drew Lock, as well, are way ahead of the curb over this guy, and he is appropriately the third string quarterback for a reason.
I feel like some who cover the Seahawks have built up an unreasonable expectation for fans on Milroe through their practice reports on how good he has looked Seattle’s third string defenders all through training camp. I was at the game last week against the Chiefs, and there was nothing out of Milroe that made me belief he was close to being able to start in this league, and in after this game, I feel less certain. That is fine. Seattle will finds ways to take advantage of his raw athleticism in other ways this year.
Seattle can use him in special packages, and I feel almost certain that they will, but to that, I say “Mother of God, youngster, hang onto that damn football.”
The best rookie on the football field for Seattle in this 7-20 loss against the Packers was, undeniably so, undrafted free agent defensive end Jared Ivy. People covering the team have been hyping him for a while, and I am now on board with him. He feels like a long, tough, Baltimore Ravens style defensive lineman who is just going to play pissed off and mean against the run, and plowing into quarterbacks. I hope he makes the final 53 man roster.
Aside from this lopsided loss, I thought the reserve Seattle defenders played pretty well. Milroe coughed the ball up twice early in the game, which gave the Green Bay offense the advantage of short fields to score with, and they did. Had the rookie held onto the ball during a sack and a QB draw, this final score could have been much closer than it was. Jared Ivy was a big part of Seattle’s valiant defensive effort on the day.
The other Seattle rookie I enjoyed watching was undrafted rookie running back Jacardia Wright. I have enjoyed him all preseason, and I actually prefer him over drafted running back Damien Martinez. Wright made the highlight play on offense with a great 64 yard run into the red zone that the offense could not capitalize on getting points off of.
Cut down day will be this Tuesday. I suspect Seattle will look at outside players to fill out depth, perhaps at middle linebacker, possibly guard, and perhaps they add another pass rusher.
On my bus ride home from last night’s game, this was the comment I saw a few times over when the Seattle Seahawks posted on social media that their offense had rushed for 268 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs (shout out to my Seahawk Santa pal for inviting me to sit in his kick ass seats with him again behind the team benches).
It’s just preseason, indeed. No nuance to any of this comment. No effort to display any ounce of buy into the new offensive scheme and coaching. Just a curmudgeon-y display of good old fashioned PNW freeze from a few fans who felt the need to stamp out any optimism from diehard Twelves who saw plenty of reason to celebrate a dominant preseason win against one of the best franchises in all of football.
I get it, though. For several years now the Seattle Seahawks have rested the realms of being a mid level NFL team. Not a terrible team, but nothing to feel overly excited about, either.
Being middle of the pack for multiple years in a row can have a draining effect on many fans. Your team isn’t ever terrible enough to think they are going to have a shot at drafting a franchise altering quarterback like a Jayden Daniels, and it is never good enough to believe that if it does slip into the playoffs, it’s going to make any serious run towards a title.
For my money, the surest way for Seattle to get above this middle of the pack rut is not to suck for a season, and then try to draft some young savior type who is going to play under center for the next decade of Seahawk football. For me, that is setting your franchise up for relying on the ultimate crap shoot gamble pro sports has to offer fans, and teams that commit to this horse shit strategy generally stay garbage franchises for a long time (see the New York Jets). I am not going to go through the long list of failed first round pick quarterbacks to demonstrate why the percentages aren’t great, most NFL fans should be aware enough to know these numbers. Instead, I am going to offer a more practical method becoming a dominant NFL franchise.
Play great defense, and run the holy snot out of the mother flipping football.
If your team can annually do these two things, your team should generally be good for 11 to 12 wins per season regardless of who is playing under center, and should be contending for division titles year in and year out. If you pair a top five defense, with a top ten rushing attack offense, your football team will be badass.
Football is not a patty cakes sport, so why allow offensive coordinators to dial up drop back passes like they are offering up lines of cocaine backstage of a Van Halen concert in 1984?
The Seattle Seahawks have been a mid level team for years not because they don’t have the next great NFL quarterback. They have been mid because they systematically have gotten away from the formula that won them a Super Bowl over a decade ago by placating to their then franchise quarterback instead of doubling down on their model. This is it, period.
After watching what the Seahawks did offensively against the Raiders last week, and then watching them further double down against the Chiefs last night, I have high confidence that, come hell or high-water, Mike Macdonald return Seattle Seahawk football to its glorious roots of over a decade ago. I am highly confident in that. Here is a list of things I have observed that are big confidence boosters for me as of this moment.
The Offensive Line feels badass and purposeful
For two preseason games in a row, the Seattle Seahawks offensive line has played surprisingly clean, connected, purposeful, and overall fairly badass. They have been doing this while their starting left tackle has stayed sidelined recovering from finger surgery to get him ready for the regular season.
You can go onto Youtube and watch any numerous film breakdowns are what they are going in these games, but generally it is a pretty easy to write synopsis.
Gray Zabel looks like a great first round pick at left guard, clearing defenders, making holes, sealing backside lanes for his runners, and being a reliable pass blocker. His former North Dakota State teammate Jalen Sundell looks more than capable at center, and Anthony Bradford looks like a completely different player at right guard knocking down front seven defenders, and playing with much better balance and technique. Abe Lucas looks healthy and dominant again at right tackle.
This is all, of course, good stuff to see, but the level of play hasn’t really dropped off when the reserves take the field. The execution has felt very similar. The running backs have continued hitting their lanes, and backup QBs Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe have had plenty of time to throw and hit receivers.
For me, I think the unspoken heroes in what has amounted to 268 yards of rushing Friday night are clearly longtime NFL offensive line coaches John Benton and Rick Dennison acting as OL coach and run game coordinator. Klint Kubiak was wise to bring these two fellas into the fold for Seattle when he took the offensive coordinator job. It is obvious that both men have coached up this line and run game at an extremely high level.
The real season is long and injuries happen, but there is reason to believe that Seattle will play better up front because their depth will be better coached up than in years past. Through these two games, it is okay to feel optimism about that now.
The Seahawk QB situation is better than national people think
I could write an entire separate piece about this subheading, and perhaps in the future, I will, but for now, let me just say the following. I think the Seattle quarterbacks are getting very good coaching out of Klint Kubiak and QB coach Andy Janocko. Here are some quick thoughts on each of Seattle’s passers as I have observed them.
Drew Lock has always had a talented arm, but it is his footwork that feels night and day better than it was two years ago when he was backing up Geno Smith. Of the three quarterbacks, he had the flashiest night stepping up into the pocket delivering accurate throws, making plays with his legs and arm.
If we would have seen this version of Lock coming into Seattle as part of the Russell Wilson trade, I think it would have been much harder on Pete Carroll to have justified anointing Geno as his starter, even if that was his deep down preference. I know Lock threw that bad pick against the Raiders last week, and perhaps that is always something that is going to sorta be in him, but I gotta be honest and say that through these two games, I have a lot more confidence in him as a quarterback than I have had previously, and I was at that game two years ago when he started against the Eagles, and beat them.
Jalen Milroe came out of college last Winter an extremely raw looking passer. His season started out promising at Alabama but it absolutely collapsed on him down the last stretch of games when his passing mechanics completely abandoned him. It was so bad that it was actually quite shocking that he declared for the draft, and when he was at the Senior Bowl practicing in front of NFL scouts and GMs, he looked terrible as a passer. Like, really rough, don’t draft him until the fifth round type of stuff. He didn’t look that much better weeks later at the NFL scouting combine. When Seattle drafted him in the third round, my immediate thought wasn’t that we just took our next Russell Wilson, it was that we just gave Klint Kubiak his new version of Taysom Hill.
Even though Milroe has made huge leaps forward through OTAs and preseason training camp as a passer under the tutelage of Janocko and Kubiak, I still see Taysom as his floor (which, in my view, is a good floor), but I also see Jalen Hurts as a fairly realistic ceiling for him. I think in a run heavy offense, a savvy coordinator can get by with Milroe as a good duo threat quarterback if he continues to develop as a passer, but he will have to be further developed.
Right now, I think he is appropriately Seattle’s third quarterback in this system. Kubiak’s scheme is QB friendly but it requires nuance with timing and rhythm to truly get into the playbook, and for as much as fans want to be excited about Milroe, I think the other two quarterbacks are a lot more ahead of the curb than he is.
When Milroe gets into the game, Kubiak shifts into more shotgun run pass option stuff that the youngster is clearly more comfortable with, but in that, it sorta also takes away from the window stressing stuff that this Kubiak/Shanahan style offense is known for. In a nutshell, for as much as I can future trip and get excited about Milroe, I am dubious to fully buy into the Kubiak scheme being ideal for him, but time will ultimately be the teller.
The guy who I do believe is potentially an ideal fit for Kubiak continues to be Sam Darnold, and the opening drive of the offense in this game did nothing to dissuade my belief in him. It was one drive that was run heavy with only four passes for 34 yards, but Darnold was so smooth and decisive in his execution of those plays that it had me doubling down in my buy into him. I think a run centric play action offense is the perfect system for Sam Darnold to function in. He is tailor made for it. In this one series, I saw the same exact Sam who came into Lumen Field last December and confidently out dueled Geno Smith for a big time win for the Vikings when both teams needed that win for the playoffs and division titles.
Behind the scenes of the VMAC, it also feels like there is growing internal buy into Sam from current players, former players, and current coaches. Veteran leaders like defensive tackle Jarran Reed are talking about how excited they are to play with him. Mike Macdonald is stating how much of a pain in the ass it is to call the defense against him now because of how decisive he has become. Jaxson Smith Njigba recently commented about how he would rather play with a quarterback like Darnold who can throw with anticipation and have the ball out before he breaks on his routes.
Media members and fans can remain as skeptical as they want to, but in the last week, we had two appearances of Sam on Marshawn Lynch’s and Mike Robinson’s Get Got podcast, and Richard Sherman’s podcast, as well, and all three Super Bowl champs seem genuinely impressed with him. Sherman, in particular, who can be blunt in his criticism of the Seahawks, at times, seemed impressed as he vibed with Darnold talking X’s and O’s in this Shanahan style scheme. I am here to tell you now that Darnold does not go onto these popular podcasts if the hosts of them aren’t impressed in what they see and sense out of him.
For me, I think this all bodes well for the Seahawks moving forward. Time will tell if they have their franchise quarterback already rostered. I’m optimistic. I see good coaching happening. I see positive potential in each of these guys. I see them taking to this system. I’m excited to see what unfolds.
