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Seahawks training camp preview: Key questions for special teams

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Seahawks training camp preview: Key questions for special teams


We’re one week out from the Seattle Seahawks’ first training camp under Mike Macdonald. There are a lot of questions about the roster which we hope will be answered through camp and the preseason, and starting today we will preview the season with three questions concerning every part of the roster. The preview for special teams is the only one that will not focus on specific positions, but instead concentrate on the entirety of the unit.

Special teams roster: K Jason Myers, P Michael Dickson, LS Chris Stoll


How will the Seahawks handle the new kickoff rules?

This is a blanket question for everyone, I suppose. The modified NFL kickoff was designed to, well, make the kickoff relevant again. Reduce the touchbacks, put the ball in play, and find ways for the kick return to be safer for the players without eliminating kickoffs completely.

There’s a phenomenal article by Sumer Sports’ Shawn Syed, who broke down every kickoff from the XFL (from which the NFL’s kickoff rules are generally modeled off of) to spot patterns in the date and to see what can translate to the NFL. It’s not as simple as aligning differently and swapping returners. There is so much to learn about different coverage schemes, potential option plays with a second returner, kickers changing their ball placement for where the kick lands, etc. that it is going to take some time to adjust.

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Here’s what Syed concluded after his research:

Aside from strategic nuance and rule manipulation, the change in the NFL kickoff is going to have a tangible impact on the field; there will likely be an astounding increase in the percentage of kickoffs returned this season.

More players will find their name on the stat sheet and great players will emerge in different ways, on both the kicking and returning side. The best special teams coordinators will be able to get the most out of their players executing the fundamental techniques of football but will also find creative ways to open and close space for returners. The best kickers will also give their team an advantage by how they kick the ball into the landing zone.

Instead of checking the box and starting a drive at the 25 yard-line, teams will have to earn their starting field position. Each yard added onto the start of a drive increases a team’s chance to score points, but kickoff units may find that the differences in the XFL rules and NFL rules fall in their favor.

The new kickoff is one of the most compelling reasons to watch the preseason. We might see an established star as a second returner/speed option threat, Jason Myers involved more as a tackler, Michael Dickson used as a kickoff man, different strategies to limit field position, and I consider all of it as exciting as it is confusing.

Who is going to return punts?

Piggybacking off the previous topic, there are no shortage of viable candidates for kick returner for the Seahawks. Dee Eskridge, Laviska Shenault Jr, Dee Williams, Kenny McIntosh, Tre Brown, and Nehemiah Pritchett are among the potential options for kickoffs. We may even see, say, Kenneth Walker III on special teams but that’s just speculation. Players with deep punt return experience, however, are in short supply.

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Williams is the most experienced but unless he dramatically improves he won’t make a dent on the wide receiver depth chart. Everyone else I’ve listed did not return punts in college or the pros. Easop Winston Jr returned 10 punts with the New Orleans Saints in 2021 and had those duties for the Seahawks last preseason, but he similarly has an uphill battle to make the roster as a receiver.

Tyler Lockett is the veteran, safe pair of hands as a punt returner but his days of being an All-Pro at the position are long gone. He might be the option for fair catches inside the 20.

It’s arguably more important Seattle figures out punt returner than kick returner, and hopefully that means no repeat of the time they let Earl Thomas return punts and force-quit that experiment after one game.

Are we going to get “even year” Jason Myers brilliance again?

Jason Myers has seldom been a consistent placekicker on a year-to-year basis. His statistics in even-numbered years versus odd-numbered years are something of a running joke. Myers’ two Pro Bowl seasons (one with the Seahawks and the other with the New York Jets) were in 2022 and 2018, respectively. He didn’t miss any field goals in 2020 and even banged through a 61-yarder. Meanwhile, he was a very underwhelming 17/23 on field goals in 2021 and got cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 after going 0-3 on 50+ yard kicks and missing a couple of PATs.

Last season was an odd year for Myers even by odd-numbered year standards. He missed seven field goals, tying a career-high set in 2016 (even-numbered year!), but was perfect on PATs for the first time. Worryingly, Myers was only 6/10 on field goals in indoor stadiums, including two misses against the Detroit Lions, a missed game-winner versus the Los Angeles Rams, and a miss inside of 40 yards versus the Dallas Cowboys.

