A lot of times, when looking for Seattle Seahawks preseason standouts, analysts want to look for someone who maybe isn’t front and center on the minds of the fanbase. It makes us look smarter, and it makes the reader more well-informed.
But other times, the most obvious answer to “Who was the Seattle Seahawks' overall preseason winner?” hits you like a Mac truck. Fitting, because the Seahawks' preseason winner is a part of a revolution on the Seattle offensive front to run over and through opposing defenses.
After all, the Seahawks led the NFL in preseason rushing, dominating in yards per carry and game total averages thanks to the investment made in the offensive line. That all starts with first-round pick Grey Zabel.
Seattle Seahawks' preseason spotlight belongs to Grey Zabel
The Seahawks ran for a ridiculous 568 yards in three preseason games, which averages out to 5.5 yards per carry and 189.3 yards per game. Obviously, Zabel wasn’t in for all 104 attempts on the ground over the past three weeks. But his play, coupled with the refocused scheme, helped revolutionize the biggest weakness for the Seahawks ahead of the 2025 regular season.
What makes Zabel stand out even more, outside of his impressive transition from the FCS level to the NFL, is that he wasn’t always playing alongside the guys he’ll be suiting up with in the trenches on Sundays this year. Left tackle Charles Cross and center Olu Oluwatimi only recently returned to action.
While Zabel’s college teammate, Jalen Sundell, could take over as center, it’s no less impressive that Zabel helped carve out the Seahawks’ dominance on the ground while playing between two players without much NFL experience.
On top of that, Zach Charbonnet only carried the ball five times, and Kenneth Walker III didn’t play in the preseason. Zabel and the offensive front were opening up huge running lanes for all of the Seahawks' backs to run through.
It was certainly understandable for anyone among the 12s to question Zabel’s selection as an FCS lineman at No. 18 overall in this year’s draft and come away unconvinced that the Seahawks had solved their interior offensive line issues. But even after just a few quarters of preseason play, he’s well on his way to putting any and all of those doubts to rest.
Of course, that’s only the early impression, and the Seahawks certainly put the league on notice with their 2004-style offensive attack. Zabel, as well as the returning Cross and the rest of the offensive line, will have to continue to prove their dominance is real each and every week of the NFL season.
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