Camp Takeaways: Running Backs to Take on Bigger Role in Seahawks’ Passing Game Under Brian Fleury
On the way to the second Super Bowl victory in franchise history, the Seattle Seahawks put up sizzling offensive numbers, including setting a new single season record for points scored and finishing eighth in the league in passing yards.
Leading the charge, Jaxon Smith-Njigba recorded 119 catches for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns, joining Shaun Alexander as the second Seahawk to win Offensive Player of the Year honors. Away from the rising superstar, Sam Darnold had plenty of other capable weapons at his disposal, including Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed, and standout tight end AJ Barner.
But for as much success as Seattle had attacking opponents through the air last season with former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak calling plays, the team managed to do so without relying much on running backs as receivers. Contrasting from Kyle Shanahan’s offense in San Francisco, the Seahawks finished 31st in targets (63) and 28th in catches (53) without a single touchdown reception from running backs in 2025, only utilizing former starter Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet sparingly in that fashion.
With a new play caller in Brian Fleury now at the wheel replacing the departed Kubiak, however, as Bob Dylan once wrote, the times they are a-changing in the Pacific Northwest.
Will Stars Align for Jadeveon Clowney, Seahawks Reunion?
When general manager John Schneider and the Seattle Seahawks swing and miss on a coveted player in free agency, they always keep the door open for the future, further evidenced by a pair of signings made by the team this offseason.
Per the players themselves, EDGE rusher Dante Fowler Jr. and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene received significant interest from the Seahawks as free agents prior to the 2025 season, but they wound up signing with the Cowboys and Commanders respectively. Fast forwarding one year later, the defending Super Bowl champs made a run at each of them once again, this time signing both players to one-year contracts to help offset the departures of Boye Mafe and Riq Woolen.
Keeping that in mind, a report from Aaron Wilson of KPRC Houston indicating the Seahawks have interest in a reunion with defensive end Jadeveon Clowney shouldn’t come as a surprise at all. Last summer, Schneider made overtures to the former No. 1 overall pick, who previously played in Seattle back in 2019, but he ultimately opted to sign with Dallas midway through training camp.
‘Without Him, I Wouldn’t Be Here': How Dan Quinn Continues to Leave Indirect Imprint on Seahawks’ Defense
Exactly a decade before Mike Macdonald arrived as the franchise’s ninth head coach and quickly started assembling his own defensive juggernaut, the Seattle Seahawks built one of the most dominant defenses in NFL history, reaching back-to-back Super Bowls behind the vaunted “Legion of Boom” unit in 2013 and 2014.
Sporting the title of head coach, Pete Carroll deservedly received much of the credit for rapidly rebuilding a once-porous defense into one that likely will have multiple Hall of Famers in Canton down the road. General manager John Schneider also received deserved acclaim for reeling in outstanding draft classes from 2010 to 2012 to secure the foundation of a future Lombardi Trophy winner.
But behind the scenes, after replacing Gus Bradley in 2013, Dan Quinn emerged as the schematic architect of Seattle’s No. 1 ranked scoring defense, calling the plays on the sideline and maximizing on the team’s immense talent. Under his guidance, the Seahawks allowed under 16 points per game in his two seasons as defensive coordinator, carrying the team to consecutive Super Bowl appearances and using that success as the catapult into his first head coaching gig in Atlanta.
Now the head man for the Commanders and entering his third season with the franchise, Quinn hasn’t been employed by the Seahawks for a dozen seasons, far removed from his brief tenure as Carroll’s defensive play caller. Still, in an indirect, roundabout way, his presence has had a lingering impact on the team’s coaching staff, including current defensive coordinator Aden Durde getting his start working for Quinn with the Falcons and eventually teaming back up with him in Dallas, as well as the roster.
Camp Takeaways: Rookie DBs Dazzle as Seahawks’ 2026 Draft Class Continues to Shine
The pads won’t start popping until later this week, providing a major caveat that encompasses any evaluations from four non-contact July practices. But heading into the first day off at training camp, the Seattle Seahawks continue to receive encouraging initial returns from their latest draft class.
The center of attention as Seattle’s top selection, Jadarian Price caught his second touchdown in as many days, this time hauling in a 30-yard wheel route from Jalen Milroe for six points and drawing an avalanche of cheers from the sellout crowd on the berm at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. As has been the case throughout camp thus far, the first round running back has seemingly been force fed in the passing game by new coordinator Brian Fleury, catching passes everywhere from the flats to down the sideline on deep patterns coming out of the backfield.