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A loose defense of Myers is that he was asked to do way more field goal kicking than is reasonable. He led the league with 42 attempts, five more than his previous career-high of 37 back in 2022. When you look at the percentages of all kickers since 2000 with at least 40 attempts in a season, Myers has a middling ranking. His middling ranking also applies to DVOA, so the volume of misses does not indicate his overall season was a bad one.

Perhaps Myers is emblematic of kicker volatility. If your name isn’t Justin Tucker there’s just not going to be grand expectation of high accuracy every season.

From the FTN Football Almanac 2024:

Field goal percentage is almost entirely random from season to season, while kickoff distance is one of the most consistent statistics in football.

This theory, which originally appeared in the New York Times in October 2006, is one of our most controversial, but it is hard to argue against the evidence. Measuring every kicker from 2018 to 2022 who had at least 20 field goal attempts in each of two consecutive years, the year-to-year correlation coefficient for field goal percentage was an insignificant (and negative) -.05. Jason Myers of Seattle is a great example. In 2018, he had a Pro Bowl season for the Jets and connected on 92% of field goals, which got him a big contract in Seattle. In 2019, he declined to just 82%. In 2020, he rebounded and hit all 24 of his field goal attempts with no misses. The next year, he was back down to 74% including two misses from inside 40 yards. And then in 2022, Myers connected on 92% of his field goals.

What you hope to see is Myers maintain his excellent PAT record but not have his name called for more field goals than necessary. This is nevertheless an important year for Myers considering this is his final season with any guaranteed salary.

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There are no questions about Michael Dickson, for we know he is not to be questioned.

Our next preview will look at the quarterbacks.



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Seattle Seahawks land 2 players on list of potential salary cap cuts in 2026

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Seattle Seahawks land 2 players on list of potential salary cap cuts in 2026


No matter how the playoffs go for the Seatte Seahawks, general manager John Schneider and his team are looking at a very busy offseason ahead.

In addition to their usual preparations for the 2026 NFL draft, Seattle has a ton of important players who are about to become unrestricted free agents. That list includes special teams superstar Rashid Shaheed, running back Ken Walker and defensive standouts Boye Mafe, Riq Woolen and Coby Bryant.

It’s going to be really difficult to keep that entire group together, even with a lot of cap space projected to be open in 2026. The Seahawks may have to create room with some salary cap casualties after the season is over.

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On that note, Over the Cap has listed a pair of Seattle players as potential cap casualties. Let’s review both of them.

OLB Uchenna Nwosu

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Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum (22) dives for a touchdown against Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7) in the second half at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

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Coming in at No. 46 on OTC’s list is veteran edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu, who has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit just over $20 million. Nwosu has been valuable when he’s on the field but he’s also missed a ton of time due to injuries and it will be difficult to justify his cap hit with so many other players to pay.

Seattle can save a little over $11.5 million if they cut Nwosu, before June 1 or after. However, they would also take on a dead money hit north of $8.5 million, which takes a lot of the flavor out of those cap savings.

In 45 games with the Seahawks, Nwosu has tallied 19.5 sacks, 52 QB hits, 24 tackles for a loss, five forced fumbles and eight pass breakups.

That’s a lot of good production across the board as an all-around defender, but he’ll turn 30 years old before next season is over and there are a lot of mouths to feed for Mike Macdonald’s defense.

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Over the Cap projects there’s a 58.5% chance that the Seahawks will wind up cutting him. Our best guess is that will be the case, especially if they want to pursue someone like Maxx Crosby on the trade market.

K Jason Myers

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Jan 3, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks place kicker Jason Myers (5) kicks a field goal against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half at Levi’s Stadium. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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The only other Seahawks player who made the list (at No. 77) was placekicker Jason Myers, where the team has an interesting choice to make.

Myers has been around since the 2019 season and he’s come through for them more often than not. In 117 games he’s converted 200 of 232 field goal attempts, coming out to 86.2%. On extra point attempts he’s gone 292/307 for 95.1%.

Those are very solid numbers for an NFL kicker, and when you have a solid option at this position you don’t mess with it.

Another factor working in Myers’ favor is that Seattle really can’t save all that much money by cutting him. According to OTC’s numbers the Seahawks would create $5.1 million in cap room by cutting him, with a dead money hit of $1,875,000.

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Five million might get Seattle a decent backup for their interior offensive line, or another contributor to Mike Macdonald’s defense. It’s not enough to really move the needle for this roster, though.

