Questions this year vs last year.

[Year of The Hawk]

Last season the Hawks started the season with a lot of questions.

• Will Sammy D be an upgrade or status quo?
• Will JSN step up and take the number one receiver spot?
• Will Klint Kubiak allow our offense to flourish?
• Will our front line hold up and improve at all?
• Will the D take a step forward as they were trending up at the end of the previous season.
• Will they have a decent run game?

The answer was obviously positive in all regards. They were not perfect but great enough to win it all.

This years questions are not so far off as last season:

• Will our secondary be as good, worse, or better without Riq and Coby?
• Will Jadarian Price/run game fill Ken Walker shoes or be a step back?
• Will our offensive line take another step forward with continuity?
• Will the new OC take a step back or give us the same or more production?
• Will the rookies who had a good season last year have a sophomore slump or will they continue to improve?
• Will new ownership have any bearing on the team performance?

I have been watching a ton of press conferences with the players and it feels like they all have a perfect attitude towards their approach to the team and the season. The way MM leads the it seems very possible for all the questions to be improvements. Our offense has more weapons than last season. Tory H being healthy, Rasheed having a whole off season to mesh with Sammy D. Arroyo coming into his own. Even Bradford improved late season into the playoffs. The defense I feel will continue to improve. Rylie Mills stepping up, Dante Fowler, and B Murphy looking to steal some souls. The future is bright.

I think this team will be even better than last season and feel that the potential for a 15-16 win season is a reality. Then again I am a bit of a homer when it comes to the hawks so there is that…..

 

[pmedic920]

I too think we will be a bit better overall.
I’m thinking the core having another season together will be more important than the pieces we lost.

Having said that, I don’t think our main competition got worse either.

Should be fun, won’t be a cake walk.

 

[MontanaHawk05]

Still wild to me how all the unanswered questions last year swung the right way.

This year's team has a good shot to repeat. We had a very solid draft, Sam Darnold has an embarrassment of riches in terms of targets, and Mike has done a good job stewarding the pass rush.

 

[Chukarhawk]

• Will our secondary be as good, worse, or better without Riq and Coby? Better
• Will Jadarian Price/run game fill Ken Walker shoes or be a step back?- yes Price will out produce K9- K-9 will play 12 games max
• Will our offensive line take another step forward with continuity?- yes
• Will the new OC take a step back or give us the same or more production? Unknown but the offence looks good in camp
• Will the rookies who had a good season last year have a sophomore slump or will they continue to improve?- No- barring injuries they will be even better
• Will new ownership have any bearing on the team performance? No, not this year but in subsequent years their effect will be decidedly negative. JS and Coach mac will both be gone within 5 years and the dynasty that should have been will die with their departure. We will all hate them for ruining an elite franchise.

 

[EverydayImRusselin]

Personally I would ask these questions.

Is Fleury capable of making the same in game adjustments Kubiak made? That was a huge part of the team success last year.

Can the defense actually stop Matt Stafford this year or will it require more shootouts?

Can Murphy and Mills take a step forward and make this DL truly unstoppable?

Can Darnold improve his turnover rate, similar to the playoffs last year?

Is the run game capable of sustaining the success from last year?

Can the team stay mostly healthy this year?

If a handful of these are yes, I would expect another SB appearance.

 

[chris98251]

My Questions :

Are we still Hungry and play like it.

Does Mikes message still resonate with the team, he touched on it in hard knocks, some stared, Vets were nodding.

Will Fleury be able to manage the offense during games and adjust as needed. Practice is one thing, pressure in a game can be hard and make you predicable.

Does the offense take the next step, Darnold closer to playoff Darnold over the season, not expecting perfection but consistency.

New ownerships transition and distraction, we won't see it on the field of course other then maybe cameos on the sidelines, but behind the scenes, people that buy stuff want to touch it in some way, be it staffing, marketing, structure, that has a trickledown effect to John and the operations people.

Can this team take everyone's best shot all season long? The target is focused on us by every team we will play as wanting to knock us off the perch and every media outlet that has an axe to grind hoping we fall into irrelevancy so they can write and talk about the fall because the rarely talk about or success.

 

[Jac]

Questions can have a positive slant as well. For example, is it possible that Fleury is actually an upgrade over Kubiak? Fleury spent seven years under Shanahan, while Kubiak was a bit of a journeyman with one year under Shanahan. Also, could Price be an upgrade over Walker? Maybe Bud Clark an upgrade over Coby Bryant?

 

[flv2]

Significantly fewer questions this year. The QB and O-Line should now be considered to be proven commodities. The players the Seahawks lost were not players i'd consider to be crucial, and in 2026 they're over-priced. That said they were contributors who played a lot of snaps at a standard that will be difficult to replace cheaply. The new OC and active roster depth would be my main concerns.

 

[Hawknight]

1. Will our secondary be as good, worse, or better without Riq Woolen and Coby Bryant?​

Prediction: Slight step back initially, but could recover by midseason.


Losing two experienced starters is difficult, especially in the secondary where chemistry and communication matter as much as talent.


Reasons for optimism:

• Mike Macdonald has consistently coached strong secondaries.
• His scheme tends to create opportunities for defensive backs.
• Young players may benefit from a more aggressive, well-defined system.

