The Seattle Seahawks are trying to chase down another Super Bowl title, and that means a few familiar names have to do more in 2026. With several defensive departures and Kenneth Walker III gone from the offense, the burden shifts to players who can create splash plays and keep the unit dangerous.
One name that popped up in a recent Athletic projection was Rashid Shaheed. Saad Yousuf tagged him as Seattle’s potential breakout player for the coming season, pointing to both his return ability and the room left for growth as a receiver.
“Shaheed has established himself as an electric returner, but he hasn’t hit his potential as a wide receiver,” Yousuf wrote. “In his four NFL seasons, he’s never had 60 catches in a campaign, or 1,000 yards receiving. New offensive coordinator Brian Fleury is taking over after seven years in San Francisco under Kyle Shanahan, where he’s seen how dynamic weapons can be maximized.”
Seattle got a taste of what Shaheed can bring after bringing him in midseason last year. He made his mark immediately on special teams, where he’s already among the league’s top return men, and he turned that into game-changing moments with a punt return touchdown against the Rams in the regular season and an opening kickoff return for a score against the 49ers in the Divisional Round.
There’s also another layer to his value. Shaheed can stretch the field, and that part of his game wasn’t tapped nearly enough last season.
He did deliver a big catch in the NFC Championship Game against the Rams, but the Seahawks would be smart to feature him more often in the passing game. If Brian Fleury can unlock that side of Shaheed’s skill set, Seattle could be looking at one of the league’s most explosive offenses again in 2026.
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Price is competing for carries with George Holani and free-agent addition Emanuel Wilson, which gives the Seahawks a young, unsettled group to sort through at running back. Clarks path is just as interesting, since he is battling Ty Okada for the final starting safety job next to Julian Love, and both of those competitions could shape how the team fills out its depth chart before Week 1. [Read more 🡒]