But while all eyes remained fixated on Price, and understandably so as a top-32 selection tabbed to succeed Super Bowl MVP Ken Walker III, it was two of the four defensive backs drafted by John Schneider in April who stole the show in Tuesday’s session with splashy plays on the back end of Mike Macdonald’s defense.
Seahawks’ Rylie Mills Looking to ‘Catapult’ Off Super Bowl Heroics With Clean Bill of Health
Drafted just four months after tearing his ACL during the College Football Playoff, Rylie Mills knew the start of his NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks would be the ultimate test of patience.
In the midst of a lengthy rehabilitation from reconstructive knee surgery, as the offseason program gave way to training camp, Mills could do little more than watch from the sidelines and hold up blocking dummies. Still far from returning to action, he stayed on the Physically Unable to Perform list into the start of the season, remaining inactive through November as speculation began to mount on whether or not the Seahawks would opt to shut him down with eyes on 2026 rather than bring him back late in his rookie season.
But all along, Seattle had a plan in place to ensure that if Mills checked off all the boxes in his recovery, he would receive the opportunity to earn his way onto the field, even if it didn’t happen until the final month of the season.
By the time the calendar flipped into December, Mills’ hard work and patience finally was rewarded with the Seahawks designating him to return to practice, opening his window to play in games after the long road back to health. Without the benefit of a training camp or any padded practices to help get back up to speed, the transition returning to game action proved to be what he called the “craziest experience” of his football career and then some, as the team threw him into the fire in a Week 15 win against the Colts after just two weeks of practice time.
Camp Takeaways: Ernest Jones, Seahawks’ Defense Dominates One-Sided Red Zone Session
Steadily drawing closer to the return of pads later this week, the Seattle Seahawks turned in an energized third training camp practice amid rising temperatures on Monday, culminating with an emphatic win for Mike Macdonald’s defense to close out the afternoon.
While Macdonald felt the Seahawks turned in another strong practice even without the crowd cheering them on from the berm, as expected from a Super Bowl-winning head coach, he also provided a bit of a challenge for his players with one more practice remaining on Tuesday before a deserved day off.
“Those days when the 12s are all out here. It's really special. But today was still great. Weather's awesome. Guys are in good spirits. A lot of stuff we need to work on. A long way to go,” Macdonald told reporters moments after practice concluded. “But let's focus on what we got to do next. So I'd like to finish practice a little bit better tomorrow to finish out this ramp period and then get a day off and be back at pads on Thursday.”
Who and what stood out from Seattle’s third camp session?
Tory Horton Returns as Seahawks Begin Training Camp With Mostly Encouraging Health Updates
Approaching the midway point of the 2025 season, a wide open Offensive Rookie of the Year race had a surprise contender emerge from the Seattle Seahawks’ potent top-five scoring offense in the form of Tory Horton.
Falling into the fifth round after missing a significant chunk of his senior season at Colorado State with a knee/hamstring injury, Horton bounced back from the setback to quickly become one of Sam Darnold’s favorite targets on his new team. Though he only had caught 13 passes in nine games, five of those receptions put points on the scoreboard, including a pair of touchdowns in a 38-14 blowout win over the Commanders on Sunday Night Football in Week 9, tying him with superstar Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the team lead in receiving touchdowns.
Despite playing the entirety of the blowout win in Landover, Horton unexpectedly dealt with shin soreness in the days that followed the victory, first missing a handful of practices with hopes the injury wouldn’t sideline him for long. However, after missing a Week 10 win over Arizona, the shin showed no signs of improvement, leading to a stint on injured reserve that transitioned from being a projected four-week absence initially into the season-ending variety, keeping him out all the way through Seattle’s Super Bowl run and even into the offseason program this spring as he recovered from an injury far worse than anyone expected.
Training Camp Preview: Who Will Win Seahawks Looming Positional Battles?
Opening up training camp as the defending Super Bowl champion, the Seattle Seahawks will have the vast majority of their roster back for their title defense in 2026 after losing only five players in free agency, leaving few question marks in the starting lineup on offense, defense, and special teams rolling into a new year.
But while their roster didn’t undergo near as much turnover as most Super Bowl champs do and most of the starters from last year’s squad remain under contract, with a new eight-player draft class in tow and a handful of veteran additions brought onboard to bolster depth in free agency, the Seahawks still have plenty of positional battles set to play out over the next six weeks and change. This includes the search for a new starting running back along with the need for a new gunner to emerge on punt coverage to replace long-time special teams standout Dareke Young.
