The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a super bowl championship and return an overwhelmingly large percentage of their roster from that team. One lost starter, Ken Walker, has a first round pick coming in to take his spot, and the other lost starter, Coby Bryant, had his replacement emerge organically last season as is. Woolen and Mafe were the only other notable losses.
All this to say, the Seahawks don’t have a lot of questions as they head into training camp. There might not be another team in the NFL in a better, more comfortable spot. There are a handful of potential position battles, and a few players need to pan out during the season, but for the most part, we know what we have.
All Eyes On Him
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) makes a catch against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half at Levi's Stadium. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images
In my mind, it’s fairly clear what is the most interesting training camp storyline for the Seahawks. There is one significant aspect of this team that is a notable unknown, and the impact of that unknown has the potential to make-or-break this season. I’m talking about Brian Fleury, new offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks, and first-time playcaller.
Make no mistake, John Schneider and Mike Macdonald deserve every possible benefit of the doubt right now. After what happened last season, it should be assumed that they know what they’re doing and are making good decisions. And yet, it must be noted that it’s dangerous to have a team with super bowl aspirations helmed by a newly-minted offensive coordinator.
Fleury comes from the right background, working under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco for many years. This means his offense should be very similar to the Kubiak one that was so successful for this team in 2025. That should be good for continuity, but the real challenge will be his playcalling. Can he chain the right sequences of calls together?
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Washington Commanders during the second half at Northwest Stadium. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images
The Risk
John Schneider and Mike Macdonald are still the same people who hired Ryan Grubb two offseasons ago, a disastrous choice that largely derailed the 2024 season. So they are capable of making a mistake. I’m sure Fleury won’t be the same kind of mistake that Grubb was, but that doesn’t guarantee that he’ll be good. We’ll start finding out at the VMAC this week.
We won’t be able to make any meaningful conclusions until we get to the regular season, and even then we might have to accept some mild growing pains. But there will be a foundation laid in camp. How does he use tight ends? How does Robbie Ouzts fit in? Will he use outside zone the way Kubiak did? What will Shaheed’s usage be?
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) runs in the first half against the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
If he can’t find the right answers and then stack the right playcalls on top of those answers, it’s hard to imagine this season going the way the Seahawks want. Look no further than the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles, who suffered greatly when pivoting from Kellen Moore to Kevin Patullo as offensive coordinator, and went from super bowl champions to first round exits.
The Upside
However, if Fleury works out, the Seahawks will likely be able to have a multi-year offensive coordinator for the first time since Shane Waldron from 2021-2023. In an NFL where offensive coordinators cycle in and out of coaching staffs every year, good continuity is very valuable. Getting to utilize a playcaller for multiple years would only increase our comfort around here.
Seattle Seahawks guard Grey Zabel (76) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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