The Seahawks are back at training camp in 2026 with the same goal that defined last season: get back to January and make another run at the Super Bowl. After winning the NFC Championship and then hammering the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, Seattle has already shown it can finish the job.
But repeating is never simple, and this roster has already changed in some important places. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is now the head coach in Las Vegas, Kenneth Walker III has moved on to Kansas City, and the defense lost cornerback Riq Woolen to the Philadelphia Eagles, pass rusher Boye Mafe to the Cincinnati Bengals and safety Coby Bryant to the Chicago Bears.
That kind of turnover leaves Seattle with a few real pressure points. Three of them stand out as the biggest keys if Mike Macdonald’s team is going to stay on top in 2026.
The first and most obvious one is the offense, and more specifically the person now steering it. A year ago, Seattle entered camp with a new quarterback in Sam Darnold, a new play caller in Kubiak and plenty of uncertainty along the offensive line.
Instead of merely surviving, the unit took off. The line held together, Jaxon Smith-Njigba turned into one of the NFL’s best players at any position, and Darnold put together one of the best seasons of his career.
Kubiak’s balanced, explosive approach gave the Seahawks a legitimately strong offense, even if it didn’t quite reach the league’s top shelf.
Now the job falls to Fleury, an unproven play caller who has never called plays at the NFL level. He comes from the San Francisco 49ers as their tight ends coach and has worked under Kyle Shanahan, with Shanahan and Kubiak running similar systems.
Fleury will still bring his own style, though, and Seattle is betting he can keep the offense humming. If he can hold this group in the top 10-12 range, the Seahawks should be right back in the NFC conversation.
The good news for Fleury is that the pieces are already in place. Seattle brings back 10 of 11 offensive starters, including all five linemen.
The structure is there. The question is whether he can make it work the way Kubiak did.
The backfield is the next major issue, and this one could get tricky early. Walker split work with Zach Charbonnet for most of last season, but neither is available to start 2026. Walker is gone, and Charbonnet is still working back from the torn ACL he suffered in the playoffs.
Once Charbonnet returns, he is the likeliest lead back. The UCLA product is a sturdy, well-rounded runner who can handle receiving duties and pass protection, which should earn him plenty of trust.
The problem is timing. Since the injury happened in January, he may not be back until midseason.
That opens the door for others, starting with Jadarian Price, the Seahawks’ final first-round pick this spring. Price is the most talented runner in the group, but he was part of a committee at Notre Dame, so expecting him to carry a full NFL workload right away is a big ask. His pass protection is also a major question, and that’s usually where rookie backs get exposed.
So for now, the spotlight shifts to George Holani and Emanuel Wilson. Wilson signed a one-year deal with Seattle after being a dependable piece for the Green Bay Packers, and he’ll have a real shot to win the job in camp.
Holani, meanwhile, already showed Seattle what he can do in the NFC title game and the Super Bowl, handling pass protection work and contributing as a receiver. He enters camp as the favorite for the No. 2 role, and his early-season value could be huge.
The third piece is on the back end of the defense, where Josh Jobe suddenly matters a lot more. The former undrafted corner held up well in a rotational role in 2025, especially when Devon Witherspoon was injured or moved inside in dime looks. Seattle rewarded that performance by bringing him back on a cheaper deal than the one Woolen got from Philadelphia.
Now Jobe is the starter opposite Witherspoon, and the Seahawks need him to stay steady. If he can match what he showed last season, that spot should be fine.
If not, the ripple effect could be serious. Cornerback was a weakness that helped sink both the Rams and the Eagles last season, and those teams responded by spending big at the position this offseason.
Seattle could end up doing the same in March if Jobe doesn’t answer the bell.
For the Seahawks, the path back to the Super Bowl is clear enough. Keep the offense rolling under a new play caller, survive the early stretch at running back, and get solid play from Josh Jobe on the outside. If those three things go right, Seattle has a real shot to stay in the hunt.
In Other News...
Seahawks Camp Suddenly Has A Rookie Surge And A New Bobo Concern
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Jalen Milroe, meanwhile, put together the kind of session that gets people talking about momentum in August. He hit several accurate throws and found the end zone in a practice that stood out among his camp work, a sign of how much cleaner things looked for him as the offense kept moving. For Seattle, the encouraging rookie surge is real, but so is the reminder that every strong day in camp tends to come with another storyline waiting just off to the side. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Fans Just Got A Much More Encouraging Zach Charbonnet Update
Zach Charbonnets recovery has become one of the more closely watched camp storylines for Seattle, especially with the back on the physically unable to perform list as he works his way back from an ACL injury. The Seahawks had been bracing for a longer absence, with the most realistic return window previously thought to be somewhere in the fall, and the club is expected to keep taking a cautious approach rather than rush him into action.
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Seahawks Fans Have Every Reason To Hate This Latest Rams Buzz
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Dan Orlovsky poured more fuel on that fire this week, making it clear he thinks Los Angeles could be a nightmare matchup if Aaron Donald is part of the equation again. For Seahawks fans, that is the sort of speculation that lands with extra sting, because it suggests the team they already dread could be moving into an even higher gear before the season really gets going. [Read more 🡒]