Training Camp Preview: Who Will Win Seahawks Looming Positional Battles?
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Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani (36) during minicamp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images [/caption]
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?
Running Back
Contenders: Jadarian Price, George Holani, Emanuel Wilson, Kenny McIntosh, Jacardia Wright
Due to free agency and injuries, no positional group underwent more significant offseason retooling for the Seahawks than the running back room. Ken Walker III has taken his Super Bowl MVP trophy with him to Kansas City, while Zach Charbonnet continues to work back from a torn ACL suffered in January, likely preventing him from returning to game action until at least October. To compensate for those losses, the team invested a first round pick in the dynamic Price, who starred in a reserve role behind top-five pick Jeremiyah Love at Notre Dame and possesses the vision, decisiveness, and home run-hitting ability that should fit well into Brian Fleury’s zone-centric offense. They also took a flier on the 230-pound Wilson, who rushed for 998 yards and seven touchdowns as a backup for the Packers over the previous two seasons, signing him to a one-year deal in free agency.
Given the investment made selecting him as a first rounder, Price will be expected to come in and win the starting job on Day 1, but Seattle isn’t going to simply give him the job because of his draft pedigree and the team has several backs offering enough talent to push him this summer. Seizing his opportunity as Walker’s complementary third down back in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl, Holani has endeared himself to the coaching staff and teammates as a versatile all-around back with soft hands in the passing game and elite technique picking up blitzes in pass protection, offering the well-rounded skill set to push for significant snaps early in the season. Wilson shouldn’t be discounted either, as he has a more established NFL resume than anyone else on the roster with over 1,000 rushing yards to his name.
Starting camp on the PUP list as he recovers from knee surgery, McIntosh carries the wild card title in this race, as he has been quite effective as a change of pace runner when healthy and could jump back into the competition if he returns to practice in the early stages of camp. Also returning from an injury of his own, as demonstrated in an electric preseason performance last August, Wright brings a hard-nosed running style and underrated hands to the equation at 220-plus pounds and will have sights set on surprising once again.
Prediction: Earning the opportunity with an impressive camp, Price wins the Week 1 starting nod as an immediate starter, albeit in a bit of a timeshare early on as he adapts to being a starter for the first time since high school, while Holani captures the third down role as a do-it-all complement and the bruising Wilson keeps the short-yardage seat warm until Charbonnet returns.
“Swing” Guard
Contenders: Christian Haynes, Beau Stephens, Bryce Cabeldue
While some fans may not be thrilled about the fact that there won’t be a competition for the right guard spot with Anthony Bradford returning for the final year of his rookie deal, this will mark the first year in his career where he will open camp as the undisputed starter with all five line spots locked up. The real drama will play out behind him, where the Seahawks already have started looking for a potential replacement with free agency coming up next March. Trading a future pick to move back into the fifth round in April’s NFL draft, Schneider nabbed Stephens, an All-American technician who somehow slid into the middle of Day 3 before landing in Seattle. He worked almost exclusively at right guard in OTAs and minicamp, but previously started games on both sides at Iowa, making him an intriguing candidate for the swing backup role as a rookie.
Stephens won’t just be handed that job, however, and the Seahawks have worthy competitors set to spar against him for snaps. Drafted in the third round out of UConn in 2024, Haynes hasn’t performed up to expectations thus far, losing competitions against Bradford for the right guard job each of the past two training camps and struggling to transition to center when granted the opportunity last year. The former All-American could be down to his final strike with Stephens now in the fold, but if he finally delivers on his talent, he can still salvage his career and maintain the primary backup job. A converted tackle with elite athletic traits, Cabeldue only saw a handful of regular season snaps as a rookie, but line coach John Benton thinks highly of him and with a full offseason at his new position, he could take a big jump that positions him to leap-frog over the other two players to win the “swing” guard title.
Prediction: Taking to the coaching of Benton, Stephens vaults up the depth chart quickly, bypassing Haynes and Cabeldue to jump onto the second team offense with a strong first training camp and preseason to become the primary backup behind Zabel and Bradford, while Cabeldue locks up one of the final roster spots and the Seahawks move on from Haynes during final roster cuts after failing to find a trade partner.
Sixth Receiver/Gunner Specialist
Contenders: Cody White, Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Ricky White III, Irvin Charles
There may not be anything sexy about a battle for the sixth - and likely last - spot on the receiver depth chart, but for a team that values special teams as the Seahawks do, this competition has a chance to be one of the most compelling this summer. On the veteran side of the equation, Cody White has made the most of his opportunities when elevated to the active roster on offense as well as special teams, including catching a 60-yard touchdown pass in a win over the Commanders last season and blocking a punt in 2024. Coming over via trade from the Jets in June, Charles at one point ranked among the most respected gunners covering punts in the entire NFL, and he brings a unique tight end-like body type to the equation that further adds to the intrigue if he can rebound from a torn ACL that cost him the whole 2025 season.
Away from the established vets, Seattle used a sixth-round pick on Henderson, a former five-star running back recruit who made the switch to receiver at Alabama and cut his teeth as one of the nation’s best gunners. In the mix for the fastest receiver on the roster, he showcased big play talent as a downfield weapon in his lone season at Kansas and added a kick return for a touchdown along with a bunch of tackles on special teams, with his return talents potentially being a separator from the rest of the competition. Now in his second season, Ricky White III appeared in a couple games as a rookie coming up from the practice squad but did not record any statistics and will have to prove that he can separate against NFL cornerbacks along with contributing on a more consistent basis on special teams to break through onto the 53-man roster.
