4 thoughts on Seahawks offense transforming in the matter of an offseason

Well, anyone wondering when/if the personnel would make drastic roster changes in the Seattle Seahawks' Mike Macdonald era only had to wait a year. It felt like year one was the testing grounds and evaluation period of a strong roster. In his first season on the job, coach Macdonald won 10 games with a roster that closely resembled that of the previous year.

Seattle's point-scoring unit is being dismantled and reassembled in a way we have not seen since Russell Wilson was traded.

As a reminder, the Seahawks' brain trust is headed by a now Pete-Carroll-less GM in John Schneider. That same coach, Carroll, was instrumental in bringing Geno Smith, whom he described as one of his "all-time favorite guys", to Las Vegas.

What sticks out about the direction in which the Seattle Seahawks are moving with their offense?

Smith leaves his post as Seahawks starting quarterback and face of the franchise. He broke into the top five of all-time Seahawks QBs in both passing yards and passing touchdowns. He is Seattle's all-time leader in completion percentage (68.5 percent), though he was treated as the franchise's most polarizing player.

Besides the NFL's 2022 Comeback Player of the Year, Seattle also said goodbye to Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Laken Tomlinson, George Fant, and Pharaoh Brown on the offensive side of the ball. As of now, the Hawks are loaded with draft ammunition (due to the Smith and Metcalf trades), holding five picks in the first three rounds.

This offseason felt like a liquidation of older "assets" in return for building towards a contention window with a younger (and cheaper) team. It was similar to the first time Schneider helped build a championship roster.

With all of the key departures, Seattle has also acquired players such as Sam Darnold, Cooper Kupp, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Steven Sims, Josh Jones, and Eric Saubert on offense. What can we surmise, or even postulate, about the direction of this offense with so much upheaval? New offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, seems to be involved in the shopping a bit, so we may see things take shape from that perspective.

Thought 1: This will be much more of a rhythm and timing-based passing offense

The 12s may be used to the freewheeling of the Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson era, which relied on explosives. Play action and calculated deep shots after establishing the run are an oversimplification, but we know that the offenses of Sean McVay and the Shanahans are much more timing-based.

Kubiak comes from the Shanahan school of offensive football. He now has two receivers, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, who are strong in route running and can quickly beat multiple types of coverage.

Darnold throws a good deep ball, but it will probably not be full-throttle bombs away anymore. Grubb tried that and got himself fired. If Seattle can find a guy who can take the top off of a defense and expand the field for underneath players, then that will add texture to this offense. Will it be MVS? Is Dareke Young still on this team?

Do you draft a burner within the first few rounds? It’s possibly not the meat and potatoes of the offense, but a key side. Darnold, the distributor, will be called upon to operate Kubiak's system.

Thought 2: Seattle will rely much more heavily on the ground game

For those asking about run game identity, Mike Macdonald has stated plainly that the wide zone run scheme is the framework that Seattle is homing in on for the upcoming season. What does that mean? Horizontal blocking, outside runs, flow, and spacing are key elements of such an attack. It requires halfbacks with vision and anticipation.

At one point last season, Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet were charted as two of the backs who cut to different holes (rather than the intended hole) more often than other backs in the league... that's for better, or worse at times, folks! They are lightning and thunder running styles that are built for a zone running scheme. Expect a continued focus on linemen (at least one more, please, Jesus) who possess movement ability and run game acumen.

Thought 3: If the line still disappoints, they feel that they can still overcome.

Although Seattle says it likes the young linemen it has now, it also owns the draft ammo and cap space to try to solve the problem between now and midseason, as John Schneider is wont to do. He even mentioned that recently in an interview, talking about making moves and leaving room for more moves if the originals don't work out. The bet may be on the run game and defense, having the potential to carry if they are the focal points.

The Seahawks seem determined to get a good deal at the biggest ticket position on the roster. The Sam D. deal has an out after one year! It’s very low risk and high reward. If he struggles, Seattle won’t feel bad about giving Sam Howell another shot. They could also, theoretically, not feel bad about drafting another guy, on top of it all! Seattle is not shackled to a non-elite QB getting paid big money.

Thought 4: Young pass catchers will get a chance to shine?

Last year during training camp, all of the Seahawks were talking about how deep the WR corps was. I saw articles that declared DK, Lock, and JSN the league’s best WR trio. Guys like Jake Bobo,  Cody White, and Easop Winston Jr. were balling in exhibition play. They had bona fide stars, as well as intriguing depth.

That depth may now be put to the test and laid bare before the dim PNW light in the sky. JSN, Bobo, White, and A.J. Barner would seem to get some shots to prove themselves difference makers.

JSN did have a breakout year already, but how high can he fly as a WR1? I like Barner to make a leap next year. Cooper Kupp provides stability, hard work, toughness, and knowledge to the WR room. Some of the raw young pups need to take his presence as an opportunity to learn and improve.

Does MVS get a chance to become a deep threat, or will that come from the draft? Does Seattle need a bigger-bodied X-receiver? Kubiak is getting the chance to mold this unit in his image, so there are many questions still left to answer.

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