With camp set to kick off on July 25, which roster battles stand out as Seattle’s most intriguing? And how will each of them play out over the course of training camp and the preseason?
Seahawks Confident Nick Emmanwori Will Be Ready for Season Opener vs. Patriots
Despite undergoing surgery in the week leading up to report day for training camp, the Seattle Seahawks don’t have any concerns about safety Nick Emmanwori’s availability to kick off the season with a Super Bowl LX rematch against the New England Patriots.
According to sources connected with the player, Emmanwori underwent arthroscopic surgery during the past week to clean up his right ankle, which still had been providing some lingering discomfort for him even though he participated in OTAs and mandatory minicamp this spring. It’s unclear whether the procedure stems from a high ankle sprain that he suffered early in his rookie season or a separate lower ankle sprain suffered in practice during Super Bowl week back in February, but it could be a cumulative situation with both injuries happening on the same leg.
On Monday, Seattle placed Emmanwori on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, deactivating him while keeping him on the 90-man roster as he recovers. Given the timing of the surgery, he will likely miss at least the first few weeks of training camp and playing at all in the preseason seems improbable, but per team sources, the Seahawks expect he will be back at some point in August, allowing him to ramp up with plenty of time to work back into game shape before the season opener.
Ranking Seahawks: Nehemiah Pritchett, Christian Haynes Face Critical Camp Atop No. 40-36
With the calendar recently flipping to July and offseason workouts wrapped up league-wide for the summer, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will soon descend upon the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the start of training camp, kicking off a much-anticipated 2026 season.
To celebrate the new incoming season, I will be ranking every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks leading up to report day, providing detailed profiles, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and breaking down what to expect from each player entering the 2026 campaign.
Continuing the 90-man countdown with No. 40-36, two 2023 draft picks will have pressure on them to prove they deserve a roster spot with new competition on board to battle against and an incoming rookie has sights on a starting job in a crowded safety group.
Lights, Camera, Lombardi: Seahawks Set to Star on Hard Knocks as Title Defense Begins
The show Hard Knocks has been a staple for football fans since its inception in 2001. Narrated by Liev Schreiber, the sights and sounds of that show welcome football fans to another season in the NFL. They typically cover a team’s training camp and the team's preparation for the upcoming football season. It’s enjoyable for fans to learn about some of the lower-level players on the roster and root for underdog stories. It typically highlights players fighting to make the roster or battle to become a starter.
Opening camp this upcoming weekend, the Seattle Seahawks will become the first reigning Super Bowl champs to be featured on the show since its inaugural year covering the Baltimore Ravens ahead of their title defense in 2001. The recent trade of the show had been a rebuilding team trying to find its footing, with franchises like the Bears and Jets, or a team right on the cusp of greatness like the Buffalo Bills last summer.
Previously, the Seahawks had been asked to be part of the show in 2013, but declined. The NFL now has the power to select a team to be part of Hard Knocks. Essentially, “volun-telling” them instead of waiting for a volunteer. Certainly, the Seahawks will bring eyeballs to the show as the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Right Timing Should Allow Seahawks to Keep Star DT Tandem Together Beyond 2026
In the era of the hard salary cap and rapidly rising quarterback, receiver, and pass rusher contracts that seemingly offset yearly cap jumps, it has become increasingly difficult for NFL teams to keep multiple stars from the same position group together over the long haul.
Specifically, there have been numerous examples over the years where teams have had to move on from a talented defensive tackle after choosing to give another defensive lineman a lucrative multi-year contract. Back in 2009, the Patriots traded future Hall of Famer Richard Seymour to the Raiders, opting to extend the younger Vince Wilfork long-term. A little over a decade later, the 49ers dealt DeForest Buckner to the Colts, instead keeping Arik Armstead on a five-year extension in the same position group.
Most recently, the Seahawks benefited from the Giants’ financial log-jam in the trenches, acquiring veteran Leonard Williams at the trade deadline in October 2023 for a second and fourth-round pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. The move opened up much-needed salary cap relief for an underachieving New York squad, which also had All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence on the books on a new $90 million extension signed the previous March.
Just six months and change after orchestrating that trade, with Williams receiving his own new contract in Seattle after flourishing in 10 games with the Seahawks, general manager John Schneider doubled down on the interior defensive line come draft weekend. Even with “Big Cat” locked up for the next three years, the team invested the No. 16 overall pick in the first round on Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, hoping to quickly build one of the league’s most formidable defensive fronts.
