The Seattle Seahawks shouldn’t have to squeeze back into the spotlight.
That space typically would be reserved for the defending Super Bowl champion throughout the offseason. In Seattle‘s case, however, gazes began to stray not long after Mike Macdonald and Co. got their hands on the Lombardi Trophy.
Advertisement
The Seahawks were, without question, compelling victors. Their systematic dismantling of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60 was a fitting capstone to a campaign that eradicated all doubt as to who was the NFL’s strongest outfit by season’s end.
But it wasn’t long before a group known for its lack of braggadocio – and perhaps star power – became somewhat of an afterthought.
As the organization’s veterans report for training camp on Friday, July 24, the Seahawks begin preparation for their title defense with a diminished level of buzz. Despite last season’s accomplishments, Seattle doesn’t stoke comparable offseason intrigue to the Los Angeles Rams, who might have secured their place as the focal point of the NFC West – and perhaps the league at large – with their acquisition of Myles Garrett. And as the Patriots also begin work the same day in preparation for the season-opening Super Bowl rematch, New England clearly is on track to command more attention after the addition of A.J. Brown.
Turns out a championship, record sale price and spot on “Hard Knocks” only buys the public’s focus for so long.
Advertisement
Yet that dynamic likely matters little to the Seahawks, who can fall back on Macdonald’s now-famous post-NFC championship refrain: “We did not care.”
With no rallying cries for a repeat bid or other inflammatory boasting accompanying the start of a new season, Seattle seems as though it’s somehow flying under the radar. And while the field will always have a more favorable outlook than any one team – even a potential front-runner – here are five reasons the Seahawks’ title repeat chances shouldn’t be overlooked:
1. Continuity is key
At this time last year, McDonald was implementing one of the league’s more drastic overhauls for an incumbent coach, reconfiguring his offense to better adhere to his overall vision for the team.
Advertisement
By comparison, the season-to-season change for Seattle is relatively minimal.
That might seem like an oversimplification for an organization that lost its ace play-caller (Klint Kubiak), Super Bowl 60 MVP (Kenneth Walker III) and other meaningful pieces. Yet with the overwhelming majority of their core coming back, the Seahawks could enjoy a level of continuity not seen by other recent title winners.
Other than Walker, every offensive starter from Super Bowl 60 is back. And while new coordinator Brian Fleury is instituting his own system, the former San Francisco 49ers run game coordinator knows he has a basis to work with in what Kubiak already built.
Advertisement
“I do think one of the advantages of taking this job is there is gonna be a lot of continuity,” Fleury said in February after his hiring. “I’ve already started to dive into everything that (Kubiak) was doing here last year, and the goal would be to maintain as much of that as possible, but there’s also areas where we can supplement that with things that we’ve developed and done in San Francisco.”
That should be a boon to Sam Darnold, who has grown accustomed to change after playing for five different teams in his previous six years. Fleury will be Darnold’s seventh different offensive coordinator in as many seasons, but the quarterback said in June that the switch hasn’t been “too much of a transition.” The texture of the attack might shift, but the essence – including the emphasis on unlocking explosive plays while staying true to the overall framework of a Kyle Shanahan offense – should remain largely the same.
2. The run game is a concern, but there’s a clear lane ahead
Though it was an expected loss, Walker’s departure in free agency is a difficult blow to a run game that finally found its footing down the stretch.
Advertisement
In the final three games before the playoffs, Seattle racked up 514 yards on the ground. Then, with Zach Charbonnet succumbing to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the divisional-round win over the 49ers, Walker stepped up by rushing for 313 yards and four scores in three postseason games.
With Walker off to the Kansas City Chiefs and Charbonnet opening up camp on the physically unable to perform list, the backfield is unquestionably the greatest source of uncertainty for Seattle.
It’s worth noting, however, that the run game remained a problem for the majority of the season before the late-season swell. Through the first 15 weeks of the season, Seattle ranked 22nd in the NFL with 113 rushing yards per game and 27th with 3.9 yards per carry. But the Seahawks still managed to go 12-3 to that point, their attack fueled primarily by Darnold and Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
In selecting Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price with the No. 32 overall pick, general manager John Schneider made a clear statement about where he wants the ground game to go from here. Price can hardly be considered an every-down grinder after never logging more than 15 carries in a game while operating alongside No. 3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love for the Fighting Irish. But he had a knack for breaking away from opponents, both as a runner and returner, and should be able to keep the chunk gains coming after Walker tied for third in the NFL with 10 carries of 20-plus yards last season.