The Seahawk running back room is talented and deep
I love what I am seeing out of George Holani through two games. Heading into preseason, he was a total afterthought in my mind in a crowded running back room. I had bought into the draft hype of Damien Martinez, I was a Kenny McIntosh believer, and I loved the two headed monster of Zach Charbonnet and Ken Walker.
It is two preseason games with a much more productive run blocking offensive line, but it appears like George Holani is potentially a great fit for this outside zone blocking scheme that Kubiak wants to set the tone with, and build off of. Like, he just gets it, without hesitation gets it.
This scheme is known for producing a lot of quality looking running backs. Last night, it looked like Charbonnet could be a monster featured back in this offense running with speed, power, and decisiveness. Holani, on the other hand, looks like someone, at the very least, could be a quality change of pace relief runner who could probably handle some starting duties, if needed.
Martinez ran fine last night, much better than a week ago against the Raiders, but undrafted Jacardia Wright is pushing him for potentially that fourth running back spot on the roster. Wright has a physical sudden style that continues to impress and make plays. It would not stun me if he surprises and makes this roster.
This leaves me to Ken Walker, who we have not seen, nor will we in the preseason. I think he will be a part of this thing this year, but I am unsure of he will be the starter, and there is at least some outside chance that I am wondering if Seattle would be willing to include him in some sort of splash trade for maybe some sort of dominant edge rusher. My guess is not, but it is an interesting thought considering the depth and production we have seen through two games.
Seattle has a badass fullback situation brewing and I am here for it!
I cannot say enough about the fullback usage in this offense, and the impact rookie Robbie Ouzts appears destined to have on this offense both as lead blocker and pass catcher out of the backfield. Two preseason games in a row that he catches the pass out in the flat and charges upfield with bad intentions on tacklers. I’ve very quickly become a huge Ouzts fan, and I like what Brady Russell is doing in fullback duties, as well. I can easily see a scenario where both players are kept and Russell pulls double duty at a fullback/tight end in this scheme.
But I am severely tempted to make Robbie Ouzts my next player jersey that I purchase.
Jake Bobo is making this team and they will be better for it!
JSN will probably be the new face of the franchise at the end of this year, and I am incredibly high on rookie Tory Horton. I think Cooper Kupp will have a solid impact as a player and leader, and will provide a solid chain moving target for Darnold to look towards. I also like what I am seeing out of Dareke Young, finally.
That said, I don’t see a scenario where this team parts ways with Jake Bobo. He provides too much value in terms of impact as a blocker, team chemistry, special teams, and I think his route running prowess perfectly suits the Kubiak thing. I also think he could be a very positive red zone target for Darnold this year. I am saying this now, and putting myself out there a bit because this seems to be said annually, but I truly believe this is the year that we see More Jake Bobo in this offense. I think Cooper Kupp is going to have a positive effect on him, and we will see him pop more on Sundays, in result.
I think the bigger question is if this team carries Marquez Valdes-Scantling, or if Dareke Young surprisingly beats him out for the fifth and potentially final roster spot for receivers.
This defense is going to be a badass unit this year, no question about it
Through two preseason games, we are not seeing star defensive linemen Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawerence or Jarran Reed. Mike Macdonald sees no reason to play them. That is a really good sign.
We are seeing starting middle linebackers out there, and safeties. Our young duo edge rushers Boye Mafe and Derick Hall played some, and we got to see more of hybrid player Nick Emmanwori. Riq Woolen was out there for a bit at corner, and had decent pass defense. On the whole, nothing really wowed with these guys, but the scheme was kept noticeably simple, and the fundamentals of good tackling felt present.
The depth of defensive tackle feels really good with Brandon Pili and Quinton Bohanna, and this level of depth is perhaps one of the sneakier reasons why I have great confidence in Seattle’s defense this year. Having great DT depth allows Macdonald to move Leo Williams around more between DT and DE, and Mike Morris can mimic that. We could see Byron Murphy less at the nose tackle position and more at three technique where his natural athleticism can be more on display.
Having great DT depth allows your middle linebackers to make more plays, as well as safeties and edge defenders. For years, I have been pleading for Seattle to invest more at DT, and it feels like Macdonald sees the virtues of this with his defense.
Right now, I won’t lie and say the middle linebacker depth doesn’t concern me, maybe Seattle doesn’t need bit more at edge rusher. But I really think that the hallmark of most great defenses really needs to start up front in the gabs between center and guard and guard and tackle. This is where I think Seattle is potentially very, very good.
There could be more pieces of the defensive puzzle added before we get into real season games, and my guess is that there likely will, but these DTs got me feeling pretty damn good about life. I think we are one Jadeveon Clowney reunion away from having a sickly talented defense front. This is kind of the move I expect Seattle to make to round it out before week one. We shall see.
Closing thoughts
Yes, it is just preseason.
Yes there is a potential that Sam Darnold might turn into a pumpkin at some point.
Yes, the injury bugs could occur on defense and on the offensive line that could derail the Seahawks 2025 season.
We could also be struck by as massive asteroid in a few years and 80 percent of all animal life could all die off because of it.
You could also board a plane to Disneyland and the plane could crash and you could perish because of safety regulations slipping with air traffic controllers.
A new virus could hit us in a few years and the lack of federal dollars going to infectious research could catch us with our pants down, and lots of Americans could die in result.
You could be taking your family out to dinner next week, and be shot in public because of all the guns on the streets and lack of police numbers.
All of this bad shit could happen. All of it.
But since the dawn of time, there has been and always will be two different mindsets in life. There are those who will see life with optimism, and those who will not.
In my diehard Seahawk fandom, I will almost always see reasons for optimism, so take that for whatever it is. That said, I see more reasons for optimism this year than I have seen for many years in that past.
I don’t really care if Mike Florio doesn’t believe in Sam Darnold, and neither does former beat writer now national guy Shiel Kapadia, or local beat writer Michael Shawn-Dugar. It is fine. Hang your hat on whatever you choose to believe.
For me, I like the direction of this team. I dig what it wants to be, and what it thinks it can get out of the pieces. I love the clear vision.
Play good defense, and run the damn ball.
This is what I want Seattle Seahawks to always be about, and if you want this too, I do not know how you watched that game last night and were not excited about what you saw.
The older I get the more I try not to get overly hyped about a Seattle Seahawk rookie class, especially considering the there are 31 other fanbases in the NFL who believe their rookies are going to be special. It is the preseason, after all, and with that, hope springs eternal for most NFL fans as they view their teams.
49er fans believe this is the year that Kyle finally gets them a title with Brock Purdy and George Kittle. Cardinal fans are probably pretty optimistic, as well. I am sure Bears fans and Raiders fans have reasons for hope this year. I could go on, but you get my point.
This all said, as I watched last night’s preseason game occur against Pete Carroll’s Raiders (weird to say), I could not help but think how much GM John Schneider kicked the living crap out of the draft last April. I mean, I have really liked the last three drafts of Seattle’s, but I cannot remember watching a preseason game where this many rookies jumped off the screen at me in big ways. Let me go through the list and break each one down a bit.
Left Guard Grey Zabel
Seattle ran at will on the left side, and backup quarterback Drew Lock had a clean pocket to function out of for the entire time Zabel was in there. The best compliment you can give an offensive lineman is when you don’t notice because the ball was moving and the quarterback was kept clean.
Fullback Robbie Outs
I understand it this position is not the sexiest part of an offense for many fans, but I could not help feeling overjoyed seeing the return of the I formation with a bonafide fullback leading the way. I have a feeling that Robbie Ouzts is going to become an instant fan favorite, and there was a noticeable difference at the position when he was playing it over tight end convert Brady Russell. Ouzts is a natural blocker who sprung George Holani for his big touchdown run, and he also showcased his own playmaking abilities by grabbing a Drew Lock pass out of the flat, making a key first down, and absolutely clocking the DB who was trying to tackle him. Fans are going to love this guy.
Safety Nick Emmanwori
As I watch Emmanwori play in Mike Macdonald’s defensive scheme, I am not sure I feel a hundred percent right calling him a safety, but since that is his roster designation, I will roll with it. Geno Smith had one series of play with the Raiders, and made a nice pass play on a scramble out to his right, but the next time he looked to throw, he stayed in the pocket, and the blur on the screen of my television to his left was Emmanwori who shot right past his left tackle and forced a quick incompletion. Geno had no chance to get the ball off. Emmanwori also made his presence felt at the line of scrimmage as a run stopper, and looked fluid in coverage. It appears that this guy has the ability to play safety, off ball linebacker, nickel, and edge rusher in this scheme. In a word, WOW.
Wide Receiver Tory Horton
I am not one to overly attach myself to receivers like I see many other fans often do. Seattle has a rich history of receivers dating all the way back to the seventies and eighties with Steve Largent, and for most fans, this is the position that they cannot help most gravitate towards, buying their jerseys, and talking about with their friends. They are the playmakers. They make first downs, and touchdowns, and they help fantasy team owners win.
I am here to tell you now that I think Tory Horton has the stuff to be a new fan favorite. I really liked him coming out of college, I thought he would be a round two or three consideration for Seattle, but because of a knee injury, the struck gold getting him all the way back in round five.
In this game, he caught first down passes, and you saw his skill making a catch and run score in the red zone. Horton showed sure hands, route running, run after the catch juice, and playmaking vibes. It would not shock me in the slightest if after the end of this coming season, Horton is widely regarded as the steal of the 2025 draft. That’s how much I believe in him, and he showed me nothing in his appearance against the Raiders to dissuade that belief.
Tight End Elijah Arroyo
Arroyo made a first half grab of 10 yards or so out in the middle of the field and he was so fast and fluid in his route that I thought he was a receiver. He was largely outshined by other players on offensive who were either runners or catches, but this play jumped off my screen in a big way. I’m excited to see more.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe
It is impossible for me resist the training camp hype building off of Seattle’s third string quarterback. He is the most toolsy quarterback I have ever seen in a Seahawk uniform, more so than Russell Wilson. Anyone watching this game bore witness to his electrifying running abilities, but I thought in the times he threw, he generally showed well enough going through his progressions with good enough accuracy to think there is something positive there in him as a passer, as well.
His long scrambles were things straight out of a video game, but it was his play action roll out to his right on his lone touchdown leading drive where he hit his tight end down the seam that felt especially electric on the night. You could feel his threat as a thrower on the run, and how that can stress out defenders.
I am a Sam Darnold guy, admittedly, but the drive that Milroe led for a touchdown was so run heavy setting up play action that it left an impression on me that was kick ass to the point in which I could legitimately see a future where Milroe is QB1, and Seattle is playing in title games. He wasn’t perfect on the night. He took a sack when the year needed him not to in the end, he threw on fourth and short long and the pass was not completed when he could have probably made the first down with his legs, but this was a good game to build off of and learn from. Personally, I hope he gets that last preseason game where he is playing most of the quarters, if not all.
