Wrapping up a mini bye as they begin preparations this week for a tough road game against the Atlanta Falcons, the 3-3 Seattle Seahawks are now a third of the way through a roller coaster first season under new head coach Mike Macdonald.
Through six games, the Seahawks haven’t received major contributions from their 2024 draft class as hoped, though injuries have certainly been a factor with Byron Murphy II sidelined for three games. On offense, only AJ Barner has played more than 25 percent of the team’s snaps, while Tyrice Knight is the only defender to surpass that threshold with Murphy out.
Dishing out the first progress report of the season, here’s how Knight and the rest of Seattle’s rookie class grade out after the opening trimester of the 2024 campaign.
Read the offensive report card hereand the defensive report card here.
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Before suffering a hamstring injury in Week 3, though his run defense was inconsistent, Murphy flashed his tremendous upside as an interior pass rusher for the Seahawks, producing seven pressures and a sack while posting a 15.4 percent pass rush win rate, which still ranks sixth among defensive tackles with at least 45 pass rushing reps. His 28.6 percent pass rush win rate on true pass sets currently ranks second among that group as well.
Unfortunately, any momentum built up in the first few weeks was immediately stalled by Murphy’s injury, preventing him from making the impact the team hoped he would thus far.
Grade: B
Unable to beat out Anthony Bradford for the starting right guard job out of training camp and the preseason, Haynes has gradually received increased playing time, rotating into the lineup for a handful of series over the past several weeks. However, he hasn’t taken full advantage of those opportunities, allowing a sack and three pressures on 51 pass blocking reps and has had difficulties dealing with the power of NFL defensive tackles as a run blocker.
With neither player creating separation on the field, an in-season competition remains ongoing, but Haynes has yet to seize his chances to take the job despite Bradford’s struggles.
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Grade: D+
Thrust into a starting role for a pair of games in place of an injured Jerome Baker, Knight acclimated himself well in the middle of Mike Macdonald’s defense, particularly as a run defender. He tallied 14 tackles in three games where he saw defensive snaps and only missed one tackle, showcasing the efficiency he demonstrated as a downhill thumper starring at UTEP.
Knight has had a few slipups in coverage, including getting tricked on a long tight end screen against the Patriots, but overall, he’s done well with his limited chances and could see more action later in the season as a result.
Grade: B
Sep 30, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88) dives into the end zone to score a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in the third quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
In terms of overall impact, Barner has arguably been Seattle’s best all-around rookie. Despite not being known for his receiving prowess at Michigan, he has been a reliable target for Geno Smith, catching all seven of his targets for 66 yards and a touchdown, turning those chances into six first downs while averaging 6.1 yards after the catch per reception.
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Barner has also been solid in the blocking department, outperforming veteran Pharaoh Brown as an inline tight end in that regard. Aside from a couple of penalties, he’s played quite well and may have more opportunities in the passing game coming his way as he develops trust from Smith.
Grade: B+
Thrown into the fire late in a Week 5 loss to the Giants, Pritchett produced a key third down pass breakup to force a punt in the closing moments, giving Smith and company one last shot to either tie or win the game. That stands out as his highlight and statistically, he has allowed just three catches on eight targets, but he lucked out on the previous drive when quarterback Daniel Jones airmailed a wide open Darius Slayton in the end zone after he had beaten the rookie defender on a corner route.
Pritchett also has three missed tackles on just five attempts, posting an ugly 60 percent miss rate in limited action, so there’s plenty of room for improvement.
Grade: C+
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Though he made Seattle’s initial 53-man roster, Laumea has been experiencing an unofficial “redshirt” year and has yet to suit up for a regular season game with the team activating undrafted rookie center Jalen Sundell instead. He may have a chance to play later in the season, but for now, he’s being stashed on the roster as a developmental prospect.
Grade: N/A
Like Laumea, Jerrell sat out the first five games as a healthy scratch, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering he has been making the jump from Division II to the NFL and likely isn’t ready to play meaningful snaps as a tackle. He did get his first chance to dress against the 49ers in Week 6, playing four special teams snaps, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will play at all on offense this year.
Grade: N/A
One of two undrafted rookies to make Seattle’s 53-man roster, Williams has struggled mightily fielding kicks and punts cleanly, including muffing a punt in the season opener against the Broncos. That number could have been doubled if officials correctly ruled that he touched a punt that was recovered by the 49ers last week, and that would have compounded the fact he didn’t field a kickoff cleanly and got tackled at the 10-yard line.
