Seattle, WA
Rost: Which young Seahawks need to break out in 2024?
Show me a Super Bowl team and I’ll show you a surprise performer.
Schneider: Why Seattle Seahawks’ new coaching staff won’t be at combine
Every team needs its stars – your Patrick Mahomes, your Travis Kelce, your Chris Jones. But the Kansas City Chiefs also made it to, and won, Super Bowl LVIII because second-year cornerback Trent McDuffie had an All-Pro season, rookie receiver Rashee Rice finished with nearly 1,000 yards, and 22-year-old edge rusher George Karlaftis finished with 10.5 sacks. If you want to look beyond young first-rounders, look at a player like Charles Omenihu, who had a career-high seven sacks.
The Seattle Seahawks will find help in plenty of ways; you’ve got returning veteran stars like DK Metcalf, plus the draft and free agency. But to really push themselves to contention, they’ll need more than just contributions – they’ll need a breakout season – from some of their youngest players.
The task? To choose the young player you think could most impact the Seahawks’ 2024 season. Here’s who we picked on the Bump and Stacy show.
Bump: Riq Woolen
Woolen is entering his third season in Seattle with plenty of promise and a few question marks.
The physical traits are off the charts. You can’t teach height and speed, and at 6-foot-4 with a 4.26 40, Woolen’s measurables were enough to make any general manager salivate. This was despite his slight frame and limited experience as a defensive back, which is part of the reason he slipped into the fifth round.
One stellar rookie campaign later, Woolen was entering his second season with sky-high expectations. As with most players who set an impossibly high bar in their rookie season, his sophomore year felt more up and down. Nothing much was working defensively for Seattle in 2023, and tackling issues showed up in Woolen’s game as well.
“(Woolen) was injured before the season,” Bumpus said as part of a separate conversation about whether Woolen’s rookie season was an outlier. “So you come into training camp when you’re available and you might not have the confidence you once had because you’re trusting, in Riq’s situation, that your knee is gonna hold up and you’re not going to feel that little tweak. So mentally you have to get through that. And secondly, when I look at DBs as a receiver and as a receiver coach, I’m learning their tendencies. Like ‘OK, by my third step vertical he typically takes this step; by my fifth step I can get him to turn his hips; he’s not comfortable when I stem him this way.’ You start breaking down that player and you figure out a plan to beat this guy. The good DBs are gonna find their way out of it. But Woolen has only been a cornerback for three years, so he hasn’t lost enough battles to go back into that memory bank and get back into your foundation and figure out what you need to work on.”
Bumpus is hoping a new coaching staff and another year of experience can shape an improved 2024 season for Woolen – an obviously impactful choice, since it would give Seattle one of the league’s better corner tandems.
Stacy: Charles Cross
No offense meant to offensive linemen, but this position won’t typically dominate preseason watch lists. That said, improvement in the trenches is the single most important thing for Seattle’s development, and former No. 9 overall pick Charles Cross can be a huge part of that.
There’s a bit of pride with this choice. I’d like for him to be impactful because he was the first pick used in that trade package the Seahawks got for Russell Wilson. Getting a decade-long career from a franchise left tackle, especially for a team that’s desperately craved that kind of stability on its offensive line, would be a sweet return.
But it’s also because Cross has the potential to be that kind of player in his third season. He struggled at times in 2023, but also played a large chunk of the season with nagging toe injury suffered in Week 1.
Seattle Seahawks’ John Schneider details restructuring of Geno Smith’s contract
SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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SEATTLE – High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures. Skies will be sunny, warm and dry through the middle of the week.
High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures.
What’s next:
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington, with highs in central and eastern Washington getting close to 100 degrees. The coast and northern interior will remain in the 70s with mostly sunny skies.
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Risk Levels
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. East of the cascades is already dry and warm, so the increased chance of new fire starts will be something to watch with the storms.
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Looking Ahead:
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing inland Thursday. This low will increase changes of showers and isolated thunderstorms on Thursday, and temperatures will be back to normal for this time of year. This cool down is short-lived as high pressure builds again and highs warm back up into the 80s by the weekend.
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing in Thursday.
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To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
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