Final thoughts
I don’t know what is to become of Seattle’s quarterback situation this year or long term, but I cannot help but think that the solution might already be rostered and I didn’t fully think that in recent years with Geno Smith, as much as I really liked Geno. Last night, Milroe gave me hope that it could be him, but it also wouldn’t completely shock me if we ultimately see him push Sam Darnold into building off his 2024 Vikings campaign in a way in which it will be hard to unseat him further down the line. For the first time in over a decade, I am really fascinated by Seattle’s QB situation with all of its unknowns and possibilities.
I am not going to pit one Seahawk QB over the other in any of this. I embrace this situation with an open mind and heart. In the same breath, I will not fault a single Seahawk fan for being dazzled by Milroe and wanting him even more to become the guy. I totally get that.
But time will be the big teller in this, and I am excited to see what unfolds out of it. I think Seattle’s QB situation might be one of the sneakier ones in the league this year.
Aside from taking QBs, I thought through four quarters, I really felt Klint Kubiak’s offensive scheme, and I fell in love with it. I love the use of the fullback, the tight ends, the running backs looked liked they knew what they were doing, and where they were going. I feel like it really does have the makings of being a strong compliment to Mike Macdonald’s defense.
If I am to nitpick roster concerns a bit, I thought the third string Seahawk defense showed warts in coverage against third string rookie QB Cam Miller and made him look great at times, and I am a bit concerned about the depth at off ball linebacker, as well. This unit let the Raiders back in it when the second string defenders were largely kicking ass.
I was also a bit surprised and disappointed that we didn’t see more out of drafted rookie running back Damien Martinez as a runner. I was expecting more out of him with some of the hype. These next two preseason games could be huge for him because second year back George Holani looked stellar, and undrafted back Jacardia Wright also impressed quite a bit.
Kudos to the offensive line generally not sucking, and playing pretty well at times. It is either that they are improved with the new scheme and coaching, or the Raiders defensive front totally sucks. Could be a little of both. Probably is but we will see.
Okay, that’s it. I am going to spend the next week trying really hard not to be overly hyped about Milroe but I don’t believe I will be successful at it. I won’t blame you at all if you are having the difficulty.
This is a very exciting time to be a Seattle sports fan.
The Mariners feel very relevant this year, and just made three significant trades before the trade deadline to put all their chips on the table to compete for the division in 2025. Long suffering Mariner fans cannot ask for more than that. If they do not reach the playoffs in the Fall, it will not be for lack of effort from their front office, and ownership. I believe they will get there, and adding Josh Nailor with now yesterday’s efforts of landing Eugenio Suarez, and Caleb Ferguson doesn’t just make them playoffs contenders, but title contenders in an American League that is a bit up for grabs.
Even the most pessimistic Mariner fan has to be getting excited these days. I know I am, and I have been a curmudgeon about the M’s for two decades now.
Overshadowed a bit by the splashy move for Suarez yesterday, the Seattle Seahawks made a big move of their own by extending GM John Schneider through 2030, tying him together their bright young head coach Mike Macdonald for the next five years. People can feel however they want to about this decision from Seahawk ownership, but they obviously felt this was vital to do, and I applaud them for it. It shows the players and fans that there is total unity and stability within the power structures of the organization, and the importance of that cannot be underestimated, in my view.
Good NFL teams have stability and harmony between their coaching staff and front office. Bad NFL teams generally do not.
On the whole, I really like the breaking news of the Seattle Seahawks extending their general manager John Schneider long term through 2030. I appreciate that there exists differing views of Schneider amongst the fanbase, and if someone wants to make a snarky remark that the team he assembled hasn’t done much in recent years, they are welcome to it. I hold a different opinion, and it is one that is heavily backed up by ESPN.
On Monday, ESPN published an extensive article that ranked the NFL teams with the best rostered talent under the age of 25. The Houston Texans with star QB CJ Stroud, corner Derek Stingly and pass rusher Will Anderson were ranked number one, but the Seattle Seahawks were ranked number two, just ahead of the Washington Commanders with Jayden Daniels (a team and QB that is a sexy pick in NFC to make a big splash in the playoffs this year).
ESPN noted that Seattle has three blue chip players on rookie contracts in WR Jaxson Smith Njigba, CB Devon Witherspoon, and DT Byron Murphy, all players that play premium positions. By definition, a blue chip player is someone with the talent to be a regular pro bowl player, as well as being All-Pro. Having that quality of talent at premium spots is a huge benefit for Seattle, and the fact that they are young gives reason for longer termed optimism for this team moving forward.
EPSN also singled out rookie QB Jalen Milroe as a player with value and potential, along with the upside talents of pass rusher Derek Hall, rookie safety/linebacker Nick Emmanwori, left tackle Charles Cross, rookie guard Grey Zabel, and running backs Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet. It is clear they appreciate what John Schneider has been doing in the draft the past few years, even if the common fan is growing a bit impatient with this process.
This, for me, is why I am fully aboard keeping John Schneider around. With final say of the draft finally placed on his shoulders instead of resting for years with Pete Carroll, Schneider is building this thing in the classic Ron Wolf Green Bay Packer way, I believe. For about four years now, since trading away Russell Wilson, Schneider has primarily been taking best players on his draft board instead of chasing needs like they did when they drafted LJ Collier and Rashaad Penny in round one years back.
In result, Seattle has stayed more competitive each year than the Vegas odds makers penciled them being before each season, and while I get it if records of 9-8 and 10-7 don’t impress fans who are pining for the old Legion Of Boom days, I, for one, appreciate watching meaningful NFL football in December instead of watching a team that is completely out of the hunt with four games in the regular season to go. Been there, and did that far too often in the nineties.
This year, I have more excitement about the Seahawks than I have in years. I believe in the new coaching staff under Mike Macdonald. I think the defense has potential this year to be very exciting. I believe that the Klint Kubiak offensive scheme can be an ideal match to the Macdonald defense, in time.
I am not thinking Super Bowl or bust for the Seahawks this year, and I don’t know if I will be thinking that next season, but we will see. If Sam Darnold guides this offense well enough, and Jalen Milroe puts in all the hard work developing behind him, I will take a ton of comfort in John Schneider continuing to draft the way he has been doing lately, though, and there are other methods to building a championship contender that are going in the favor of Seattle moving forward.
In 2026, the Seattle Seahawks will have one of the very best cap space situations in all of professional football for the first time in ages, and it even gets better in 2027. Jody Allen isn’t stupid as an NFL owner, and in my opinion, it was a smart of her to get Schneider locked in long term, and matched with the long length of Macdonald’s contract. Let these two men work together building this team with a cohesive vision. This feels right to me.
I would also say that this signing might be an indication Jody isn’t intending to sell this team anytime soon. If she is, locking Schneider down long term doesn’t feel very incentivizing, especially considering how new owners love to bring in their own regimes. Why do that to John?
Nah, I might have the total wrong read on this, but I kinda feel like this might be signaling that Jody isn’t looking to rush to sell this team in order to fulfill her late brother’s trust. If anything, extending Schneider might actually buy her time to find the right ownership group she wants this team to have, and that ownership group might even include herself.
But that is another bit of writing for another time.
For now, I am just happy about this news. It makes the Seattle Seahawks feel even more stable as an NFL franchise. I like stable.
I can now see a vision of Seattle sports in the near future that have the Mariners and Seahawks being class organizations in their respective professional sports. Two teams that entered their leagues together at the same time in the 1970’s. Rarely have I had this level of optimism with both teams simultaneously, but I do today, and this is awesome.
This last Tuesday was a rough one for me, I won’t lie. The news of Ozzy Osbourne passing away hit me, quite unexpectedly, like a runaway locomotive. People who know me well, know how much of an old school metalhead I am, and how much this guy meant to me. Therefore, I had a hard time holding back emotion when folks reached out to me, and after a few different back and forths, I didn’t really want to talk much with folks.
Ozzy was such a unique soul, and heavy metal is still such a polarizing genre of music that I feel when I am forced to share my views on the music to people who are not fans of it, it puts me in a very defensive position to which I derive very little enjoyment out of, if I am being perfectly honest. I feel the same way when talking about football to people who don’t much like American football, and feel it is too barbaric, and beneath them to understand it.
“You don’t like football.. cool.. please, there is absolutely no need on my end to have a discussion with you about why you don’t like it.”
“Okay, you don’t get the fanfare of Ozzy Osbourne.. cool, cool.. cool.”
Yeah, the passing of Ozzy put me in a spot, but instead of wallowing in mourning, I very much wanted to spend Tuesday evening with my family at Climate Pledge Arena watching some quality Summertime WNBA basketball with the upstart Seattle Storm hosting the inferior Dallas Wings. A quality Storm win was exactly what my soul yearned for that night.
Well, the Storm laid an absolute egg in front of me, woefully losing in a blowout, and as I walked out of the arena, out about $350 dollars, having to reassure a young grade schooler that the Storm have beaten the Wings before, many times over, I had an overwhelming thought in my head that had become my singular beacon of hope in this sea of darkness.
Thank God that the Seattle Seahawks are starting training camp.
For many months now, I think the news cycle has been a continual masterclass shit show in global and national news. This is not a blog that weighs into social issues and politics, but if I ever needed sports and entertainment to provide pleasant distractions, this would definitely be the time, and the place for it.
The Seattle Mariners have proved to be a fun story this year, and more than a pleasant distraction for even for the more skeptical M’s fans. How can one not get wrapped up in the Cal Raleigh magic, and the thought that if this team makes the postseason, they would be poised to make perhaps historic damage?
That said, heart of hearts, I am a pure football fella, and this is a pure football blog devoted to the Seattle Seahawks, the team that I love in almost unnatural and in very irrational ways. So, let’s fucking go with this training camp, preseason games, and the 2025 season. I need it like I need a water fountain in the desert in late July.
I have no idea how 2025 will go for the Seahawks, but I am more excited about them this year than I have been in quite some time. It is not so much an excitement built on the belief that Seattle can be a top contender this year, but a gleeful excitement in seeing how well they can transform into being a quality team with a clear identity that will prove to be a very tough out on Sundays.
It is more than fair to be skeptical about them this year, and I don’t get bent up about any pessimistic national takes. Nobody knows how good (or bad) Sam Darnold will be as the new QB1, and we don’t know how quickly new coordinator Klint Kubiak will positively transform the offensive line, and get this offense moving in the right steadfast direction that head coach Mike Macdonald would like to see it become as a compliment to his defense. If you are skeptical that Seattle doesn’t have enough at receiver after trading away DK Metcalf, I am not going to waste any breath trying to convince you they will be fine. Let’s just see where all this goes.
