The ramp-up to the Seattle Seahawks’ 2025 season begins in earnest on Wednesday, when the team kicks off training camp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center along the shore of Lake Washington.

ESPN’s Fowler ‘wasn’t surprised’ Seahawks released Noah Fant

With camp about to get underway, here’s a position-by-position look at the Seahawks’ offense and how the battles for starting roles and roster spots could shape up.

This breakdown categorizes players into two groups – the virtual locks and the top contenders – based on their chances of making the 53-man roster. Players with an asterisk next to their name are included in multiple position groups.

A position-by-position look at the defense will be published on Tuesday.

Quarterback

• Locks: Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe

All eyes will be on Darnold and Milroe during camp, but the QB pecking order appears set heading into the season. Darnold is the presumptive starter and will look to build on last year’s breakout campaign in Minnesota. Lock is a proven and reliable backup. And then there’s the rookie Milroe, whose tantalizing speed and athleticism makes him perhaps the biggest long-term X-factor on Seattle’s roster. Milroe is likely at least a year away from seriously challenging for the starting job, but he could make an immediate impact as a change-of-pace weapon in specialty packages.

Running back

• Locks: Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet
• Other top contenders: Kenny McIntosh, Damien Martinez, George Holani

While Kenneth Walker III took a step back during an injury-plagued 2024, Charbonnet made a late-season surge as the fill-in starter. That could make for a legitimate competition in training camp for the RB1 role – although the reality is both figure to get plenty of carries this fall. Ultimately, a lot of their success will depend on how well they acclimate to new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s wide-zone blocking scheme – and of course, how effectively Seattle’s oft-criticized offensive line can clear running lanes in front of them.

After that, there could be a fascinating battle between McIntosh and Martinez for the third running back role. McIntosh showed some flashes down the stretch last year as the backup to Charbonnet when Walker was sidelined. McIntosh also brings special teams value as a kick return candidate. But Martinez, a rookie seventh-round pick, is coming off an impressive college career, having totaled 3,169 rushing yards and 6.2 yards per carry over a combined three seasons at Oregon State and Miami. The 217-pound Martinez also was one of college football’s best tackle-breaking backs last fall, according to Pro Football Focus.

And don’t forget about Holani, who flirted with a roster spot last year after a strong preseason as an undrafted rookie out of Boise State.

Fullback

• Top contenders: *Robbie Ouzts, *Brady Russell

Under Kubiak, the fullback position will be a legitimate part of Seattle’s offense for the first time since Will Tukuafu manned the position in 2016. It’s expected to be a two-man battle between Ouzts and Russell, who are both in the process of converting to fullback from tight end. Ouzts, a rookie fifth-round pick, brings a major physical presence with his 6-foot-3, 274-pound frame. And Russell is a special teams stalwart, leading the Seahawks in total special teams snaps over the past two seasons. Whoever doesn’t win this job could still have a path to a roster spot at tight end.

Wide receiver

• Locks: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Tory Horton
• Other top contenders: Jake Bobo, Ricky White III, Cody White, Dareke Young, Steven Sims

Coming off a breakout 1,130-yard campaign last season, Smith-Njigba is the undisputed WR1 in Seattle’s new-look wide receiver room. He’s joined by the 32-year-old Kupp, who’s looking to bounce back in Seattle after three straight injury-shortened seasons with the Rams.

The speedy 6-foot-4 Valdes-Scantling provides a much-needed downfield threat and has the inside track to the No. 3 role, especially after a strong finish to 2024 in Kubiak’s Saints offense. But Horton could push Valdes-Scantling for targets, assuming he’s fully recovered from a knee injury that caused him to slide to the fifth round of April’s draft. Horton posted back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons at Colorado State and was regarded by some as a top-100 draft prospect.

After that, it could be a fierce battle for the fifth and possibly final receiver spot. The Seahawks have typically kept six receivers in recent years, but with Kubiak’s system expected to feature a heavy dose of two-receiver sets, they could go with just five wideouts to free up a roster spot elsewhere – especially with the roster crunch of carrying both a third quarterback and a fullback.

