Seahawks making major offensive change is great news for Kenneth Walker III
By Mike Luciano
The Seattle Seahawks seemed to rebrand themselves after swapping out Russell Wilson for Geno Smith. Gone were the days of being a run-first team followed by Wilson's trademark moonballs down the field. Smith was dropping back and ripping it to a trio of very talented receivers.
With the ageless Tyler Lockett still productive, young star DK Metcalf ready to do damage, and second-year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks have one of the best collections of talent on the perimeter the league has to offer. Still, that doesn't mean new head coach Mike Macdonald and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb are going to chuck it around that frequently.
Seattle ran for 146 yards and threw for just 171 in their season-opening win against the Denver Broncos. Lockett was the only player that managed to tally more than 30 yards receiving. Based on some comments from Metcalf, this could be a sign of a bigger commitment to running the ball.
Metcalf said that he knew the team's "bread and butter" would be running the ball, with the coaching even saying as much in one of their initial meetings with the offense. Those who have held out hope for a Kenneth Walker III star turn could be in luck after this new staff made their mark on Seattle.
"DK Metcalf said he expected the team’s bread-and-butter on offense to be the run game. He said that was among the first things Grubb expressed to the team in their initial meeting this offseason.
— 32BeatWriters (@32BeatWriters) September 10, 2024
DK: “He was happy to be here, then he said we’re going to run the ball.” https://t.co/BWRhwcS5Ye
Seahawks' offensive change could be big news for RB Kenneth Walker III
This change may be a bit surprising for those who saw Grubb ride Michael Penix Jr. and three Top 100 wide receivers to a high-octane college offense at Washington. However, in that same season, Dillon Johnson ran for just under 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Macdonald fans could have seen a commitment to the run coming from a mile away. A former defensive coordinator at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh and with the Baltimore Ravens under John Harbaugh, Macdonald's coaching philosophy was forged by two old-school, ground-and-pound coaches.
Despite the threat of Zach Charbonnet behind him, the role as the team's bellcow is Walker's to lose. After a down year in 2023, Grubb seems committed to getting Walker back in a groove. After 103 yards on 20 carries against Denver, Walker looks like his old self.
Seattle will need to eventually prove they can run this same offense against a team with a better defensive line than a subpar Denver unit. Smith is also not going to be a triple-option quarterback, as downfield accuracy is still very much a necessity to operate Grubb's offense well.
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