I have genuine optimism that Macdonald’s defense will be elite this year, and history shows that if an offense can crack near the top ten in rushing yards and it is matched with a top five defense, that is generally good for 10 or 11 wins, regardless of who the quarterback is on the team.
So the mission for the Seattle Seahawks in 2025 is clear as daylight on a mid Summer day. Run the snot out of the ball in a “fuck the pass game” sorta offensive scheme, and play great defense. Sounds like something pleasantly familiar in the Pacific Northwest. I’m ready for it. I need it.
Here are a few things that I am really excited to see this preseason.
General Sam Darnold And Commando Jalen Milroe
I get it that many fans are nervous about how things will go for the Seattle Seahawks at quarterback this year. However, I am not one of them.
I am genuinely more excited about Seattle’s quarterback room than I have been since peak Russell Wilson, and I say this knowing full well that it is a total mystery how well this room will be in 2025. I like the vibe of Darnold, Milroe, and Drew Lock, though. They are young, athletic, and they all appear to be genuinely good dudes who are going to be working hard to push each other, and make a potentially good room a great one.
The guy that I think most fans are nervous about appears to be QB1. That’s fine, I guess. Personally, I don’t get why, and I have heard all the narratives around Darnold about how he handles pressure (or doesn’t). In my opinion, I think a lot of that is overblown, and the people who are the loudest about it are also self professed huge Geno Smith fans, which I have no problem with, but it does paint a picture of how dug in people can be with their prior views.
In the world of social media darlings, content creators on YouTube, and people who get paid handsomely on sports media platforms, it becomes harder to back down off of takes, I believe. I can easily see a reality where Darnold guides Seattle into the playoffs, and there will be people saying that had they stuck with Geno Smith, they would have gone even farther, or done better. I would be willing to lay sizable cheddar on that being a thing.
For me, however, being a Geno Smith fan, I find the decision to not pay Geno and move onto Darnard a very interesting one, and have stated so on this blog multiple times over. What is the gamble really?
Do diehard Geno Smith fans honestly believe that he is going to out duel Patrick Mahomes and the the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC West division this year, or next?
Even if you are a big time Sam Darnold skeptic, it is not like Seattle has committed anything long term to him, at all, and I think his mostly solid play of 2024 more than warrants a good long look to see if he can be the franchise quarterback here. I am not going to say one way or the other whether Darnold will be a hit, but if he does prove this year that his campaign last season wasn’t a fluke, you would have to feel pretty damn good about that moving forward, wouldn’t you? I know I would.
I would also just simply say that everything Klint Kubiak wants this offense to be fits the things Darnold has shown to do very well. It’s playing under center, mixing run plays with play action, and motion. If you were to dig into the metrics of how well Darnold plays under center, throwing out of play action, you would be pleasantly surprised, and this isn’t just isolated by his one solid year last year with the Vikings.
During the second half of a lost season in Carolina back in 2022, when their coach got fired and their interim coach took over, Darnold was reinserted into the starting lineup over none other than one Baker Mayfield, and they went on a nice stretch of winning football running the piss out of the ball with Darnold during what he does best; play action passing. You might remember the Panthers coming to Seattle and running the snot out of the football against Pete Carroll’s defense and Darnold handily game managing them to victory. I remember it well.
So, yeah, I do have confidence in Darnold this year, and possibly beyond. The style of offense that they will be going after is probably only going to ask him (or any other quarterback) to throw 25 times a game, and out of those 25 passes, the vast bulk will ideally be play action. This is what Brock Purdy does for San Francisco, and this is what Jared Goff does for the Lions. That’s it.
But neither the Lions nor the 49ers have an intriguing ace up their sleeve that Seattle appears to have with Jalen Milroe, and it is this ace that Seattle could play in each and every game that has me most excited. I have said it before, and I will say it again, Jalen Milroe was one of two QBs in last year’s draft that I was interested in them drafting. I liked Jaxson Dart, and I liked Milroe. Of the two, Milroe had me the most excited because of his immense upside as a runner and deep ball passer.
Every time Milroe steps onto the field for the Seattle Seahawks this year, he will potentially be a nightmare inducing runner on third and short, fourth and short, and in goal line situations. It isn’t just his freakish athleticism and speed, either.
His running instincts feel on par with Lamar Jackson, and I can see scenarios, as the season advances, where Kubiak just randomly throws him into games midfield when it isn’t third and short, but first down, just to fuck with defensive coordinators. I can also see scenarios where he badly beats defenses with his arm rather than legs when everyone is sucking up to stop his running prowess.
The single most exciting news that came out of June mini camp was the last two days of practices where Jalen Milroe looked noticeably improved as a passer to all media eyes watching. So much so that, by some reports, he looked like the best player practicing on both of those days.
Jalen Milroe has always had a good deep ball to his game, and he has shown through college an ability to go through progressions from the pocket, but if he successfully improves his footwork mechanics as a passer, and thus improves his short to intermediate accuracy, then I do believe that Darnold’s tenure in Seattle could be a short one even if he play well in this scheme.
Milroe has superstar potential, that is his upside. It is not franchise quarterback upside, it is superstar quarterback upside, and it is not a crazy thought to think he couldn’t develop into a franchise quarterback in the quality of a Lamar Jackson, or a slight notch below, if his accuracy improves and it sounds like he is working his ass of to improve it.
So, yeah. I am excited about Seattle’s QB room. This is top of my list of intrigue.
Young talented offensive linemen emerging with proper NFL coaching, finally
I will push back on any suggestions that Seattle didn’t do enough this offseason to fix their offseason line, even with drafting Grey Zabel in the first round. Zabel was the right player to pick in round one, no question, but I don’t think this was a great free agent class to throw money at guards and center outside of one center who seemed determined to sign elsewhere and one guard with a questionable knee injury who balked at coming to Seattle for a physical before signing with the Vikings.
I am going to take a contrarian view that says Seattle did more than enough to address their offensive line by bringing in veteran offensive line coaches John Benton and Rick Dennison in addition to drafting Zabel. There is talent on Seattle’s offensive line that has not been fully tapped, I strongly believe that. Most of this issue has to do with prior coordinators not committing enough to the run, and not committing enough to specific blocking scheme.
You do not improve an offensive line by throwing big money at marginal veteran talent just because they are out there and you have a need at the position. You improve your offensive line by drafting well and coaching the talent up in ways that fit what they do best. This is what I think Seattle is now set to do this year. They hired really good veteran offensive line coaches, and they are committing to a scheme that will better serve the talent that they drafted the past few years. I am excited to see how it comes together, and I say that knowing that it might take until the midway point in the season where we see it all gelling.
Seattle has offensive tackles perfectly built to run outside zone concepts, and last year, they drafted a guard in Christian Haynes who was one of the best pure zone blocking guards in college football. What did former coordinator Ryan Grubb do? He passed the fuck out of the ball instead of running it, and then he adopted gap scheme concepts to mix in with zone, never really letting his young as original sin offensive linemen to gain confidence and chemistry together.
Those horseshit days of offensive coaching are over with in Seattle. Kubiak may not win personality contests, but he will make damn sure that his offensive line wins with a fuck ton of run blocking down the stretch of the 2025 season. I am all about it. I could print a blue and green t-shirt that reads “run the damn ball” and wear it every Sunday this Fall.
This offensive line may not be tops in the league this year, but they sure as shit won’t be bottom. Bank on it.
A Heavy Metal headbangingly fun ground attack
“Run to the hills. Run for your lives!”
Ah, the sweet sounds of Bruce Dickinson’s voice souring high above Steve Harris’s galloping bass line of the epic 1982 heavy metal classic Run To The Hills by Iron Maiden. This song should firmly be in my brain every time Seattle is on offense this year. Run early, run often, hit some easy play action gimmes, and fucking run it some more, gosh darn dang it all.
I could give two flying fucks if whether Ken Walker has the big breakout year fans have been pining for out of him. It would be awesome if he did, and he finally lives up to his superstar potential, but Seattle feels especially loaded up at running back this year, and that is what landing Damien Martinez late in the draft does to my thoughts and feels. I think Martinez is legit RB1 potential in the league, and most definitely Zach Charbonnet is that already. I am also very high on Kenny McIntosh and feel like this zone blocking scheme is really going to fit his style well.
Seattle is going to keep all four of these talented backs. I expect them all to play, and play well. If K9 finally puts together a full healthy season, awesome, but if not, I don’t have a lot of worries here. Just an overwhelming dose of optimism for this unit that will also feature rookie fullback Robbie Outz who played with Milroe at Alabama, and would know immediately how to play with his unique skillset. Keep that in mind as you watch these preseason games unfold.
I need that Run The Damn Ball t-shirt printed. I might need several of them for every other day of the week this Fall.
Mike Macdonald’s Seal Team Six Defense
You fair weathers want to know what the difference is between Pete Carroll’s legendary Legion Of Boom defense, and the one that Mike Macdonald has designs on building here is?
Pete put together a very simple scheme but he collected smart, talented badass men to pull it off who were a fascinating combination of bigger, stronger, and faster at different spots. Offenses knew what to expect, but they still had to face it, and it was like a legion of jacked up berserkers coming at them with every snap of the ball. It was truly terrifying with terrifyingly bad intentioned players, but it had a shelf life. The league changed its rules that prohibited much of its style, and its star players eventually started to breakdown physically from all the years of ultra violence that it played with.
Mike Macdonald doesn’t ask his players to play with the same reckless abandon. He wants them to be physical, but he insists upon them to be schematically very smart and versatile. He wants every player to know what every other player does on every play so that they can also fill those roles if called upon with a given play to do so. His defense is all about disguise and confusion for quarterbacks. He wants his guys to play fast, and forceful, and smart, and completely connected together. He doesn’t want marines, or viking berserker warriors, he wants his players to be elite special forces on the football field. He wants delta force guys, navy seals.
This style of defense takes time to mold. It took him two years to mold it in Baltimore before it became the best unit in the league without a bunch of big named players.
We got a good glimpse of this defense turning the corner during the second half of the season last year. I am excited to see it fully take hold this season.
There is a lot of national buzz and expectation that we finally see the return of a great NFL defense in Seattle, Washington this year, even with those who are reluctant to buy into Darnold, and Kubiak, and the state of the offensive line. I guess that the old adage of defense winning championships isn’t what it used to be.
It will be fun watching Seattle remind the world that without a great defense, offensive stats are for losers, and fantasy football owners. Ask Joe Burrow his thoughts and feels about having a good defense. Joe knows.