Bobo would probably have the edge for the fifth spot, given his experience and all he brings as a 6-foot-4 red-zone target, a strong blocker and a special teams stalwart. But there are compelling cases elsewhere too. Rookie seventh-round pick Ricky White III totaled a combined 2,524 receiving yards over the past two seasons at UNLV and had an astounding four blocked punts last year. Cody White made several big plays in last November’s overtime loss to the Rams. Young is another special teams regular. And as a veteran kick/punt return specialist, Sims would provide some much-needed stability in that phase.

Tight end

• Locks: Elijah Arroyo, AJ Barner
• Other top contenders: Eric Saubert, Nick Kallerup, *Brady Russell/*Robbie Ouzts

In releasing veteran Noah Fant, the Seahawks gave a major vote of confidence to Arroyo and Barner, who have the potential to grow into a formidable one-two punch. Arroyo, a rookie 6-foot-5, 249-pound second-round pick, is a field-stretching weapon who led all FBS tight ends in yards per reception last year at Miami. Barner, meanwhile, is coming off a promising four-touchdown rookie campaign that showed his well-roundedness both as a pass catcher and run blocker.

Given how vital the position is to Kubiak’s scheme, it seems likely Seattle would keep four tight ends. So in that case, there essentially could be three leading contenders for the final two spots: Saubert, Kallerup and whoever doesn’t win the fullback battle between Ouzts and Russell.

Saubert, an eight-year veteran, is a blocking specialist who ranked 19th out of 74 tight ends in PFF run block grading last season with San Francisco. He also has familiarity with Kubiak, having spent the 2022 season in Denver when Kubiak was on the Broncos’ coaching staff. Kallerup has a powerful 6-foot-5, 266-pound frame and was an elite blocker in college at Minnesota, where he posted the second-best run blocking grade among FBS tight ends last season. And Russell served as Seattle’s fourth tight end each of the past two years, in addition to his major contributions on special teams.

Offensive tackles

• Locks: Charles Cross, Abraham Lucas
• Other top contenders: Josh Jones, Michael Jerrell, Mason Richman

Cross looks like a franchise cornerstone at left tackle after taking another step forward last season and posting the ninth-best PFF grade among tackles. Lucas has the potential to be a cornerstone at the other tackle spot, but will need to prove he can stay healthy after a knee injury limited him to just 13 games combined over the past two seasons. After that, Jones adds depth as a veteran swingman and Jerrell looks to continue growing after making three fill-in starts as a rookie last season.

Offensive guards

• Locks: Grey Zabel
• Other top contenders: Anthony Bradford, Christian Haynes, Sataoa Laumea, Bryce Cabeldue

As a first-round pick, Zabel enters his rookie season as the presumptive starter at left guard. On the other side, right guard could provide the most competitive starting battle of any position on the team. Bradford and Haynes are the favorites after taking the bulk of the first-team reps during spring practices. Laumea spent the spring primarily serving as the backup left guard, but with six starts as a rookie last year, he could also make a push at right guard. And don’t count out Cabeldue, a rookie sixth-round pick who could also factor into the mix.

Centers

• Top contenders: Olu Oluwatimi, Jalen Sundell, Federico Maranges

The starting center job figures to be a two-man battle between Oluwatimi and Sundell. Oluwatimi has experience on his side with nine career starts over his first two seasons – including eight starts last year after veteran Connor Williams’ sudden midseason retirement. Oluwatimi played well during that stretch, finishing the season at 19th out of 40 centers in PFF grading. But Sundell has a bit more agility, which could serve him well in Kubiak’s wide-zone blocking scheme. Similar to right guard, this could be a down-to-the-wire competition.

Maranges, an undrafted rookie out of Florida Atlantic, is more of a longshot. But keep in mind, Sundell made Seattle’s 53-man roster last year as an undrafted rookie out of North Dakota State.

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