Mike Macdonald has a talented, versatile secondary to work as the foundation of his defense. Third-year man Devon Witherspoon has already proven himself to be one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, playing either outside or in the slot. Riq Woolen has racked up 11 interceptions and 28 pass breakups in his first three seasons. Julian Love earned a career-high 82.2 PFF overall grade last season. And the team added the uber-athletic Nick Emmanwori in the second round of this year’s draft.
Seattle’s lack of a productive interior offensive line sank its 2024 season. That unit ranked 24th in PFF run-blocking grade and 29th in PFF pass-blocking grade while allowing the fifth-highest pressure rate in the NFL. For the most part, the Seahawks will be relying on a host of unproven young players to fill the void, including first-round pick Grey Zabel, which could create a bumpy transition for new quarterback Sam Darnold.
Darnold put together by far the most productive season of his career as a Viking last season. He parlayed that performance into a $100-million contract in Seattle, where he reunites with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Kubiak served as Darnold’s quarterbacks coach in San Francisco in 2023.
Two things that should remain the same for Darnold in his transition to Seattle are the usage of play action and deep passes. He ranked fifth in the NFL in play-action PFF passing grade last year while sitting 13th in deep PFF passing grade.
Offensive Player: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Increased slot usage and volume helped Jaxon Smith-Njigba enjoy a breakout season in 2024. His 83.5 PFF receiving grade tied him for 17th among qualified wide receivers, and he dropped only two passes across 133 targets. Smith-Njigba also led the NFL with 993 receiving yards from the slot while earning a 90.0 PFF receiving grade in that alignment, sixth best in the NFL.
Defensive Player: DI Leonard Williams
Williams earned a career-high 87.1 PFF overall grade in his 10th NFL season, which ranked fourth among qualified defensive tackles — behind Chris Jones, Cameron Heyward and Dexter Lawrence. His work in run defense was particularly outstanding, as his 79.5 PFF run-defense grade and 26 run stops were both top-10 marks in the NFL. His 55 pressures were the second most of his career, and he scored his first career touchdown against his former team, the New York Jets.
Looking for more NFL team previews?
Rookie to Watch: OL Grey Zabel
Zabel gained experience at all five offensive line positions during his five years at North Dakota State, but he is currently projected to be the Seahawks’ starting left guard. He spent last season playing left tackle, where he led all FCS offensive linemen with an elite 93.1 PFF pass-blocking grade. Zabel’s ability to pass protect will be crucial to Seattle’s success, as will his athleticism in Klint Kubiak’s zone run schemes.
Fantasy Spotlight: RB Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
Walker has graded among the best running backs in the league, headlined by a 91.3 PFF rushing grade last season. His 0.42 avoided tackles per attempt average last season ranked first in PFF’s 19 years of statistics for all running backs with at least 50 carries. The next-best mark from any player with at least 150 carries in a season was 0.31, which is a tie that includes 2014 Marshawn Lynch and 2020 Nick Chubb.
New Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will play to Walker’s strengths with his zone scheme and will prioritize getting him the football more than last season. However, Walker has missed 10 games over the previous three seasons due to injury, and his play was negatively affected in several more while playing through injury. If he can stay healthy, he will have his best fantasy season yet, but staying healthy is a big if.
Best Bet: RB Kenneth Walker III to go over 6.5 rushing touchdowns (-115)
Since 2022, Walker has generated a 92.5 PFF rushing grade, a top-six mark over that span. Even in an injury-shortened 2024 that resulted in the fewest carries (153) of his NFL career, Walker still showcased his nose for the end zone, racking up seven scores — his third season going over this line. The 25-year-old back is a threat to score any time he touches the ball and has forced 0.27 missed tackles per attempt across his career, the third-highest rate over the past three seasons.
Bottom Line
Seattle’s underrated defense is a unit to watch this season. The offensive line needs to protect Darnold well enough to balance out this team. If they can do that and Darnold plays close to as well as he did last season, then there is postseason potential in Seattle. Things could be bumpy early, though, if the offensive line struggles to coalesce.
This news was originally published on this post .
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