Of all the things that I am most ready and excited for in 2025, it is this defense in Seattle to come in an ruin Sundays for quarterbacks and receivers. That’s heavy metal.
In closing..
It is preseason. Fans in 32 markets across America are excited and optimistic.
There will inevitably be disappointment when the regular comes along and concludes. There will be teams that were in the playoffs last year that will not make it back this year. There will be teams nobody is taking seriously right now that will surprise. There will be at least one serious contender who will fall disappointingly flat, probably due to injuries, and maybe even age.
The AFC is, by far, the harder conference to play through than the NFC is. It is not a given that Pete Carroll and Geno Smith will fair well together in Vegas. The team is not devoid of talent, but that is going to be a tough division that they will be in, and it’s inside a tough conference. This is why I don’t totally understand the Raider fanfare and hype is seemingly this big this year, but if it does work out for them, it would be pretty cool. I would enjoy seeing them do well.
Seattle, on the other hand, gets much less fanfare, and I actually kinda like that. There is not a lot of flash with these Seahawks right now. There is no big chiseled x receiver, there is no quarterback who is going to provide juicy soundbites and be active online, there is no big named pass rusher, or superstar middle linebacker.
Still, there is talent, and more importantly, there seems to be a connectedness with the players unlike anything we have seen here in a long time. Everyone showed up to mini camp, and I cannot remember the last time that ever happened here in Seattle, even at the height of Carroll, or Mike Holmgren.
I think these guys really dig Macdonald, they believe, and they want to put in the work. This is why I think this is the real year one for Macdonald here. Last year, it wasn’t his preferred offensive coordinator, and there were guys here that proved to be more Carroll holdovers that fellas buying in. They are gone, and what remains are solely Macdonald dudes.
The Macdonald commandos and seal team sixes. That is what we are about it see unfold.
Who knows if whether Jalen Milroe will ever blossom into a quality NFL quarterback in Seattle, but let me throw out three names for you to mull over.
Lamar Jackson, Michael Vick, and Randall Cunningham.
Over the decades, these are quarterbacks who I have especially loved to watch play football. They are rare air stuff at the position who have threatened defenses on every single down with their legs and arm, in elite ways, that few could ever do.
Independent of the Seattle Seahawks, Lamar Jackson is my favorite football player to watch. I have told people that I would be willing to offer Baltimore five first round picks for him, if I were the Seattle GM, and that is not hyperbole.
I believe that, pound for pound, he is the most physically gifted football player on the planet given the position his plays. His legs negate a defense’s ability to function in man coverage, and he has developed the pocket talent to beat your defense whenever they are in zone. He can still dial up twenty yards on the ground at any point in the game while surveying from the pocket, even against zone when eyes are on him.
Best of all, Lamar enhances your offense’s ability to run the football independent of your offensive line, and running backs. He does this not only as a runner himself, but as a guy defenders have got to account for against read options, zone read, and any other situation where you have got to decide as a second level defender to choose targeting him or the running back with a potential hand off.
If that last sentence is a lot to chew on, let me make that more succinct. He makes your linebackers and DBs more tentative on run plays, and therefore, makes it easier for any running back to run the football. Look at what 30 year old Derrick Henry was able to do as a player last year as soon as he went to Baltimore. He could have easily been made league MVP with the rejuvenated he had paired with Lamar.
Now, let’s talk about former Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe finding his way to Seattle during the NFL draft. There is a lot of meat on this bone to chew on for Seahawk fans who cannot help but daydream about what Milroe could become for their favorite team down the road.
It would be highly presumptive to assume that Jalen Milroe is going to be the second coming of Lamar Jackson a few years down the road for the Seahawks. It would be equally presumptive to make an assertion that Sam Darnold is set to be the Matt Flynn to his Russell Wilson, and Milroe is going to light training camp on fire and steal the QB1 job out from under Darnold’s nose this Summer; that is highly unlikely that will happen, and I cannot stress that enough.
That said, Jalen Milroe has out of this world physical talents as a quarterback. Pound for pound, he might be the most physically gifted athlete in this entire 2025 draft class. He’s big at 6-2, 217 pounds, and jacked up with muscles. He runs at an elite 4.4 speed, and some believe he might be the best instinctual running quarterback to ever come out of college (I can see that). He has a cannon arm that effortlessly launches beautiful deep passes downfield with pretty good accuracy, actually.
He also has a ton of work to do in order to develop as a functional passing quarterback. Whenever his mechanics would get sloppy in college, it would lead to some horrendously inaccurate throws. He has got to learn to properly marry up his feet to his arm with consistently in order to deliver reliable short to mid range passer. This will be his first step towards becoming a dependable starting quarterback in the league, and it isn’t impossible for him to clean this up, but it could take time.
This is why he fell all the way to pick 92 for the Seattle Seahawks.
He has tape that will absolutely excite you as a talent evaluator both as a runner and passer when his feet are set right, but he also has tape that will turn you off. His ceiling is through the roof in terms of what he can be as an overall QB1, if he develops properly, but his floor suggests he’s coming into the league as guy who can do some truly special things on the ground with his legs, but it is going to be an adventure with him as a passer if he is forced to start right away.
The clay that he has is really good stuff but the mold is not ready to bake in the oven yet.
Due to this, I cannot say, with any sort of certainty, whether the Seattle Seahawks just drafted an exciting quarterback of the future, or an exciting career backup who will come into games for a hand full of plays, and offer a spark with his legs a la Taysom Hill, or Cordell Stewart. Time will tell, but I can say that I am incredibly excited to find out.
Either way, his traits will bring immediate value to Seattle’s transforming offense, and that matters. Milroe gives Klint Kubiak something few other coordinators in this league have; a young developmental quarterback who will see the field now in certain packages, and will work to develop his game for starting down the road.
Gun to my head, if I had to choose whether Milroe develops as a starter for the Seahawks or stays a career backup, I honestly would not bet against his development, eventually. I don’t say this as a hopeful Seattle Seahawk fan, either.
For as much as we can get excited about his physical potential as a player, it is the inner intangibles that Milroe possesses that make me leery to ever bet against him. For as impressive of a physical talent as he is on a football field, it is what rests inside the young man that makes me think “yup, go ahead and take a shot on that guy.”
It has now come out that through the draft process, NFL front offices absolutely fell in love with Milroe, the person. Teams loved the way he conducted himself in interviews answering hard questions about what happened to him in Alabama during the final stretch of games that saw his mechanics erode. He gave straightforward responses, assuring GMs and coaches that he was very aware that he will need time to develop.
This is why, in the final days leading up to the draft, there was a positive growing buzz around Jalen Milroe. Teams fell in love with the quality of the person over the rawness of the player. Who knows if Vegas was waiting in the weeds after Seattle’s pick at 92 with two late third round picks, but one would think that Pete Carroll, especially, would had a fondness for him as a developmental player behind Geno Smith.
I will also admit that when I saw that Seahawks had brought him into the VMAC a couple weeks before the draft, I got nervous. I didn’t want to see Seattle draft a quarterback high this year after they signed Darnold in free agency. I was good with taking a mid round flyer on someone, but I wanted to see an early and often selection of offensive linemen like most fans probably wanted.
When it got to Seattle’s pick at 18, I got really nervous when Grey Zabel was still on the board, but so was Milroe, and Jaxson Dart. That is why I exploded with excitement when the pick was made, and Zabel’s name was called, but I gotta be honest, in early day two, when Seattle moved up from 52 to 35, I thought it was going to be for Milroe, and it was stressing me the fuck out. I didn’t want him there, either.
When the pick finally happens at 92, later in round three, I was more than fine with it all. My heart sank a bit for Darnold, but I was fine with the selection. The third round felt like ideal value for Jalen Milroe, a passer with unbelievable natural talents, but who will need a lot of developing.
As the dust has settled on this pick, and the overall draft for Seattle, I have gone from liking the Jalen Milroe selection a lot to being head over heels in love with it. It is, by far, my most favorite selection the team made, and I needed that Zabel pick, and I loved the value Seattle found later on in the draft with receiver Tory Horton, and running back Damien Martinez.
Let me quickly break down the two fundamental areas of Milroe’s game that have made me come to love this pick as much as I do, and why I think it all matters greatly for Seattle.
Jalen Milroe the running quarterback
There is hype around Milroe that suggests he is perhaps the greatest pure running back to ever come out of college. Personally, as a Lamar fan, I am hesitant to put my stamp of approval on that take, but I can see why some people say it.
If you look at his tape, it is not just the blinding speed he has as a runner in the open field that impresses. It is that coupled with his instincts inside the muddiness of a pocket, when the pressure breaks down, and he can squirrel between the creases to find open space past the rushing defensive line, forcing the linebackers to come up for the tackle, cutting against them, making them miss, and then hit the jets towards a bunch of DBs who aren’t strong enough tacklers to haul him down with any sort of ease.
This is the stuff that you want to see your starting running back do as an inside runner in a zone blocking scheme. Go look at Milroe’s highlight tape when he keeps the ball and runs. He is just an incredibly gifted, instinctive runner. This is what makes him different.
He is built powerfully to run this way, too. He is a young man carved out of granite. I don’t think it is hyperbole to say that if he came out as a running back, he would have absolutely gone in the first round with the way offensive coordinator’s love to be creative these days. He could be a RB1 with a skillset to launch gorgeous deep balls down field.
But that is not what Jalen Milroe wants to be, and that is not how the Seattle Seahawks see him.. at all.
Jalen Milroe the passing quarterback
His running traits are very obvious, but what he is as a passer, and what he could develop into is where there is real meat on the bone when discussing Jalen Milroe. The best way I could probably describe Milroe, right now, as a thrower of a football, would be Jekyll and Hyde.
When, he’s Jekyll, and he’s in the pocket, keeping his mechanics clean, surveying through his progressions, he can layer gorgeous accurate passes downfield with the best of them. This is why it is a very lazy narrative saying he’s an inaccurate passer. To the contrary, he has shown a good ability to play action out of shotgun, hang tight inside the pocket, and deliver impressive strikes downfield while surveying the field.
When things get clunkier for him, and it leads to Mr Hyde like throws out of him, is when his feet aren’t set, and he still tries to strong arm it downfield, and the pass sails over his open receivers head. When you see that come out of him, that’s when you’re like “whoa, that was pretty bad.”
The problem with him right now, in terms of fitting this new scheme, is that it appears as though his mechanics stay cleaner inside the pocket than when he rolls out, and has a to throw an accurate dart on the move. It looks as though he hasn’t figured out how to tie his feet to his arm yet when he has to throw this way, and that is a big reason why Sam Darnold has a have big leg up on him in this offense right now.
