As Seattle gets ready to open its title defense against the New England Patriots in Week 1, the Seahawks can point to one clear reason they reached the Super Bowl: the offense was one of the best in franchise history.
Sam Darnold was excellent. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was elite.
Kenneth Walker III delivered when it mattered. And head coach Mike Macdonald, along with former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, helped steer the whole operation with sharp game planning and play calling.
The encouraging part for Seattle in 2026 is that the offense didn’t lose much. Walker is gone after leaving in free agency for the Kansas City Chiefs, but the rest of the major pieces are back, along with a new addition the Seahawks are hoping can become another difference-maker. That leaves the question of which offensive players matter most as the season approaches.
At the top of the list is Darnold, and that should surprise no one. Quarterback drives everything, and Seattle’s offense will go as far as he takes it.
He was outstanding in his first season with the team, and the expectation is that he can be even better. If he keeps the turnovers down and continues building on his connection with Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks offense becomes even more dangerous.
If the mistakes pile up, the whole thing changes fast.
Smith-Njigba comes next because he is the engine of the passing game. By the end of 2026, there should be no shock if he’s mentioned with the league’s very best receivers.
He came close to Calvin Johnson’s record, and if he repeats last season’s production, another run at Megatron is on the table. Seattle is counting on his chemistry with Darnold to carry a huge share of the offense, and a major drop-off from Smith-Njigba would be one of the worst outcomes imaginable for this group.
The backfield brings a different kind of pressure, and that’s where Jadarian Price enters the picture. The rookie is being asked to do a lot, maybe more than is fair, but the Seahawks don’t have much choice.
With Walker gone, Zach Charbonnet unavailable to start the season, and George Holani and Emanuel Wilson both carrying limited experience, Price is the one they have to lean on. The early signs have been positive through OTAs and minicamps, and with training camp underway this week, he should be even more ready to step into the lead role at running back in Week 1.
Rashid Shaheed is another key piece, even if his value shows up in a different way. Seattle chose to bring him back instead of Walker, a move that signals the team wants more from him as a receiver, not just as a special teams weapon.
He can change a game as a kick returner, but if the Seahawks unlock the deep-threat version he showed with the New Orleans Saints, he becomes a major part of the passing attack. That matters even more if Smith-Njigba has a quiet game or two.
Charles Cross rounds out the group as the man protecting Darnold’s blind side. He remains Seattle’s most important lineman, and the Seahawks are expected to have a top-10 offensive line next season.
Cross is the anchor on the left side, and his pass protection is among the best in the NFL. Seattle allowed just 27 sacks last season while ranking 12th in pass block win rate and 8th in run block win rate, and there’s reason to think those sack numbers can come down again.
Darnold will have to help with that by avoiding trouble in the backfield, but Cross remains the steady force up front.
In Other News...
Seahawks Fans Just Got Their First Real Read On Mike Macdonald
HBOs first trailer for the upcoming Hard Knocks training camp edition centered on the Seahawks offers the clearest public look yet at Mike Macdonald, and it comes with the kind of stage only this franchise has not had before. The coach is front and center throughout the preview, which also includes glimpses of Sam Darnold, Devon Witherspoon, AJ Barner and others as the show starts to sketch out what Seattles camp atmosphere might look like heading into the season.
For Seahawks fans, the appeal is less about secret football intel than about getting a feel for the people and the tone around the building. After years of one very recognizable coaching identity, this is a chance to see how Macdonald presents himself when the cameras are rolling and how the roster responds to him in a setting built to reveal personalities as much as preparation. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Add Brandon Johnson As Harrison Bryant Becomes First Camp Cut
The Seahawks made a small but telling camp move by bringing in cornerback Brandon Johnson and opening a spot by waiving veteran tight end Harrison Bryant. Johnson, who played at Duke and Oregon before reaching the NFL with Philadelphia, saw action in three games last season and now gets a chance to compete on Seattles 90-man roster as the team keeps sorting out its early depth.
The timing suggests the addition is at least partly about coverage and competition while Nick Emmanwori works through a minor injury. For a team in the middle of camp, these are the kinds of transactions that rarely dominate the conversation but can matter a lot in the short term, especially when the Seahawks are looking for healthy bodies and enough flexibility to keep practices moving. [Read more 🡒]
Another Seahawks Assistant Is Suddenly Drawing Outside Attention
The Seahawks have already seen one assistant climb the ladder this offseason, with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak leaving for a head coaching job with the Raiders. Now another member of Mike Macdonalds staff is getting a fresh look from the outside, as Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic pointed to defensive coordinator Aden Durde as one of the leagues more intriguing coaching names after the work he has done in Seattle.
Durde still has not drawn the kind of head coaching buzz his reputation might suggest, even after a season that has put him on the radar of evaluators around the league. Rodrigue also noted special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh as another promising assistant with a strong coaching background and recent success in Seattle, a reminder that the Seahawks may be building more than just a good staff for the moment. [Read more 🡒]