Seattle, WA
What are the Seattle Seahawks doing? 3 possible explanations
Does anyone understand what the Seattle Seahawks are doing? If so, I’m all ears. Because I confess that I do not.
Seattle Seahawks Offseason Tracker: Free agents and more
That isn’t to say that I think what they are doing is bad. Far from it. In fact, I am relatively happy with each of the individual moves they’ve made thus far this offseason. But taking them all as a group and trying to determine what it tells us about their future plans? I could sure see this going in a few directions.
As we finish up the first week of free agency, the Seahawks have re-signed two starting players (defensive lineman Leonard Williams and tight end Noah Fant), signed two new assumed starters (safety Rayshawn Jenkins and linebacker Tyrel Dodson), and signed/traded for four assumed backups, albeit key ones (tight end Pharoah Brown, quarterback Sam Howell, and offensive linemen George Fant and Nick Harris).
There have been some other moves around the periphery with contract tenders and, of course, all of the players who were released, but that’s the crux of what they’ve done.
Unfortunately, there is no obvious thread running through those decisions other than my assumption that these players better fit both general manager/president of football operations John Schneider’s view of how to apply the salary cap resources and new head coach Mike Macdonald’s style of play. But it’s fair to say that this group represents an attempt to get a lot of complimentary and depth pieces rather than marquee, building block talents.
If we can agree on that generality, the next question is why?
I have three possible answers.
1. The Seahawks believe they are really close to contending for a Super Bowl.
In this scenario, they believe in a championship nucleus that was held back by its coaching staff, especially the coordinators over the past few years. They believe their young talent will flourish with new leadership and that quarterback Geno Smith is good enough to distribute the ball to the playmakers around him.
If indeed the Seahawks see themselves as close to the top, the moves they’ve made serve to fill in the missing depth pieces they need to take the final step while still leaving a little dry powder in reserve for post-cut and in-season additions and adjustments.
There is reason to believe this is their plan. They have kept their top talent, played to their quarterback’s strengths without adding his obvious replacement, and spent serious money on an older player (Williams) who makes a difference right now.
2. The Seahawks don’t believe they can contend in 2024 and are readying for 2025 and beyond.
We’ve all seen how quickly turnarounds can happen in the NFL. With the right young quarterback, a good draft class, and some open cap space, even a moribund Texans franchise appears to have gone from league embarrassment to legitimate contention in just over 12 months. Would the Seahawks be willing to follow this model?
If so, they would still need to fill out their roster, because they really didn’t have enough players to get to 53, but without long-term commitments. Well, none of the deals they signed have been for longer than three years and a good portion of them are really more for just one or two. They are giving themselves an opportunity to test these players in the system and see who is deserving of a larger role once the window truly opens. And it’s worth mentioning that the major cuts they made at the start of the offseason (Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Will Dissly, etc.) were all designated pre-June 1, meaning the entirety of their dead money cap implications would be felt in 2024 rather than pushing half to the following year.
On the other hand, this certainly doesn’t feel like a team looking to strip itself down to the studs trying for a top pick in an upcoming draft. There is still plenty of talent and high quality players that could be dealt to add draft capital.
3. This is just how John Schneider prefers to handle free agency.
This is largely unsatisfying because it doesn’t offer us much in the way of a roadmap, but his philosophy has always been to stay away from megadeals in free agency, and this year appears no different.
We can argue about its merits, but it is Schneider’s way. Last season, Dre Jones became maybe the only first-wave, top-tier free agent of the Schneider era, and it’s hard to say after one year that that the return on that investment would convince him to follow that path again.
Even in seasons when cap space was bountiful, Schneider has seemingly preferred five nickels to one quarter. Remember 2020 when he passed on tackle Jack Conklin in favor of linemen Mike Iupati, Cedric Ogbuehi, BJ Finney, Brandon Shell and Chance Warmack? The 2024 group seems a lot younger and more talented, but the history is still on the side of spreading the wealth rather than paying for premium talent in free agency.
Based on what we’ve seen so far, I believe all three of these potential explanations could be true, though admittedly the third could be paired with either of the first two to explain this approach to team building. Frankly, I would be pretty excited about either of the first two options because they would represent a clear vision for where this franchise needs to go.
Perhaps we’ll get more clarity in the upcoming weeks and through the draft. But for now, I remain curious and optimistic that changes are being made.
More on the Seattle Seahawks
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• Bobby Wagner reuniting with former Hawks coaches on Commanders
• Huard: Free agency showing why Seahawks won’t trade DK Metcalf
• With Lewis gone, Bumpus expects Seahawks to draft UW lineman
• Seattle Seahawks lose Jordyn Brooks to Miami, Damien Lewis to Carolina
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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The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
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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