To become a QB1 in a Klint Kubiak system, you have got to do two things fundamentally really well. You have got to play a lot of football directly under center, which Jalen Milroe did not do a lot of in college, and you have got to throw accurately on the move.
Therefore, these are probably the two biggest areas that he will need to clean up a lot before he can truly compete for the QB1 spot. These are the two things that Darnold does really, really well based on how things finally took off for him last year playing for the Vikings.
There is also a third hurdle that Milroe will need to overcome in his development for him to step into the QB1 role, and play with good productivity as an NFL quarterback. He is going to have to learn how to anticipate his throws better.
What do I mean by that?
Kubiak runs a system that is built on timing. It requires receivers who will precisely run patterns to be open at right times in certain areas of the zone coverages, and it is up to the quarterback to properly anticipate when those receivers will break into those open windows (even if they are small windows), and then throw an accurate ball there.
Brock Purdy proved to be a natural at this despite not having a strong arm or great athleticism. There is some stuff with Milroe’s college tape that suggests it will take him time to get there.
It is not that he doesn’t read the field and go through progressions. He has shown that he can do that. It is that there were times on tape where a receiver is breaking open in an area of the field based on the way a defense is playing against the routes, and Milroe doesn’t appear to be anticipating that. That showed up more in 2024 when he was playing in DeBoer’s scheme, which asked more out of him as a passer than what Nick Saban was asking him to do in 2023.
Now, if I am being honest with you, I would say that learning to play under center, fixing your mechanics so that everything with them is second nature, and learning to throw within a timing offense with proper anticipation are all three pretty big hurdles for a young quarterback coming out of college such as Milroe to overcome. Let’s just be clear on that.
That is not to say that he cannot overcome those hurdles, however, and it appears that he has a very serious mindset to get to work on them right away. He’s a very smart kid, a great academic athlete, and he is very self aware. That is why I would never bet against his development.
I also believe that these are the combined traits within him that made Seattle target him, and it is why it feels as though Mike Macdonald is very excited about the young quarterback that John Schneider was able to acquire for him in round three. I get a genuine vibe that Macdonald believes in this guy, and he was his preferred quarterback prospect all along.
What is it that we can most likely expect from Milroe this year and beyond
Jalen is not going to compete for the starting quarterback gig in Seattle this year, but he also hasn’t been drafted to become Taysom Hill 2.0 for Klint Kubiak, and Mike Macdonald made both of these things very clear in his press conference right after they drafted him. Sam Darnold is the starter, Drew Lock is the likely QB2, and Milroe is a unique QB3 who will see the field with special packages designed solely for him to quarterback out of this season. It sounds as though they would like to get him out on the field six to ten plays a game.
My guess is Macdonald would love to use his own version of the tush push with Milroe in short yardage situations, as he was on the record a few weeks back saying how much he loves that play. I can see packages being used around the goal line, as well, where he can threaten with QB keepers and also choose to throw it.
I can also see that, at various points in a game, they might want to go tight end heavy, have Jalen work out of shotgun with run pass option plays, kinda like a wildcat quarterback, but with an arm that will absolutely torch a defense, if defenders decide to sellout versus the run. Macdonald talked about finding ways to use players that fit their special strengths, and this would be a definite strength of Milroe to catch a defense off guard for a bit.
These would be logical ways to use Milroe now while he develops as a more complete passer.
I will also say this about Jalen. If they can successfully smooth out his mechanics, and get him comfortably working under center in a play action roll out offense, I think they will likely see his short range accuracy improve to the point where they could start considering him for the QB1 gig then and there.
That third thing I mentioned in his game that needs work, the throwing with anticipation thing, yeah, I’m not too sure how much that gets fixed behind the scenes as a backup. It is entirely possible that it does, but it also might have to be a thing that improves over time after he ascends to QB1 status, and he gains more experience.
If their intention is to develop him enough to pass the baton to him as a starter in a few years, his process of development might mainly just be about fixing his mechanics. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to be ready to go with it by 2026, but it could be take longer, and if Darnold is playing well enough, they might not feel the hurry to switch out quarterbacks. This is why it is so murky to predict when an appropriate transition to Milroe would be likely, if it happens.
It is a fun thought thinking about Jalen transforming himself into roll out quarterback in this offense, though. Even if his accuracy still gets away from him, here and there, when rolling out, his genuine threat to run will place a ton of pressure on the back end of any defense, and that would allow things to open up further downfield for his receivers.
Kubiak has to be considering ways for which he can take advantage of his skillset in a manner such as this, and how he can draft up an offense that will stare the shit out of linebackers and DBs with any given play. If Milroe can just cleanup his fundamentals, Kubiak could also be the biggest benefactor as he looks to ascend the coaching ranks.
Think about it. If Kubiak does with Milroe what his old boss Kyle Shanahan didn’t achieve with Trey Lance, take a raw but exceptionably athletic college quarterback and turn him into a functionally good passer, he could be the hottest coaching candidate out there with his choice of where he wants to go to build a program.
As for Macdonald, and what he is likely hoping to see come out of this, I think that is even more clear. He spent years in Baltimore watching Lamar as he coached defense. He knows better than anyone in Seattle outside of Schneider what it means to have a true top level duo threat quarterback. He just watched the Eagles win a Super Bowl over the Chiefs with Jalen Hurts.
Macdonald’s ideal stat line for Milroe might be 15 to 25, 220 yards, 2 TDs, but also 10 carries on the ground for another 100 yards and 2 more TDs. If he gets this type of production out of him, week in and week out, it means his offense is running the snot out of the football with Milroe is being efficient and productive enough while his defense is kicking the pants off of the other team’s offense all game long.
If you want to be a physically dominant team that plays great defense, and runs the ball exceptionally well, having a developed Jalen Milroe at quarterback is probably a very good way of going about it. I mean, even if he doesn’t get quite to Lamar heights, if he’s simply a stronger armed version of Jalen Hurts, that’s still pretty damn good, as we all just witnessed a few months back. Hurts, in fact, might be the better, and more achievable pro comp for Milroe.
So there is a lot of incentive out there for Seattle to develop this guy. It would be a gigantic feather in the cap of John Schneider to have found two different franchise quarterbacks in the third round, cementing his status as an all time great NFL GM. It would be massive for Macdonald to have a guy under center who he fully believes in, and plays the game how he appreciates it, and it would be a huge thing on Kubiak’s resume to see him developed.
But for Jalen Milroe, it would be achieving everything that he thought he could be, and should be. A bad ass QB1 in the National Football League.
Time will tell if this happens for him and the team, but they are going to try. This is why he was drafted, and I would not bet against him to figure it out. The more I sit with this pick, the more confidence I have him Milroe’s character to stay grinding and figure it out for him.
If I were to compare him to a big named athlete, in terms of where he is now, and what he can be, I wouldn’t use Lamar or Hurts. I would comp him to former Mariner ace Randy Johnson.
When Johnson came into Seattle, he had incredible rare stuff with his arm and physical traits, out of the atmosphere upside, but he was raw as could be, and some of his pitches were the most wildly inaccurate stuff as you would ever witness. When he was on the bound in the early 1990’s, it was an adventure. He was Jekyll and Hyde personified.
But he loved baseball, and he was determined to figure it out, and he did.
Jalen Milroe loves football, and he has strong inner belief in himself to improve. You can get excited about that intangible and comparison to Randy.
I really hope it happens for him. He will be an easy guy to root for on Sundays, just you wait. I am here for it.
Temper your expectations of him, though, if you believe Seattle just landed a guy ready to jump into the role of QB1, and is going to grow into Lamar 2.0. That is a gigantic expectation to have for him.
At the same time, if you did not like this selection of him at 92, try to have an open mind. It is okay to daydream some about him, and be excited about these special packages that Seattle is intending for him this year. Those packages, alone, could be well worth this selection, and could be the difference in wins, and getting back to the post season again.
Every year, I walk away from watching the NFL draft feeling pretty good about the Seattle Seahawks. I just want to be clear about that, and you are free to take this article with as much of a grain of salt as you wish with the knowledge of this simple fact.
This is want glass half full people do in life, and I am definitely a glass half full type to the extent that I feel I sometimes offend others when I am not as mad and outraged about something as they are. My survival instincts are such that I gravitate to find assurances in the positives, and not dwell upon negatives to the point of walking into the ocean waters to never return again.
If the zombie apocalypse were to happen tomorrow, and I made it through the first day, my thought might become “at least real estate in Seattle will become cheap again.”
So, I was okay with Seattle taking a running back in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft when they could have had Lamar Jackson as a developmental quarterback behind Russell Wilson. I was also fine in 2019, when they reached for a need at edge rusher in LJ Collier instead of taking one of the many good offensive linemen that were available. I was even okay with them taking wide receiver Dee Eskridge in 2021 over all pro center Creed Humphrey when offensive line was clearly their bigger need than a third wideout was. “In Pete and John I trust” was my happy motto in all of these instances.
But these are examples of draft decisions that GM John Schneider has been a part of that have had Seattle Seahawk fans pulling their hairs out, screaming at their television sets, and wanting to see his ass canned, if not his head handed to them on a silver platter (twitter reactions can be intense). This offseason, the anti Schneider delegation of the Seahawk fanbase has grown to an all time high fever pitch, fueled by a 2024 season that saw a dysfunctional Seattle offense with another piss poor offensive line effort, but make no mistake about it; Seattle’s draft history from 2017 to 2021 has been built up ammo against the lovable movie quoting GM.
We will never know for certain if those picks were more influenced by him or Pete Carroll (who had final say over personnel decisions), but it is interesting that in two draft cycles now with Mike Macdonald as coach, Seattle has emphasized the interiors of their defensive and offensive lines with their first pick. That feels very contrasting to time spent with Pete, and it was very eye opening to see Vegas select a running back at 6th overall Thursday night when they could’ve taken offensive tackle Armand Membou, who was regarded the most physically talented offensive lineman in the entire draft class. Let that sink in if you have been more of a Pete person than a John person as a Seattle Seahawk fan over the years.
Anyhoo, I digress from the topic I intended to write about.
The Seattle Seahawks, and maybe specifically GM John Schneider, needed to absolutely destroy this draft after a season of Mike Macdonald taking over for the very popular Pete Carroll, leading the team to the 10-7 record, but just missing out on the playoffs again. For many fans, it was season full of frustrating mixed results. We saw much better defensive efforts, but that was to be coupled with erratic and dysfunctional offensive football.
