Three potentially pivotal narratives for the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1

Narrative No. 3 - Which new Seahawks might make a big difference?

In 2022, 12s got to see the team exceed expectations and a big reason for that was that last year's rookie class was extremely good. The 2023 class might also be capable of being brilliant, but many of this year's rookies have been banged-up and might not be in top form to begin the season. The class still needs to be quite productive over the season so that Seattle can once again exceed expectations.

But besides just the rookies, the Seahawks added quite a few potentially impactful players in free agency. Dre'Mont Jones could be a disruptor with his interior pass-rush ability, but how good he can be against the run in Seattle's defensive system versus what he did with the Denver Broncos remains to be seen. Can center Evan Brown truly be an upgrade over 2022 starter Austin Blythe? Can defensive end Mario Edwards, Jr. be stout against the run over a full year after bouncing around the league for the better part of his career?

Seattle, for all its talent, has a lot of talent, and a lot of that talent is new to the team. Therefore, we do not really know what to immediately expect from the new guys. Smith-Njigba might still be held out of Week 1 after breaking a bone in his wrist in preseason Week 2. Fellow first-round draft pick Devon Witherspoon is probably not going to play. So which first-year Seahawks might make big impressions in Week 1?

My guesses would be Jones, Brown, and Bobby Wagner. OK, Wagner isn't truly a first-year Seahawk, obviously, but he wasn't with the team in 2022 and his ability to communicate on the field should make a massive difference in the efficiency of the defense. Jones should get some heat on Rams QB Matthew Stafford. Brown should be able to bully Los Angeles' interior defenders not named Aaron Donald.

Other Seahawks news and analysis