Prediction: Possessing more enticing traits as an incoming rookie with kick return ability and untapped playmaking upside on offense, Henderson shines in the preseason with a handful of catches and a couple of nice tackles on punt coverage, beating out Cody White and Charles as the primary competitors with both veterans ending up on the practice squad after initial cuts.
Third Cornerback
Contenders: Noah Igbinoghene, Nehemiah Pritchett, Julian Neal, Andre Fuller, Michael Dansby
Unlike the running back position where a new starter will be broken in, the Seahawks at least have the benefit of two quality starters returning at cornerback, headlined by All-Pro Devon Witherspoon. Assuming ‘Spoon gets his new contract early in camp, he and Josh Jobe will give Mike Macdonald’s defense a pair of playoff-tested, gritty vets who can cover and make plays against the run. Behind them, however, in the aftermath of Riq Woolen’s departure to sign with the Eagles, there’s no shortage of questions regarding who will slide into the No. 3 role, as the team has an interesting mix of veterans and rookies set to duel in camp and the preseason seeking valuable nickel and dime package opportunities.
Signed to a one-year deal in March, Igbinoghene turned in a fine offseason program, including returning an interception for a touchdown and breaking up four passes in coverage during a pair of open minicamp practices last month. The former first round pick out of Auburn has ample NFL experience playing both on the boundary and in the slot, which may be his greatest advantage in a competition loaded with boundary-only options. Among those, Pritchett has seen a fair amount of game action in Macdonald’s system in his first two seasons and has legitimate 4.3 speed, granting him his own set of advantages that could work into his favor, but he has been wildly inconsistent in coverage and as a tackler and has not played at all inside dating back to his college career.
Drafting not one, not two, but three cornerbacks in April, Neal - a third round selection out of Arkansas - should get the first crack at showing what he can do playing with the first-team defense in camp. Known for his physicality, once the pads come out, his strengths should be better accentuated, including as a tackler defending the run. The key for him will be limiting explosive plays downfield, which he occasionally had trouble with at the college level. Like Neal, Fuller projects as a boundary-only defender with plus-size and physicality, but he will also face a stiff test athletically going against NFL speed. One of the last picks of the draft, Dansby has fluid movement skills that may cater well to playing in the slot, a position he didn’t get many reps at during college at San Jose State and Arizona, and proving he can slide inside without a hitch would be a major boost to his chances of sticking around as a surprise rookie.
Prediction: Going down to the wire, the Seahawks opt for experience and versatility early with Igbinoghene winning the third cornerback gig out of camp over Pritchett and Neal, but the latter eventually starts cutting into his playing time as an upstart rookie and the third round pick settles into a significant boundary role by the second half of the season with Witherspoon playing extensive nickel snaps in the slot.
Nickel/Dime Safety
Contenders: Ty Okada, Bud Clark, Rodney Thomas II, D’Anthony Bell
Even after losing Coby Bryant to the Bears in free agency, the Seahawks still have as deep and talented of a safety group as any team in the NFL with returning starters Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori anchoring the group. But the depth behind those two stalwarts could set up an enticing competition for snaps in sub packages. Stepping in admirably for an injured Love last season while starting 11 games, Okada produced a career-high in tackles along with his first interception and 1.5 sacks, allowing Macdonald to continue rolling out three and four-safety looks with great success. The ex-Montana State star has become a favorite of the coaching staff and deserves the chance to step in as Bryant’s full-time successor.
With that said, Seattle didn’t rest on its laurels once the draft arrived, using the 64th overall pick in the second round on the ball-hawking Clark, who may have been the closest player comp to Bryant in this year’s class. Intercepting 15 passes in his final four seasons at TCU, he excels at jumping routes and reading quarterbacks like a book, making a bunch of plays in coverage as both a free safety and a nickel cornerback. A versatile player with an exciting skill set, his presence could inadvertently have an impact on the corner competition if he winds up seeing quite a few snaps in the slot, and that may be his best path to seeing the field early in his rookie season with Okada handling strong safety duties next to Love and Emmanwori in nickel and dime packages.
Since Emmanwori could miss most of training camp recovering from recent ankle surgery, both Thomas and Bell could be the biggest benefactors of his absence, presenting more chances to work with the first and second-team defenses. Coming over from the Colts in free agency, the 6-2 Thomas has played the bulk of his snaps in the NFL as a rangy free safety and nickel corner, while Bell has spent more time near the line of scrimmage in his career along with occasional snaps as a big nickel against tight ends. Boasting vastly different traits and strengths, it’s possible they could even see the field together a fair amount as they try to intervene into the third safety race.
Prediction: Rightfully earning the trust of coaches and teammates last season, Okada rolls into his fourth season in the league as Seattle’s third safety and sees extensive snaps in nickel sets, while Clark gradually receives an uptick in snaps as a hybrid safety/big slot in dime groupings with both players maintaining notable roles in Macdonald’s secondary for the entire season.