This led to offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb (popular with diehard Husky fans serving also as Seahawk fans) getting fired, and fueling controversy over airwaves, and social media. Seahawk fans who were also diehard Husky loyalists were more apt to blame Macdonald for the offense’s dysfunction than heaping the blame on Grubb, even though Grubb was clearly out of his depths of understanding professional defenses he was coaching against.
Then we had both Geno Smith and DK Metcalf asking for trades and finding their ways out of the 206 are code (also upsetting to a lot of fans and their supporters in the media). When your starting quarterback and one of your starting receivers wants out, it could be construed by an average fan that all is not great at the VMAC, especially if that average fan was quite attached to said player(s).
So, yeah, John Schneider really needed to nail this draft. Like, he had to crush this mother out of the park, and then some.
Well, I am here to report to you, as a diehard, glass half ful, Seattle Seahawk fan, that he did that. I mean, John Schneider absolutely murdered this motherfucker.
I am not using hyperbole when stating that I believe this could become Schneider’s greatest draft class ever, even greater than the famed 2012 draft that saw us land Bruce Irvin, Bobby Wagner, and Russell Wilson, and many other starters. I needed a day to let this draft settle down with me, and not be too overly reactive with my positivity, but this is where I sit with it two days later.
If you get two quality starters out of a draft, guys who can easily work themselves into extensions after four seasons, that is a pretty good draft haul, and you did well as a front office. I think there is a very reasonable chance in four years time, we could see four top end starters coming out of this class for the Seahawks that they will choose to extend, if not more. That is potentially a massively good haul, and a franchise redefining one, at that.
Let me stress again this again. We could see four of them, but I think there is also a chance that it could be more.
Here are my breakdowns are each player selected in order, and you can decide for yourselves after this piece if you are ready to get more excited about the future of the Seattle Seahawks franchise tucked away in the never rainy always sunny Pacific Northwest.
North Dakota State Guard Grey Zabel
I am reluctant to put this on his plate, but it is impossible not to compare this kid to hall of fame Seattle Seahawk guard Steve Hutchinson. I do think his upside good be pretty close to that, though. That is not to say that he won’t have any welcome the NFL moments as a rookie, he will, but I view him as an instant plug and play player, most likely at left guard, and I think he has the physical traits and game tape to project as a pro bowl guard for Seattle, if not an annual All Pro player. Guys who have the college tape that he has, and the extreme explosive traits that he has generally make for really good NFL offensive linemen. Seattle was extremely fortunate that he was still available at pick 18. For some fun historical context, Hutchinson was taken 17th overall back in 2001. I haven’t been this excited about a Seattle first rounder in ages.
South Carolina Safety Nick Emmanwori
Emmanwori was a popular prospect with Seahawk fans for picking at 18, and Seattle traded up for him in round two, taking him at pick 35. In his press conference, Schneider commented that when Seattle traded up for him, they felt like they acquired two first round picks with him, and Zabel. He was extremely popular with Seattle defensive coaches through the draft process. It is easy to see why. He has the highest performance scoring out of any college safety coming out of the NFL scouting combine, ever. His athleticism is off the charts, and it is paired with a huge 6-3, 220 pound frame. It is easy to compare him to Kam Chancellor (a self confessed hero of his), but I think he’s different. He’s a much better athlete than Bam Bam was, a bit less of a hammer, but maybe more of an overall playmaker. He plays the run like an extra linebacker, though, and is described as a tight end eraser by draft pundits, which is exciting considering who we play against within the division. This is a very exciting pick.
Miami Tight End Elijah Arroyo
There are reports that a number of NFL teams had Arroyo as a top 25 physical talent in this draft, but they are scared away by his injury history from a few seasons ago. Seattle was not scared, though, and took a big swing at the fences by taking him at 50. His 2024 college game tape is an exciting watch, when he played a healthy season, and was a big time playmaker for Cam Ward and the Canes. He is yet another high profile explosive athlete, but better yet, he has an unusually advanced route tree for a college tight end. On top of his explosive traits, his ability to stretch the field as a big man, he is a very gifted route runner, and in Klint Kubiak’s system, route running is the most import thing for any receiver to show. Seattle could elect to keep Noah Fant around to ease Arroyo into this offense in 2025, but I wouldn’t be totally surprised if Seattle chooses to let him go if they feel Arroyo can step right into being a day one starter. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Alabama Quarterback Jalen Milroe
At pick 92 in the third round, the Seattle Seahawks took this highly athletic college quarterback. I have to be careful about how I project Milroe because I don’t want to set expectations up to a higher level than they should be right now for him. Due to the fact that there is so much meat on the bone when it comes to this quarterback and how it impacts Seattle with his selection, I will be writing a separate piece about him in the coming days. There is a lot to digest here, but for now, let me say a few short things about him.
I watched a lot of games of his last year when I thought there was a chance he could be a target for Seattle in this draft. He is a phenomenal athlete on the field as a quarterback. He has incredible wheels and instincts as a runner, and he has a cannon of an arm that launches some very impressive deep passes. He is very unpolished as a traditional passer, however, and he will have a lot to clean up as a developmental quarterback, and therefore, it is pretty unrealistic to expect him to compete with Sam Darnold this year for the QB1 job, and it might take him a few seasons to develop into that situation, if he does. In that, I will also say that if Klint Kubiak is successful at cleaning up a few fundamentals of his game, Jalen Milroe has all the physical talents in the world to become a superstar quarterback in the NFL. That is his ceiling, and it is a very exciting thought to think about as a Seattle Seahawk fan.
Notre Dame Defensive Lineman Rylie Mills
Mills had his fans with the draft pundits, and some folks even had a late second round grade on him. He tore up his knee in the college playoffs, however, and wasn’t able to physically test for teams. Due to this, he fell in the draft to early round five, where John Schneider has an excellent track record of making great value selections over the years (AKA Round Five John Schneider Magic). His college tape is pretty impressive as a power rusher, and run stuffer. According to Mike Macdonald, defensive coordinator Aden Durde was banging the table loudly for him. I suspected that Seattle would target a massive nose tackle type, and Mills isn’t that, but he has the traits to play the big power end role in Seattle’s defense that Roy Robertson Harris provided last year, but he will need time to properly heal. His impact on this team might be further down the round, but he’s a very interesting value pick.
Colorado State Receiver Tory Horton
Personally, I am pretty high on Horton as a receiver, and I was anticipating that he would be Seattle’s pick in the third round. I felt like that would be the area he would go, and that was sort of the projections I saw for him alot online. Needless, to say that I was happy to see Seattle get him later in round five with some more Round Five Schneider Magic Making.
I became a Horton stan after I watched a game of his in college a couple years ago when Colorado was battling Colorado State, and I dialed into because of the Coach Prime Time hype that was happening. Naturally, all the talk was about Prime and his kid at quarterback for the Buffs, but during the battle, my eyes kept going to Horton whenever the Rams were on offense. He seemed like a 12th grader playing against 6th grade kids at times, making impressive catch after impressive catch that led to a Colorado State upset over Prime and Son. It was a fun game to watch, and as it stands for the Seahawks, I think he has the talent to challenge for this third receiver role this year, and he could become WR2 down the road, mark my words on this. In his press conference, John Schneider compared him to Packer great Donald Driver, and I can see it.
Alabama Fullback Robbie Ouzts
I will admit that I had no idea who the bleep this cat was when Seattle took him late in the firth round, but after I saw Seattle listing him as a 6-3, 275 pound fullback instead of the tight end role he played for the Tide, I got excited about the prospects of more John Schneider Round Five Magic brewing in our faces again.
Why am I excited about this? This feels like a very Baltimore Raven thing to do, and anyone who knows my thoughts on the Seattle Seahawks knows how much I am desperate for this team to ultimately emulate the Ravens way. I want it so much so that I want the Seahawks to feel like the NFC version of the Ravens, and this pick makes me feel like they are heading more and more towards that. Exciting stuff to think that a big run blocking college tight end from a top SEC program can convert to a big, powerful, forceful lead blocker for Seattle running backs and provide Sam Darnold a bit of a safety outlet as a receiver. I bloody well love this draft pick for Seattle, and if your are desirous for physical running NFL football to return to the PNW you should bloody well love this pick, as well. Go Hawks!
Kansas Guard Bryce Cabeldue
Again, great value day three pick by John Schneider, but this time in round six. Cabeldue was an athletic tackle in college who scored high PFF grades as a zone blocker. Some viewed him as a third round pick talent, and Seattle got him much later. I think he is a guard in Seattle’s system, but he has flexibility to play tackle in a pinch, and maybe even stick there. This selection, I believe puts Anthony Bradford’s roster spot in jeopardy as it sounds like Seattle’s intention is to have him play guard. We shall see.
Miami Running Back Damien Martinez
For as exciting as the Milroe pick is, I think this might be the pick that really puts this draft class over the top. I was shocked to see Martinez available in the seventh round. Martinez feels like the type of back that a team drafts in round four, and elevates quickly as a productive starter for them. He is a powerfully built one cut inside runner who was coached up really well in college to be patient with his blockers, see the holes, and explode through them. This point of patience is critical for a zone blocking attack that is all about the offensive line reaching levels and creating lanes. The zone system requires running backs who are patient to wait for lanes to materialize, and if I am being honest about Ken Walker, that has been a blemish of his as a starting running back for the Seahawks. Martinez is an interesting grab for Seattle.
Iowa Tackle Mason Richman
I haven’t the faintest clue about Richman, and I won’t pretend that I do. A little more digging around on the internet shows that he was a four year starter at left tackle for the Hawkeyes, and had a pass blocking grade 79.6 by PFF last year, which is encouraging. Mel Kiper noted in his A draft grade for Seattle that he really liked this pick, and that is also pretty damn cool.
UNLV Wide Receiver Ricky White
Like Martinez, I was genuinely surprised to see Ricky White still available in the seventh round. He was a highly productive college wide out for the Runnin’ Rebels, a smooth route runner, solid pass catcher who can high point passes, and he’s a separation artist. He didn’t run a fast 40 yard dash at the combine, and this must have sank his draft stock, but he looks more sudden in games than this 40 time suggests. At any rate, his fall benefits Seattle because he is a complete system fit for what Kubiak needs his receivers to be. This was a great value pickup at the end of the draft.
Closing thoughts and feels
As I mentioned above, a good draft class is when you have landed a couple starters who can be long terms pieces to your team’s roster. Guys who can be good enough starters that you look to keep them around into a second contract.