Reasons for concern:

• Woolen's rare athleticism is difficult to replace.
• Bryant brought versatility and experience.
• Communication breakdowns often happen early with new starters.

Overall: Early growing pains, but the coaching staff could have the unit playing well by the second half of the season.

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2. Will Jadarian Price and the run game fill Kenneth Walker's shoes?​

Prediction: The overall run game could improve, even if no individual back matches Walker's explosiveness.


Kenneth Walker could turn a blocked three-yard run into a 40-yard touchdown.


Price appears more likely to:

• Hit the designed hole consistently.
• Stay on schedule.
• Reduce negative plays.
• Complement the passing game.

If Seattle's offensive line improves, the rushing attack may become:

• More efficient.
• More consistent.
• Better in short-yardage situations.

Walker may have been the more dynamic runner, but the offense could become more balanced even with Price.

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3. Will the offensive line finally take another step forward?​

Prediction: Yes—but they still won't be elite.


Reasons:

• Continuity matters tremendously on offensive lines.
• Young linemen often improve significantly in Years 2 and 3.
• Better communication should reduce free rushers and assignment errors.

Remaining concerns:

• Interior pass protection.
• Health.
• Consistency against top defensive fronts.

Instead of ranking near the bottom of the NFL, they could become an average-to-above-average unit, which would be a significant improvement.

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4. Will the new offensive coordinator be a downgrade or an upgrade?​

Prediction: Similar production, but in a different style—with a chance to be better.


Expect:

• More pre-snap motion.
• Better sequencing of plays.
• More emphasis on staying ahead of the chains.
• Better use of play-action.
• More creativity in the running game.

The key question isn't total yards—it's efficiency.


If Seattle:

• converts more third downs,
• scores more in the red zone,
• and controls the clock better,

the offense could be more productive even without posting bigger yardage totals.

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5. Will last year's rookies suffer a sophomore slump?​

Prediction: Most will improve rather than regress.


The "sophomore slump" is often overstated.


Why improvement is more likely:

• Players enter Year 2 with a full NFL offseason.
• The game slows down mentally.
• Strength and conditioning improve.
• They better understand opponents and schemes.

Some players may plateau temporarily, but overall expect the young core to take another step forward.

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6. Will new ownership have any impact on team performance?​

Prediction: Not immediately, but potentially over the next several years.


Ownership rarely changes wins and losses in the short term.


Where ownership can matter:

• Willingness to spend cash.
• Investment in facilities.
• Commitment to analytics.
• Long-term patience.
• Hiring decisions.
• Organizational culture.

The current football operations under John Schneider and Mike Macdonald will have a much greater impact on the 2026 season than ownership changes.


If ownership becomes more aggressive in supporting football operations over time, the effects may become apparent in future seasons rather than immediately.

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Overall Outlook​

If these six questions break favorably, Seattle could take a meaningful step forward:

• Secondary: Slight early regression, then improvement.
• Run game: More consistent, even if less explosive.
• Offensive line: Better through continuity.
• Offensive coordinator: More efficient offense.
• Young players: Continued development rather than a slump.
• Ownership: Little immediate impact on on-field performance.

The biggest swing factor may actually be the offensive line. If it becomes a reliable, above-average unit, it could elevate the running game, improve pass protection, and make the offense more consistent overall. Conversely, if it struggles again, it could limit the team's progress regardless of improvements elsewhere.

 

[94Smith]

Can this team take everyone's best shot all season long? The target is focused on us by every team

This is bigger than you think it is. Seahawks were under the radar last year and actually had a slower start to the season and were even more under the radar. Games like the Pats opener are going to be tough games because they are going to want revenge

 

[glenwo2]

JS and Coach mac will both be gone within 5 years

I'm going to go out on a limb and say you will be wrong about that.

New Ownership is, as always, a mystery unto itself but even new owners would be stupid to get rid of the two people that keep this team not only competitive but as contenders. This leads to success which leads to playoffs which leads to playoff-success which (hopefully) leads to Superbowls which altogether lead to $$$$$ which is the language they speak.

 

[glenwo2]

Will the Defense remain dominant? YES.

Will the Offense remain the same or be better? BE BETTER if what we saw in Episode 1 of Hard Knocks was any indication. I think Brian Fleury will do well as our OC.

Will Special Teams continue to kick ass? YES. Both on Kickoff Returns and Punt Returns, and Coverage in both cases.

Will Sam Darnold have a better year this coming season? YES. He's got more weapons now (JSN, Shaheed and him developing that chemistry, Horton back, AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo, Jadarian Price catching the ball well, etc.) and an OC that loves to use TE's and RB's in the passing game.

Will the Seahawks continue to be underestimated? By opposing teams....NO. They know they're in for a fight against them. Why else would the Rams put together a friggin' ALL-STAR Team just to attempt to beat Sam Darnold?

The national media however will continue to be stupid because Stupid is as Stupid does.


Will the Khoslas (New Ownership) have a positive or negative effect going forward? Too early to tell but I can imagine they didn't pay almost 10 billion dollars for a successful team with successful personnel in-place just to blow it up.