RENTON — The final gun had barely sounded on the 2024 regular season when the Seahawks announced the firing of offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
Grubb, like head coach Mike Macdonald, had just finished his first season with the Seahawks.
The swiftness of the move indicated Macdonald’s desire to quickly move on from a relationship that wasn’t working, as well as the hope that getting on the market quickly might result in a better fit at offensive coordinator.
After roughly three weeks, Macdonald and the Seahawks settled on Klint Kubiak as Grubb’s replacement.
Kubiak, 38, is the son of longtime NFL quarterback and coach Gary Kubiak, most famous for coaching the Broncos to a Super Bowl win following the 2015 season in Peyton Manning’s final year.
Klint Kubiak has coached in a variety of positions in the NFL for all but one year since 2013. That includes serving as the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 and the New Orleans Saints last year.
Now he’s heading up Seattle’s offense.
Macdonald will have input. But his forte is defense and he calls the plays on that side of the ball leaving the offense largely to Kubiak — and thus making his hire as OC as important of a move as any the Seahawks made this year.
After Tuesday’s practice, Kubiak talked to media for the first time during training camp. He discussed the progress of quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Jalen Milroe, the status of running back Kenneth Walker III, the debut of Grey Zabel and why he likes calling the game from the sidelines, among other topics.
Here are highlights:
Darnold has been “phenomenal’’
One thing that helped lead the Seahawks to quickly sign Sam Darnold after the trade of Geno Smith is his relationship to Kubiak, who was the offensive passing game specialist with the 49ers in 2023 when Darnold was a backup QB.
The 49ers offense, though, was tailored to what fit that team best, notably Brock Purdy, so it won’t be the same. But there should be some significant carry over, which should help Darnold adapt to it quickly.
Kubiak said Darnold has been all that the team hoped for so far.
“Sam has done a phenomenal job,’’ Kubiak said. “We’re adjusting to him. We want to play off his strengths. He’s played a lot of football in the NFL. He’s been accurate throughout camp, been a great leader and as a coaching staff, we want to do what he does best.”
While the offense may be familiar to Darnold, it’s newer to most others, including receivers. That has led to some rocky stretches in practice.
But Kubiak said he feels the chemistry between Darnold and receivers is getting better by the day.
“They put in a lot of time together,’’ he said. “They’ve grown with accumulated reps. I’ve seen progress there, and that’s the stuff that doesn’t stop. They’ve got to keep the timing of the pass game and it’s about practicing it every day and staying on the details and they’ve been good with that so far. We can get better.”
Milroe handled first game well
There may be no more intriguing player on the offense to watch during the preseason than rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe, a third-round pick out of Alabama.
Milroe made his NFL debut in Thursday’s preseason opening 23-23 tie against the Raiders, turning in a probably predictable hit-and-miss performance.
Seattle scored on just one of the five drives Milroe led as the Raiders rallied, three times forced to punt and another time turning it over on downs.
But Milroe put up decent numbers going 6-of-10 for 61 yards and also rushing three times for 38, his trademark speed on display.
“His first-ever touch in the NFL, I thought he handled the day very well,’’ Kubiak said. “I want to see him keep growing. Not be satisfied and keep pushing to get better. That’s part of his DNA, so I’m not worried about that.”
Asked where he has seen Milroe grow, Kubiak said: “He’s getting more experienced with the concepts. The way that his cadence has made strides and his ability to get in and out of plays and you see the competitive fire coming out of him and in these move-the-ball periods.”
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Kubiak also said he has seen improvement in Milroe’s throwing fundamentals, an area of his game many analysts felt was where he needed the most work.
“I’ve seen progress, and (quarterbacks coach) Andrew Janocko, (offensive assistant/quarterbacks) Tyson Prince, that’s their job to get our guy’s feet right. They’ve done a great job of being demanding of all of our quarterbacks.”
RB Walker showing flashes
A centerpiece of Kubiak’s offense is an outside zone running game that the team hopes will open up the passing game.
A key to that will be the play of fourth-year running back Kenneth Walker III.
Walker has gotten days off consistently during camp while managing a sore foot and may not play in the preseason.
But Walker looked healthy enough Tuesday, taking part in a full-pads practice and playing throughout.
“I know he hasn’t been in every practice, but the ones he’s been able to attend, you see the flashes of his talent,” Kubiak said. “He’s out there today, making plays in the pass game and the run game. I see him continuing to get better with reps.”
Zabel ready for moment
The consensus of analysts was that first-round pick Grey Zabel acquitted himself well in playing two series and 20 snaps against the Raiders, who had a number of starters on defense.
Kubiak agreed.
“As a rookie, he’s ready for the moment,’’ he said. “It’s not too big for him. He belongs out there, he’s got a long way to go, but I love the mentality. Love the makeup. That’s (general manager) John Schneider drafting a guy with a big heart. I love the work. That comes from his work habits, and it comes from his mom and dad, the way he’s raised.”
Kubiak likes feel from field
Kubiak called Thursday’s game from the sidelines rather than in the coach’s booth in the press box, and he said Tuesday he may stay there.
“That’s my plan,’’ he said. “But I’ve done both and always reserve the right to go upstairs if need be.”
Kubiak called plays from the booth during the preseason last year in New Orleans before moving to the field.
Grubb last year called plays from the press box as he had also done at UW.
Kubiak said he likes the ability to communicate directly with players on the field.
“I like being around the guys and feeling their energy and feeling substitution patterns,’’ Kubiak said. “Overall, being able to look a guy in the eye and make adjustments. It goes a long way.”
Bob Condotta: bcondotta@seattletimes.com. Bob Condotta covers the Seahawks for the Seattle Times. He provides daily coverage of the team throughout the year.