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OTC gives it a 52.5% chance that Myers will get cut, but we don’t see that happening. If they want to lower his cap hit, the Seahawks can create a little over $3 million for 2026 with an extension. That’s the only move they should be looking to make at this spot.

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Kraken Extend Streak In Comeback OT Loss | Seattle Kraken

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Kraken Extend Streak In Comeback OT Loss | Seattle Kraken


And while Dunn’s head coach insisted afterwards he doesn’t believe in “measuring stick games” the Kraken measured up fairly well in this one considering they played a pretty poor first period and needed half of the second frame to get any type of offense going against the league’s No. 2 defensive unit.

But they eventually got it going and the salvaged point, as Dunn mentioned, was huge in that it allowed the Kraken to remain in third place in the Pacific Division – just two points behind leaders Vegas and Edmonton – as they now embark on a five-city road trip. They extended their points streak to 10 games in the process, going 8-0-2 that stretch to transform a season hinging on the brink.

Mats Zuccarello got the overtime winner for Minnesota, converting a Kirill Kaprizov pass off a 2-on-1 break after the Kraken had been foiled just moments prior on their own odd-man rush. That foiled an outstanding night for Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer, who’d made several huge stops in both overtime and the third period to keep things tied, as well as prior to that frame to give his team the shot at a comeback.

The Kraken had spent the past week filling opposition nets with pucks but waited until the final 17 minutes to score their first goal of this game. By that point, they’d been trailing 2-0 since a pair of 42-foot wrist shot goals by Ryan Hartman and Brock Faber in the first period silenced the home crowd.

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“The first period was awful, and our execution was probably the biggest part of that,” Dunn said. “It’s just tough when you’re chasing the game a little bit to start the game. So, we kind of set ourselves up for the second period to come out and play the right way and I thought as the game went on, we got a lot better.

“And I thought it was a pretty competitive game both ways. A lot of chances both ways.”

Grubauer kept things close from there, stopping 31 of 34 shots on the night to give his team a chance to get back in it.

Adam Larsson then got the Kraken on the board three minutes into the final period with a slap shot goal from the right circle after Dunn had rung one off the post on a prior blast seconds earlier. And the Kraken weren’t done yet.

The Wild ran into penalty trouble not long after and the Kraken capitalized on the power play with Matty Beniers banging home a net front rebound off a Jared McCann shot that lifted the home side into a 2-2 tie and sent the Climate Pledge Arena crowd into a frenzy.

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Valter Walker vs. Marcin Tybura booked for UFC Seattle

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Valter Walker vs. Marcin Tybura booked for UFC Seattle


Heavyweights will collide in “Rain City.”

MMAmania.com confirmed with multiple sources today (Thurs., Jan. 8, 2026) that No. 10-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Marcin Tybura will take on surging Brazilian prospect Valter Walker at UFC Seattle on Sat., March 28, 2026, inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington.

Walker (15-1) stumbled out of the gate in his UFC debut, suffering a loss to Lukasz Brzeski in 2024. Since then, however, “Clean Monster” has completely rewritten the narrative — and the UFC record books.

Walker opened 2025 by submitting Don’Tale Mayes with a heel hook (watch highlights), his second straight victory via the technique. Five months later, he followed it up with another first-round heel hook against Kennedy Nzechukwu (watch highlights), setting a new UFC record for most consecutive heel hook submission wins with three.

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But he wasn’t finished.

At UFC 321 in Oct. 2025, Walker once again locked in a first-round heel hook — this time against Louie Sutherland — tying Rousimar Palhares for the most heel hook submissions (four) in UFC history while extending his own record for consecutive heel hook finishes (watch it).

A win in Seattle would almost certainly vault Walker into the Top 10 of the Heavyweight rankings.

Tybura (27-10), meanwhile, will be defending his No. 10 spot when he steps into the cage. The Polish veteran went 1-1 in 2025, handing highly touted U.K. prospect Mick Parkin his first professional loss at UFC London before suffering a quick knockout loss to debuting Ante Delija at UFC Paris (watch highlights), snapping a two-fight win streak.

Now 40 years old, Tybura is 5-3 over his last eight appearances.

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Here are some other bouts currently scheduled for UFC Seattle:

Casey O’Neill vs. Gabriella Fernandes

Alexa Grasso vs. Maycee Barber

Nicolle Caliari vs. Carol Fiori

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.

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