The Seahawks moved on from Super Bowl-winning head coach Pete Carroll this offseason to bring in Mike Macdonald with an eye towards the future. If you like the analysis here, consider signing up for our free newsletter to get can’t-miss NFL news and insights straight to your inbox every week.
- 2023 finish: 9-8 (third in NFC West); missed playoffs
- Over/under: 7.5 wins
Notable additions
QB Sam Howell, QB PJ Walker, WR Laviska Shenault Jr., TE Pharaoh Brown, OT George Fant, G Laken Tomlinson, DL Johnathan Hankins, LB Tyrel Dodson, LB Jerome Baker, S Rayshawn Jenkins, S K’Von Wallace, S Marquise Blair, HC Mike Macdonald, OC Ryan Grubb, DC Aden Durde
Notable losses
QB Drew Lock, RB DeeJay Dallas, FB Nick Bellore, TE Colby Parkinson, TE Will Dissly, OT Jason Peters, OT Jake Curhan, G Damien Lewis, G Phil Haynes, C Evan Brown, DL Mario Edwards Jr., LB Bobby Wagner, LB Jordyn Brooks, LB Devin Bush, S Quandre Diggs, S Jamal Adams, HC Pete Carroll, OC Shane Waldron, DC Clint Hurtt
2024 draft class
DL Byron Murphy II (1.16), G Christian Haynes (3.81), LB Tyrice Knight (4.118), TE A.J. Barner (4.121), CB Nehemiah Pritchett (5.136), Sataoa Laumea (6.179), CB D.J. James (6.192), OT Michael Jerrell (6.207)
Projected starters
QB: Geno Smith
RB: Kenneth Walker III
WR: DK Metcalf
WR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
WR: Tyler Lockett
TE: Noah Fant
LT: Charles Cross
LG: Christian Haynes (R)
C: Connor Williams
RG: Anthony Bradford
RT: Abraham Lucas
DL: Leonard Williams
DL: Jarran Reed
DL: Byron Murphy II (R)
OLB: Dre’Mont Jones
ILB: Tyrel Dodson
ILB: Jerome Baker
OLB: Uchenna Nwosu
CB: Devon Witherspoon
FS: Julian Love
SS: Rayshawn Jenkins
CB: Riq Woolen
2024 outlook
Seattle’s success in the NFC has gone overlooked over the past dozen years, as they have the best record in the conference (123-71-1) since 2012, and the core has remained very strong in the post-Legion of Boom era. It seemed the franchise might fall off with sub-par drafting towards the end of Russell Wilson’s time there, but general manager John Schneider deserves credit for all the young talent he’s hit on in the past two years—including building blocks on both sides of the ball for Mike Macdonald to develop in the competitive NFC West.
If the Seahawks were able to get Bo Nix, they would be perhaps the scariest young team in the league, but that is not a knock on Geno Smith—who should be energized by a new offensive system under Ryan Grubb that will spread the ball around while making sure the running backs are involved. Also, I really like the young players on the offensive line, so we’ll see how it all comes together for a group stacked with high-end skill-position talent, including Kenneth Walker III and DK Metcalf as the game-breaking headliners.
The defense is similarly full of young players with star-level talent, but it also blends in established veterans like Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and Julian Love. Although I wasn’t quite as high on Byron Murphy II as Seattle’s first-round pick, the defensive front is stacked, and having Derick Hall, Boye Mafe, and Darrell Taylor off the bench as edge defenders shows the depth of the roster. If Riq Woolen can get back to his rookie form and Devon Witherspoon is even better in Year 2, the unit can be one of the league’s best under Macdonald.
Position battle to watch: Interior offensive line
The starting trio is a projection based on Christian Haynes recently seeing time at left guard, but Laken Tomlinson could still start over the rookie—with Haynes also in contention to play right guard (his natural position). The long-term duo will likely be Haynes and Anthony Bradford, so I like the idea of creating a dominant left side with Charles Cross paired with the third-rounder. And at center, Connor Williams was recently signed and expected to start, but Olu Oluwatimi shouldn’t be counted out.
Breakout candidate: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Smith-Njigba has expressed frustration about his usage under Shane Waldron last season, so him still catching 63 passes as a 21-year-old rookie speaks to the ability of the former Ohio State star. I would expect JSN to be the clear No. 2 wideout ahead of Tyler Lockett by season’s end, and he already proved to be a clutch performer for the Seahawks in 2023.
Circle on the calendar: Week 6 (v SF) | Thursday, October 10 – 8:15 PM ET
Last year, Seattle lost both games to the 49ers, including a disappointing home loss in primetime on Thanksgiving where they offense simply couldn’t get going. We know how tough the division is, and their first NFC West matchup will be another Thursday night game versus San Francisco, and Kenneth Walker III should be healthy this time around to give the Seahawks higher hopes of coming away with a win at home.
Bottom line
The Seahawks have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, and Geno Smith can perform closer to how he did two years ago if the young offensive line stays healthy and gels together. If they can eventually hit on a long-term answer at quarterback, though, watch out.