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On the plus side, Williams has returned a punt 23 yards and also had a 39-yard kickoff return, so he has made positive contributions when he has been able to field the ball cleanly.
Thanks to Susan for the photo. She called to tell us about a dog stuck on the rocks off Beach Drive near Harbor West (the condos on pilings), and a crowd gathering to figure out how to rescue it from the rising tide. We were away from the desk at the time but after returning a little while later, we heard the situation mentioned on police radio, with word the dog had been rescued, so we didn’t head that way. Then late tonight Susan sent photos, explaining that the dog apparently is known to swim to those rocks and back, but for some reason got stuck this time, “until a paddle boarder and kayaker paddled out to it to coax it off the rocks and back to the shore.”
As Seattle’s month-long role as a host city for the Fifa Men’s World Cup draws to a close with a knockout match between the United States and Belgium, local match-day scenes, business boosters and media dispatches have projected an image of a sports-fueled boom town.
On match days, hordes of locals and visitors have packed the city’s waterfront and official watch parties, shattering public-transit records and buoying nearby beer sales. Local soccer-focused mainstays like the George & Dragon Pub have reported “incredible” increases in business. And, pointing to positive reporting by the Guardian and other international newspapers, Seattle’s business lobby says the city has “performed very, very well on the world stage”.
But the effects – and extent – of Seattle’s Fifa-fueled boom are murky. Some preliminary reports claim tourism volumes to the city are down year over year, struggling to outmatch the volume of visitors Seattle typically sees during its summer high season. Travel costs have spiked after the US-Israeli war on Iran, exacerbated by Fifa’s booking large tranches of hotel rooms, which created artificial scarcity for lodgings and raised prices. Many international visitors, including the city’s once-reliable base of Canadian tourists, have steered clear of Seattle since early 2025, after violent, draconian immigration enforcement and threats by Donald Trump against Canada. And, prior to today’s match, Seattle’s schedule featured many countries whose fans couldn’t attend the World Cup because of the Trump administration’s travel bans, including supporters from Iran and Senegal.
Soccer fans protesting against Iran’s current regime wave the country’s Pahlavi dynasty flag outside a bar near Seattle Stadium on 26 June. Photograph: Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images
Pointing to these factors and confronting local economic challenges such as an ongoing wave of tech layoffs, some business owners have reported declining sales and question the cheery forecasts shared by tournament organizers prior to the World Cup. They await a final tally of the tourist volumes and benefits Fifa did or did not bring to Seattle, and wonder how the city’s economy might fare once the alleged boom subsides.
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‘They had hyped us up so much’
In early 2025, Vince Vu, owner of Anh Ơi Bake Shop, a Vietnamese American bakery, began receiving flyers and messages from consultants associated with the World Cup and city government. Seattle’s soccer stadium directly adjoins the city’s downtown core, as well as the Chinatown-International District, and draws large crowds to the area on match days. The consultants explained to Vu and other businesses in the area how they should prepare for a Fifa-induced flux of customers.
“They had hyped us up so much,” Vu said. “We had weekly meetings telling us, ‘Hey … make sure you’re going to double your staff and … double your inventory and do all this stuff, because [the World Cup is] going to be this great thing for the city.’”
The regional tourism board Visit Seattle initially forecast in 2024 that Seattle’s status as a World Cup host city would generate $929m in local economic activity; citing downturns in international travel to the US following Trump’s return to the presidency, Visit Seattle later revised its estimate to $845.6m, projecting a total count of 750,000 visitors over the course of the World Cup.
In the tournament’s opening days, Bloomberg reported that Seattle may be the only US host city to have seen a year-over-year decline in flight bookings, citing data from travel marketing platform Sojern. More recent data complicates that conclusion; Perry Cooper, a spokesperson for Seattle’s primary airport, said that Seattle has been “up in travelers” since the start of the World Cup by at least 3%, including a 4% year-over-year increase in international visitors.
Fans gather at bars before the Fifa World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Australia at Seattle Stadium 19 June. Photograph: Jane Gershovich/ISI Photos/Getty Images
Siddhant Bahadur, who manages more than 40 short-term rentals in Seattle, said business has been fairly flat compared with last year’s summer high season for tourism. He thinks the city’s marginal increases in travel volumes during the World Cup are a “telling sign” that tourism to the city is otherwise down due to economic and geopolitical challenges.