Seattle had three outstanding drafts in a row from 2010 to 2012 that helped define the height of the Legion of Boom era. I think Seattle has had two really good drafts in a row between 2022 and 2023 that has helped them survive the Russell Wilson trade, and build towards a promising future. I believe the 2024 draft is trending well with the big time potential of Byron Murphy, the promising way Tyrice Knight played at linebacker, how AJ Barner played at tight end, and I still believe in Christian Haynes as a serviceable right guard in the future, and I believe Sataoa Laumea belongs as a guard in the NFL, as well.
This draft, however, feels potentially super duper special, and allow me to explain why I see it this way. I will try to make this as succinct as possible.
I believe that Grey Zabel and Nick Emmanwori have the rare athletic traits and game tape at their respective positions on the offensive line, and at safety to be regular pro bowl players, and possibly All Pro players, as well. On top of that, I can see both of them being tone setters on both sides of the ball. I can see Zabel being that nasty play through the whistle ring leader of Seattle’s running attack, and I can see Emmanwori evolving into that spirited back end defender that offensive coordinators have got to account for. The idea of Emmanwori and Devon Witherspoon working together in coverage and as secondary run defenders and blitzers is an exciting concept in my mind.
Elijah Arroyo could be vintage Vernon Davis in this offense. Provided he stays healthy enough, he could easily become a true mismatch receiving tight end who can stretch the field, run all routes, create huge YAC production in space, and generally be a regular pain in the ass for defensive coordinators to think about. Seattle gave up a rare big bodied receiver when they traded DK Metcalf, but they gained one at the tight end position with Arroyo. He has definite pro bowl potential down the road.
Again, I will write more extensively about my thoughts on Jalen Milroe (I have many). For now, I will simply say that if Klint Kubiak can coach some bad tendencies out of him, and clean up his short area accuracy issues, get him to comfortably function in a proper pro style offense, he could become an exciting QB1 down the road. In the meantime, he has a natural skillset that is so rare in this league that I would have to imagine Kubiak and Macdonald have plans for that in packages this year, and that have me wanting to go see more games live. It honestly does.
As for the rest, I think there is a strong chance Seattle found its starting fullback in Robbie Ouzts, and there is a very reasonable chance, in my mind, that Tory Horton can grow into the WR2 role, in time. It would not shock me if Seattle develops eventual starters in Mills, Martinez, and Cabeldue, as well, and I think Ricky White will surprise a lot of Seahawk fans this preseason (he’s a good system fit).
So, as I see it, Schneider has landed at least three likely high end starters who will be fixtures here for the next decade of Seahawk football, and it is somewhat possible that he has landed a fourth one who will be a star quality franchise quarterback. There is probably another starter in Ouzts if he takes to the fullback stop which they seem excited about for him.
There could be three to four other starters coming out of this haul. Not all of these guys will play into second contracts if they develop into starters, but some of them might.
If all of this happens, this will be, without any doubt, John Schneider’s career defining draft class, outdoing the famous Seattle Seahawk draft of 2012. It will put him into the Hall of Fame as a general manager, no doubt, especially if Macdonald and Kubiak develop Milroe into a quality starting quarterback in this league.
All big ifs, I am sure, but that is what we are looking at here. This is the reasonable potential of this draft class. This is what I can comfortably conclude with my glass half full perspective.
And if you want a glass half empty take from me because that is just the way you roll, sure, Elijah Arroyo might never stay healthy enough to be a reliable starting tight end, Milroe might never becomes more than a Taysom Hill gadget player, and it might prove that Seattle should have taken another offensive lineman at 35 instead of a playmaking safety. All of this could also prove true.
Just let me know if you need some encouragement when the zombies eventually show up in your front yard.
Kids across the PNW are likely not going to rush to the Seahawks team store to have their parents purchase for them a Grey Zabel jersey. Nor are they likely going to pretend to be him on the playgrounds during a tag football game.
The average fan won’t watch an explosive run play on their television set, and think to themselves “man, Grey Zabel really took it to that linebacker.”
If Sam Darnold hits Jaxson Smith Njigba for a long touchdown pass, your eyes will not be on Zabel pass blocking, I guarantee it. You won’t be watching him at all.
But Grey Zabel might be the most important draft pick that the Seattle Seahawks have made in years, and a pick most universally loved for Seahawk fans, in general. They had to take him.
For years, Seattle Seahawk fans have been tortured by watching bad offensive line play, and I won’t bore you by going over the rankings of Seattle’s offensive line over the past decade of football, it’s not good. Ever since Seattle traded pro bowl center Max Unger and a first round pick to New Orleans for tight end Jimmy Graham, the interior of their offensive line has been cursed, and matters had not been helped that the team seemed to be resistant to the notion of spending high draft capital on guards, or a center. They would draft running backs high, edge rushers, receivers, left tackles, defensive tackles, and defensive backs, as well, but never guard or center.
Late the second round, they once went after a center in Ethan Pocic, but he didn’t pan out enough to stick around. In recent years, they would try their hands at taking guards in the third round. It is a fine strategy to wait later in the draft on the very unsexy position of offensive guard if it works out, and they become good enough to be mainstays, but it has not worked out.. at all.
This year it was imperative that Seattle stopped its long pattern of avoiding the position in the early portion of the draft, and just bloody well commit to it. Grey Zabel was the best offensive guard available at pick 18, a perfect fit to their outside zone system, and they took him over some pretty good receivers, and defensive backs. Thank God they did that.
After Zabel was taken, other really good offensive linemen started coming off of boards. There is a very strong chance that had Seattle elected to go receiver, or pass rusher, or anything else other than offensive line, we would be watching day two of the draft tonight, and Seattle possibly being left with scraps by the time pick 50 came about.
Thankfully, John Schneider didn’t get cute with this pick. He stayed and picked the one offensive linemen that most experts believed best fit what they needed at guard to play the style of offensive football that they wish to play. In short, Zabel’s talent perfectly fits Seattle’s biggest need.
Seahawk fans needed Schneider to make this pick, and he did. We needed this Red Ryder bee bee gun Christmas present. I would love to see Schneider take one more offensive lineman on tonight, preferably in round two.
But outstanding job sticking and picking Zabel at 18. Seriously, bravo. I didn’t think Zabel would be available, but he was, and they bloody well gobbled him up.
So, what did Seattle get with this Grey Zabel kid from North Dakota State?
They got a long athletic, powerful offensive lineman who was the star offensive lineman during Senior Bowl week. A couple weeks later, he was one of the most explosive testers at the NFL scouting combine. In short, he is a highly powerful, athletic, quick player, who can charge to the second level of a defense on run plays and lay lumber linebackers, and defensive backs in a thorough manner.
He’s also a very nimble, and talented pass blocker. Imagine that.
This guy is a finisher, though, through and through, and John Schneider talked about that. He does not let up on his opponent. You can trust Grey Zabel to not give up on a play. He is great at pulling and combo blocking. He’s sticky as a pass protector. He can play tackle, guard, and center.
He’s a solid personality, and a natural leader. He can be the alpha that this offensive line desperately needs to have inside.
He can be a regular pro bowler for the next decade of Seahawk football. How freaking awesome does that sound to your ears?
This is the type of offensive lineman that you spend a first round pick on, especially if you are going to run a zone blocking system that requires an athletic offensive line. This is the prospect that you absolutely want, and Seattle got him.
I have not been this happy about a Seattle draft pick since I don’t even remember how long. I loved the Byron Murphy selection last year at defensive tackle, but this one feels significantly more exciting, and it is probably just based on fulfilling a more desperate need.
If you go look at highlights of Zabel in college, you will get excited about how special he is as a blocker on the move. At 6-6, 305 pounds, he looks different, feels different in all the right ways you want to stand out as a football player playing guard.
Yeah, I am really excited about this pick. In my mock draft, I wanted to mock him to Seattle, but I wasn’t convinced he would make it to them, and I also sorta didn’t want to jinx it. He was the guy I really wanted at pick 18, and it has been a really, really long time since Seattle has taken a guy that I really wanted them to take.
And there are some really interesting names for them to look at in rounds two and three. Here are a few that I really dig.
I would love to see Seattle land Georgia center Jared Wilson. If they took him tonight, I would have similar feeling to them taking Zabel and the pick would make all the sense in the word. Wilson is a superb athlete for this zone blocking scheme, and Seattle could have left guard and center answered for the next decade, if they snagged him. That is a more exciting thought than any other scenario that we can walk away with after this draft is concluded.
I want to see a big nose tackle taken. Alfred Collins from Texas is the guy for me. He’s 6-5 332 pounds, long armed, and plays against the run with a nasty streak. If Seattle can come out of round two with him and Jared Wilson, I think that would be an enormous haul to go along with Grey Zabel, and it would show a clear intent to win the NFC West through the trenches. How freaking amazing does that sound right now?
I think Seattle will draft a receiver, and I would love to see them find a way to add TCU receiver Jack Bech to this offense. His stature and playing style is eerily similar to Cooper Kupp, and I think he would be the perfect receiver to develop behind Kupp. He’s a personality that will easily make you want to root for him, too, and Seattle could use that after moving on from Tyler Lockett.
I would also love to see Seattle grab on of these top tight end prospects still available. LSU tight end Mason Taylor is someone they have looked at in the draft process and would be an exciting addition. Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson is also very appealing to me, and Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo is really interesting. This is a very deep draft at tight end, and there will be other options available to them, as well. Please take one of them.
There is some speculation out there that Seattle might draft a quarterback in rounds two or three, but I remain skeptical. If this is a thing that has legs to it, of the remaining quarterbacks of this draft, the only two I would have any real interest in are Will Howard of Ohio State, and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe.
Howard isn’t a top end athlete, doesn’t have a big arm, but he kinda has that air about him that makes me think he could develop into a Matt Hasselbeck type of starter in the league, and I like Hass. Milroe, however, is a freak athlete, a dynamic runner, and could be used in a Taysom Hill capacity until he learns to be a proper quarterback, which will most likely take a few seasons. I wouldn’t draft either guy until round three, though, but if Seattle were to take a QB higher than that, let it be one of these two. We shall see if drafting a QB is a thing for Seattle this year, but these guys are my preferences.
If I had it all my way, and I can say this because I feel like drafting Zabel has given me some house money, I would have things shake out for Seattle this way in day two; Jared Wilson at 50, Alfred Collins at 52, Jack Bech at 82, and Terrance Ferguson at 92. Then, in day three, I would look at what options are left at quarterback, cornerback, safety, and probably running back, and linebacker.
We shall see how it goes, but for now, let us all bask in the delight of Grey Zabel coming into Seattle, and bringing a big jolt of talent to the interior of this offensive line. This was the pick that needed to happen, and I am very glad that it did.
12th Life 