Advertisement
For more consistency, Seattle might need George Holani and other backups to help spell Price until Charbonnet returns. But last year’s results should serve as evidence that there’s no reason to panic if it takes the assortment of backs a bit of time to find their stride.
There’s reason for optimism beyond the ball carries themselves, too. Fleury’s background should allow him to keep the bones of what worked last year while allowing the team to expand into more promising looks, particularly in two-tight-end sets. The offensive line, which quietly went from a concern to an area of strength, also returns all five starters.
3. Rashid Shaheed hasn’t been fully unlocked
A midseason trade for a speedy receiver made plenty of sense for a team intent on taxing its opponents.
Advertisement
The Seahawks acquired Shaheed with the intent of unlocking him as the big-play dynamo he previously was under Kubiak, for whom the pass catcher averaged 17.5 yards per catch in 2024 on the New Orleans Saints. In a half-season in Seattle, however, Shaheed posted just 15 catches in nine regular-season games as he struggled to reaffirm his place as one of the league’s premier deep threats.
Yet there was no buyer’s remorse from Schneider, who re-signed Shaheed to a three-year, $51 million contract at the outset of free agency. That money made clear that the Seahawks see the Pro Bowl kick returner as a critical staple of their offense.
Though Smith-Njigba is sure to remain the focal point of the aerial attack, Shaheed’s contributions should prove vital. Not only does his mere presence open up the field for Darnold, but the occasional vertical shot also can reduce the reliance on having an efficient and methodical run game. Also aiding in that effort: second-year receiver Tory Horton, who scored five touchdowns as a rookie and showed sizable potential as a deep threat before a shin injury disrupted his rookie campaign.
4. The ‘Dark Side’ defense should have a strong sequel lined up
Defenses typically are ripe for regression. And after Seattle finished last season as the league’s stingiest unit in points allowed – and the No. 8 since 1978 in DVOA – it’s difficult to say with any sense of certainty that the group can clear the sky-high bar it set in 2025.
Advertisement
But things are still looking mighty bright for the “Dark Side.”
That all starts with Macdonald. Shutting down the Patriots in the Super Bowl might have been the coach’s defensive masterpiece, but it also represented a feat Seattle had achieved all season: shutting down opposing run games while living in light boxes and stymying quarterbacks and linemen with exotic pressure packages.
With the league’s most formidable defensive tackle tandem in Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II returning, the Seahawks should continue to set the tone up front. Though the edge rush might not be quite as formidable after Boye Mafe‘s exit, a group that still runs four deep retained its most important pieces in DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu and Derick Hall.
The secondary could be a relative concern given the change prompted by safety Coby Bryant and cornerback Riq Woolen signing elsewhere. But Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe provide a strong outlook on the outside, while Nick Emmanwori looks like a burgeoning star as a dynamic nickel.
Advertisement
5. The NFL can be a weak-link system – and Seattle might have the fewest vulnerabilities
Even the foremost contenders can be undone by one glaring problem area. Think back to Patrick Mahomes picking on then-Buffalo Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam in the 2024 AFC championship game – or the Seahawks overwhelming the left side of the Patriots’ offensive line in Super Bowl 60.
For all its top-tier talent, Seattle’s strong suit might be its lack of an obvious area to attack.
The most obvious candidate for opponents to zero in on might be Anthony Bradford. The right guard’s struggles became more pronounced in the three close matchups with the Rams, when he surrendered a 13% pressure rate and 16 of his 41 pressures on the season. Preventing him from derailing those critical NFC West tilts might get even more difficult this fall, especially if Aaron Donald hops out of retirement to join his former team. But that shortcoming didn’t prove too troublesome on the season, as Seattle surrendered just 27 sacks while still featuring an aggressive aerial attack.
Advertisement
The safety spot vacated by Thomas looks like the only other notable spot with lingering questions. Second-round safety Bud Clark, a savvy playmaker who recorded 15 interceptions at TCU, should take over the role down the line. But Ty Okada, who stepped in with 11 starts last season, can hold down the role next to Julian Love if Clark requires time to acclimate.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are the Seahawks overlooked? 5 reasons to take Super Bowl repeat bid seriously