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“I think we lost a lot of Canadians, and I think people are worried about the economy and about what’s going on in Washington, and, oh, by the way, we’re at war,” echoed short-term rental owner Marlow Harris, who said she’s seen a 30% hit to business.
In an emailed statement, Visit Seattle’s chief business officer, Kelly Saling, said declines in international tourism since 2024 have been “partially offset” by an increase in domestic tourism, meaning the city has not seen a “drop in forecasted visitors, just a change in the mix”. Local hotels have reported mixed results, with lower occupancy rates than projected, but with large increases in revenue; Fifa booked large blocks of hotel rooms before the World Cup and released them in the weeks leading up to the tournament, generating artificial scarcity and raising prices, according to local business leaders. Saling said hotel booking data has shown “peaks and valleys” around match days, which included a new revenue record on the night preceding the 19 June match between the US and Australia.
To Vu, the World Cup’s peaks have coincided with Anh Ơi Bake Shop’s lowest sales. When the US squared off against the Socceroos, Vu’s business saw just a quarter of its normal sales. Vu said other neighborhood businesses have reported similarly disappointing results: Regular patrons have avoided the neighborhood on match days to avoid traffic, he noted, adding that sports tourists may not be interested in “culturally specific businesses”.
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Soccer fans crowd in to watch the Iran and Egypt match on a giant screen on 26 June. Photograph: Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images
The Seattle aquarium has also reported a downturn, despite its location on Seattle’s currently sports fan-saturated waterfront. Emily Malone, a spokesperson for the aquarium, noted a “decrease in attendance” during the tournament, “particularly on match days”. The aquarium has offered promotions for visitors wearing soccer gear, as well as free programs on the waterfront. Overlook Walk, a public park situated on the roof of Seattle Aquarium’s recently constructed pavilion, has drawn large crowds during World Cup watch parties.
A mixed financial picture, but optimism that visitors will return
Scott Stulen, director and CEO of the Seattle Art Museum, began planning for the World Cup in 2024, and expected an uneven increase in footfall across its three locations. The museum’s free sculpture garden along the waterfront received new signage before the World Cup, and currently features a temporary mini-golf course designed by local artists. The sculpture garden has seen its foot traffic more than double, while visitor numbers to its downtown museum have stayed “basically flat”, as Stulen anticipated.
Some variables could not be planned in advance. Seattle’s group-stage matchups “weren’t ideal”, Stulen said, as the city missed out on fanbases that “stay a little bit longer” in host cities. Some World Cup organizers see a handful of teams – Argentina, England and France, among others – as special catalysts of economic activity, featuring dedicated fanbases with the financial means to stay longer in host cities.
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Seattle’s organizers also expected World Cup activity to “spread into the city a little bit more than it has”, though bars and restaurants are “killing it” if they’re located “in the right place”, Stulen said, framing the “positive activity” in downtown Seattle as “a win”.
US fans march together to the Seattle Stadium before the Fifa World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Australia on 19 June. Photograph: Jane Gershovich/ISI Photos/Getty Images
Even marginal increases in sales can make a meaningful difference for local businesses preparing to weather future economic volatility, according to Daniel Pagard, who owns the George & Dragon Pub, a local British bar known for screening Premier League games and other international matches. Recent tech layoffs have affected some locals’ finances, and businesses are beginning to note the downstream effects.
“You definitely see a lot of it when people come out,” Pagard said. “Instead of maybe getting two half English breakfasts, they’re splitting one full English, because it saves them a few bucks, and [they’re] turning down that one extra pint before they leave.”
Seattle’s business lobby hopes visitors – and major tournaments – will come back. According to Joe Nguyễn, a former lawmaker who now leads the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Seattle’s business lobby hosted a trade delegation from Australia during the 19 June match, and expects some foreign direct investment to arise from that initiative. More broadly, he said Seattle has shown it is capable of hosting large-scale sports programming, and can efficiently deploy resources to accommodate large influxes of visitors.
Today’s match against Belgium may be the “craziest sporting event that Seattle’s probably ever seen”, he said. Nguyễn hopes the World Cup will bring the city closer to some of its ambitious goals.
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“Because of our remoteness in the north-west corner, people oftentimes will skip over us on their tours. Now they’ll think twice … I think the NFL will look to here to see if they should have some games, [and] I think this is helpful for us bringing back a basketball team,” he said.