At the time, though that move received plenty of praise from the draft community, there were some pundits who questioned not going a different direction to address a more urgent need such as the interior offensive line.
Nick Emmanwori Among 3 Seahawks Veterans Placed on PUP List
Closing in on training camp report day for veterans later this week, the Seattle Seahawks placed standout second-year safety Nick Emmanwori, running back Kenny McIntosh, and cornerback Tyrone Broden on the Physically Unable to Perform list on Monday.
Of the three names, Emmanwori’s inclusion stands out as the most obvious surprise with an undisclosed injury. The Defensive Rookie of the Year runner up from a year ago participated in Seattle’s offseason program in full, taking the field for all open OTA and minicamp practices without any evidence of injury, and looked healthy at a recent youth football camp that he hosted in Edmonds.
Before fans hit the panic button on Emmanwori’s status, however, NFL teams often use the PUP lists for procedural reasons with players who arrive at camp nursing minor injuries such as hamstring pulls or other soft tissue strains, providing a buffer in case the ailment requires a bit of time before the player can return to the field. Teams cannot place players on the PUP list after practices have started, leaving only season-ending injured reserve as an option. To avoid that possibility, it makes sense to err on the side of caution with hopes the player will pass his physical sooner rather than later and be activated.
Ranking Seahawks: Emanuel Wilson Among Newcomers Aiming to Impress in No. 45-41
With the calendar recently flipping to July and offseason workouts wrapped up league-wide for the summer, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will soon descend upon the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the start of training camp, kicking off a much-anticipated 2026 season.
To celebrate the new incoming season, I will be ranking every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks leading up to report day, providing detailed profiles, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and breaking down what to expect from each player entering the 2026 campaign.
Jumping deeper into the top 50 with No. 45-41, two veteran free agent signings will be thrusted into wide open competitions at running back and cornerback, hoping to make their mark for the defending champions.
Seahawks Place Rookie DT Deven Eastern on PUP List to Open Training Camp
Bringing their incoming rookie class in early for the start of training camp with a July 17 report date, the Seattle Seahawks will start practicing without one of their eight draft picks participating on the field.
The team announced on Saturday that seventh round pick Deven Eastern, a defensive tackle out of Minnesota, will start camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, meaning he counts against the 90-man roster but will not be able to practice until medically cleared by the team. Coach Mike Macdonald did not disclose any details on his injury when he sat out mandatory minicamp last month.
Per NFL rules, the Seahawks can activate Eastern at any time, but once he returns to active status, he cannot go back on the PUP list again.
Analysis: Debating Seahawks’ Rankings on ESPN Top 10 Lists
During the agonizing buffer period between the conclusion of offseason programs and the start of training camp during June and July, the annual arrival of NFL ranking season comes full force to help fill the gap for football fans.
Among the most notable rankings to be revealed each year, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler unleashes a top-10 list for 11 positional groups on offense and defense, using polls of select executives, coaches, and scouts to compile the rankings. The changes from year-to-year can be a fascinating case study in itself, seeing how opinions of certain players change over time with the rankings being predicated on the best players at each position in the present.
Interestingly, after winning Super Bowl LX, the Seattle Seahawks only had four players who landed top-10 spots at their respective positions. In contrast, nine other teams had five or more players who received such distinction, including the Lions with a league-high nine players who made the annual lists and the NFC West rival 49ers and Rams each having five apiece.
Looking at this year’s top-10 rankings provided courtesy of Fowler and ESPN, did those who placed votes get it right with the defending champions? Or did they miss the mark with several deserving players?
Where's the Respect? Seahawks QB Sam Darnold Deserves Better Than Constantly Moving the Goalposts
It’s human nature. Sometimes, we make a decision early on about something and can be virtually immovable in that opinion regardless of which direction the winds of change blow, or how hard. It’s called pride. We all have it. We are slow to admit we are wrong and look for any shred of evidence to prove our premature declarations correct, folly or not.
When the Seattle Seahawks signed Sam Darnold last offseason, he still had the stink of a disappointing first six seasons on him. That was even after a breakout 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings that saw him at the helm of a 14-3 football team when he produced just over 4,300 passing yards and 35 touchdowns. Pundits quickly discredited that redemption arc after a clunker of a playoff game, when the Vikings lost to the Rams 27-9 in the NFC Wild Card Round. Darnold threw one interception, lost a fumble, and was sacked nine times. That was the last time we saw Darnold before signing with Seattle and the media did not forgive him.
