An infusion of young talent. A new defensive scheme. Midseason defensive personnel changes. An offensive coaching staff shakeup. And of course, the blockbuster Geno Smith and DK Metcalf trades.<\/p>\n
From a big-picture perspective, how is the roster and team-building approach coming along on each side of the ball? And what are reasonable expectations for the 2025 season?<\/p>\n
NFL Network\u2019s Gregg Rosenthal<\/a> was posed those questions during an appearance last week on Seattle Sports\u2019 Bump and Stacy.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2018High expectations\u2019 on defense<\/p>\n The Seahawks\u2019 defense is on the rise.<\/p>\n After some initial growing pains last year, the unit underwent a dramatic midseason turnaround<\/a>. Spurred by a midseason trade for linebacker Ernest Jones IV \u2013 along with other personnel changes, a return to health from several key players and a growing sense of trust in Macdonald\u2019s cutting-edge scheme \u2013 the Seahawks\u2019 defense evolved into one of the league\u2019s best units over the final nine weeks.<\/p>\n Between Weeks 10 and 18, Seattle ranked fifth in scoring defense (18.4 points per game), tied for third in actual scoring defense (17.5 points per game, excluding opponents\u2019 non-offensive scores), fifth in defensive EPA and fourth in total defense (304.8 yards per game).<\/p>\n The Seahawks then returned every defensive starter from the second half of last season. They also added four-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence<\/a> in free agency and ultra-versatile safety Nick Emmanwori<\/a> in the second round of the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the approach on defense is obvious,\u201d Rosenthal said. \u201cIt\u2019s clear. It\u2019s deep. It\u2019s flexible. You saw the vision of it down the stretch last year. And that\u2019s the thing that makes me the most excited about the Seahawks this year.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have a baseline of going into a second year with a really creative, good defensive coach and a good defensive roster that you can have high expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019ll see\u2019 on offense<\/p>\n It\u2019s a much different story on offense.<\/p>\n After a disappointing 2024 campaign, the Seahawks hit the reset button. They let go of offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and replaced him with Klint Kubiak. They brought in longtime NFL assistants John Benton and Rick Dennison.<\/p>\n And in a pair of blockbuster moves, Seattle traded away Smith and Metcalf.<\/p>\n The Seahawks replaced them with quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.<\/p>\n And they hammered the offense hard in the NFL Draft, spending nine of their 11 picks on that side of the ball. Among their additions were guard Grey Zabel<\/a> in the first round, tight end Elijah Arroyo<\/a> in the second round and wide receiver Tory Horton<\/a> in the fifth round.<\/p>\n Seattle will have at least four new starters on offense, along with a brand-new system.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of new talent trying to cohere together,\u201d Rosenthal said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s where, even though I like the draft plenty, I think it\u2019s fair to wonder, how is this going to go?<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the outside, it\u2019s not pure optimism, because you are asking a lot of people that were not on the Seahawks last year to come together and make a cohesive group. So we\u2019ll see on that front.\u201d<\/p>\n Listen to the full conversation with NFL Network\u2019s Gregg Rosenthal at this link<\/a> or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.<\/p>\n Seattle Seahawks news and analysis<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0How Seattle Seahawks rookie QB Jalen Milroe aims to improve as a passer<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Rost: Wait \u2013 why are Seattle Seahawks longshots to win NFC West?<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0How Brock envisions Seattle Seahawks using the ultra-versatile Emmanwori<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Bump: A position the Seattle Seahawks still need to address<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Daniel Jeremiah: Why the Seattle Seahawks got two late-round steals<\/a><\/p>\n
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