ESPN’s latest roster rankings have the Seahawks sitting near the top of the league, and there’s not much mystery about why.
Seattle came in third overall, trailing only the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams. The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens completed the top five. Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder teamed up on the rankings, with Clay handling the projected starting lineups plus team strengths and weaknesses, Schatz pointing out a non-starter who could matter, and Walder naming each club’s X-factor.
For Seattle, the projected lineup looks pretty familiar. The Seahawks are bringing back 21 of 22 starters from last season, so the continuity shows up everywhere. Of the 24 spots listed, the only notable changes are Zach Charbonnet stepping in as the starting running back for Kenneth Walker, Nick Emmanwori taking the third cornerback spot that belonged to Riq Woolen, and Ty Okada starting next to Julian Love in the role Coby Bryant filled a year ago.
Clay’s strongest area for Seattle is the interior defensive line, and the numbers back it up. He pointed to a unit that “allowed a league-low 17.2 points per game last season and finished third in the league in run stop win rate (32.5%),” with Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy and Jarran Reed all back in the fold. Rylie Mills is also expected to be part of that mix after recording a sack in the Super Bowl that pushed Jared Wilson into Drake Maye’s lap.
The one area Clay flagged as the biggest concern was running back. With Walker now with the Chiefs and Charbonnet still working back from injury and not expected until October, the position is thin.
Clay did note that Price could turn into a breakout player, but also called him an unknown with minimal experience as a pass catcher. George Holani, Kenny McIntosh and Emanuel Wilson are also in the mix, and that battle should be one of the more interesting preseason storylines.
Walder’s X-factor pick was Rashid Shaheed, and that fits. He was one of the league’s best return men last season, with two regular-season touchdowns on returns and another in the postseason, giving Seattle a real game-changing threat on special teams. Walder also pointed out that the receiving production still has room to grow, noting he averaged “1.8 yards per route run with the Saints in the first half of 2025 but only 1.1 with Seattle, postseason included,” but he believes a full offseason with the Seahawks and more time working with Sam Darnold could help Shaheed develop into a legitimate No. 2 behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Schatz’s non-starter to watch was Derick Hall. Seattle’s edge rotation means Hall won’t always be on the field, but he still logged 37% of the defensive snaps last season.
He finished the regular season with two sacks, then matched that total and added a forced fumble in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. Schatz also highlighted Hall’s 15.3% pass rush win rate off the edge and noted that the extension he received says plenty about how the team values him.
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Chiefs Are About To Learn Seahawks Fans' Kenneth Walker Concern
Kenneth Walker IIIs move to Kansas City brings a familiar Seahawks debate with him: the talent has never really been in doubt, but the durability has always shaped the conversation. In Seattle, Walker helped fuel a Super Bowl run and, for the first time in his career, got through a full season healthy, a reminder of how dangerous he can be when his body cooperates.
The Chiefs are betting that version of Walker is still there, even after a stretch in which his efficiency and scoring output trended the wrong way and the missed games kept piling up. Seattle fans know the appeal and the concern in equal measure, and Kansas City is about to find out whether the upside comes with the same weekly availability issues that followed him out of the Pacific Northwest. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Repeat Hopes May Hinge On Three NFC Roadblocks
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Philadelphia may be the most intriguing obstacle of all because the Eagles still have the kind of talent that can change a postseason bracket in a hurry. But there are also real questions hanging over that group, from A.J. Browns availability to the pressure on Jalen Hurts and the scrutiny around Nick Sirianni, which is why Seattles repeat hopes could end up tied to how those NFC contenders sort themselves out. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Face A Massive Devon Witherspoon Decision Before Camp
Devon Witherspoon has already become one of the Seahawks most important defensive pieces, the kind of cornerback who changes how an offense has to attack. Over three NFL seasons, his value has come not just from coverage but from the way he can pressure the quarterback, and Seattle has seen enough to make a long-term extension a priority before training camp opens.
The Seahawks want to get something done soon, even as the sides are still working through the final number. Witherspoons camp is expected to push him toward the top of the cornerback market, and Seattle is also juggling future decisions for Nick Emmanwori, Byron Murphy II and Sam Darnold, which only adds to the timing pressure around a player the defense has come to lean on. [Read more 🡒]