Football fans, we've officially made it. The NFL season is upon us, and the Seattle Seahawks will kick off their campaign as defending Super Bowl champions with a rematch against Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots.
Drake Maye and company will look to spoil the Seahawks' banner-unveiling party, and they've certainly added some big pieces to their roster. They're by no means the same team the Seahawks dominated roughly six months ago.
However, that goes both ways. While the Seahawks retained most of their core, some guys will take on bigger roles this season. Considering that, let's talk about four unsung heroes who might turn some heads in the season opener.
4 Seattle Seahawks who might be surprising contributors in Week 1
Rashid Shaheed
Granted, Rashid Shaheed got a three-year, $51 million deal this offseason, so he's obviously expected to play a big role. That said, he was not much more than a decoy on offense and a special-teams player last season.
With a new offensive coordinator in town and Cooper Kupp not getting any younger, Shaheed is likely to be the Robin to Jaxon Smith-Njigba's Robin. He's drawn rave reviews in camp and should be in for an expanded role right out of the gate.
With Christian Gonzalez looking to replicate his strong Super Bowl performance on Smith-Njigba, it'll be up to the Seahawks' big-play specialist to keep the offense ahead of the sticks. He'll have to prove that he's more than just a vertical threat.
Julian Neal
The Seahawks drafted multiple cornerbacks, but Julian Neal was the last man standing. He's not expected to start, but with Nick Emmanwori likely missing the game and Ty Okada also dealing with a hamstring injury, they might have to throw him into the fire right away.
Neal has spent most of his career on the outside, but he has the physicality and strength to handle his own in the slot. The Seahawks can also move Witherspoon to nickelback in certain plays to allow Neal to play on the boundary.
Mike Macdonald's shapeshifting secondary will miss its most vertical piece if Emmanwori can't go. That will also be Neal's baptism by fire, as he might be the first guy off the bench ahead of Nehemiah Pritchett.
AJ Barner
AJ Barner didn't make much noise as a rookie, but he slowly carved out a bigger role in the passing game in year two. Now, after attending to multiple injuries, he's ready to take another leap in his third campaign.
Brian Fleury is a tight end guru. He helped George Kittle become the superstar he is nowadays, and while there's no point in comparing players, he'll definitely have some special things in store for Barner and the tight ends.
As we already mentioned, JSN will likely be tightly covered, and that should leave plenty of space in short and intermediate routes in the middle of the field. Tight end play might be a point of emphasis in the Fleury era, especially if Barner can hold his own with an expanded target share.
George Holani
First-round running back Jadarian Price has stolen most of the headlines this offseason, and rightfully so. Nevertheless, fans can't forget that he's a rookie, and he didn't even play in the preseason.
That doesn't necessarily mean the Seahawks won't get him going early and often in Week 1, but he'll still need someone to take some pressure off his shoulders. He's used to playing in a committee, and his body might need more time to adjust to a bigger workload.
Also, Holani is the team's best option in pass protection and in obvious pass situations. He's earned a vote of confidence since Zach Charbonnet suffered his season-ending injury, and he might be the running game's X-Factor in 2026.
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