Fast forward 12 months from then. Darnold doubled down with yet another 14-3 regular season paired with another 4,000-yard season with 25 passing scores. The national media waved it off as another mirage in the vast Darnold Desert. Then the playoffs started. Even with just 12 completions and 124 passing yards in the Divisional Round against the 49ers, he was efficient and mistake-free with zero turnover-worthy plays. Still, many claimed, “the defense carried him!” or “Ken Walker did all the work!”
“Just wait for the NFC Championship Game against the presumed MVP Matthew Stafford,” they shouted in mass on social media.
Decisions Await Seahawks Entering Crucial Seasons for Jalen Sundell, Anthony Bradford
Taking a welcomed diversion from the past when the organization almost seemed hellbent on executing cost-cutting measures and regularly volunteered to play musical chairs at multiple positions along the offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks have pulled a near 180-degree turn when it comes to investing in the trenches.
Starting with the selection of North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel with the 18th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, making him the highest-selected guard by the franchise since Hall of Famer Steve Hutchinson back in 2001, Seahawks general manager John Schneider solidified the offensive line for years to come on multiple fronts. Along with Zabel being under contract through at least 2028 with a fifth-year option for 2029, tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas each signed lucrative multi-year extensions, locking up the young bookends who have been starting together since they arrived in tandem as rookies in 2022.
As things stand, those three players all remain under contract together through the 2028 season, keeping an impressive young nucleus in place while providing the type of rare offensive line continuity the Seahawks haven’t enjoyed since the days of Walter Jones, Hutchinson, Robbie Tobeck, and Chris Gray dominating opponents in the early-to-mid 2000s. And according to Spotrac, Schneider still has managed to do that without breaking the bank, as the team still ranks 23rd in offensive line spending for 2025 and currently sits 25th and 22nd in that metric for cap space allocated to the line in 2027 and 2028.
But coming off a Super Bowl LX win, which not so surprisingly coincided with the best line play the team had experienced in over a decade, Schneider’s past philosophy of going cheap up front will truly be put to the test. Though all five starters return from last year’s squad, quite the rarity for a defending champion, difficult decisions await on the futures of right guard Anthony Bradford and center Jalen Sundell, who will be unrestricted and restricted free agents respectively next March as they prepare for their second season starting alongside one another.
Dominant Seahawks’ Front Line Ready to Take Disruptive Nature to Another Level for ‘Dark Side' Defense
Adequately coining themselves as the “Dark Side” defense during the midst of a historic 2025 season, the Seattle Seahawks deployed Death Star-worthy weapons of mass destruction from all three levels of coach Mike Macdonald’s unit on the way to a Super Bowl LX victory.
Playing the quarterback of the defense with elite cerebral whit, a commanding demeanor, and playmaking prowess, Ernest Jones may as well have been wearing Darth Vader’s mask rather than a football helmet. Playing seemingly every position except nose tackle during a spectacular rookie season, safety Nick Emmanwori pulled off a football-equivalent feat to Darth Revan mastering both the light and dark side at the same time. Bringing tenacious ferocity and fearless aggression snap after snap, Devon Witherspoon’s relentless style and penchant for dishing punishing, bone-jarring hits makes him a worthy Darth Maul clone.
But while all of those players starred for Seattle’s No. 1-ranked scoring defense and helped the empire reign supreme over the rest of the NFL, Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II anchored the true foundation of the unit’s dominance up front, collectively holding the title of Emperor Palpatine while unleashing ruthless terror on opposing offenses that caused disturbances in the force that sent shockwaves all across the league.
Ranking Seahawks: Ex-Colts Starter Rodney Thomas Looks to Jumpstart Career, Headlining No. 50-46
With the calendar recently flipping to July and offseason workouts wrapped up league-wide for the summer, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will soon descend upon the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the start of training camp, kicking off a much-anticipated 2026 season.
To celebrate the new incoming season, I will be ranking every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks leading up to report day, providing detailed profiles, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and breaking down what to expect from each player entering the 2026 campaign.
Continuing with No. 50-46 on my annual rankings, an incoming rookie will enter the fold seeking a key backup role along the offensive line and a ball-hawking safety hopes a hard reset changing zip codes will pay major dividends jump-starting his career after a promising start.
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