The telling signs to focus on in Seahawks’ season opener

Sep 3, 2024, 4:57 PM | Updated: 5:09 pm

Seattle Seahawks Byron Murphy II preseason finale Cleveland Browns...

Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II in action during a 2024 preseason game. (Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)

(Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Seahawks officially kick off the Mike Macdonald era on Sunday, when they host the Denver Broncos in their much-anticipated regular-season opener.

Seahawks Preview: Outside linebackers look to wreak havoc in Macdonald’s scheme

It’s only one game, but it will provide the first real look at the Seahawks under their new head coach.

How will fans know the team is moving in the right direction on Sunday? Former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus and Stacy Rost posed that question to each other during Tuesday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

What to watch on defense

Bumpus and Stacy both started with the defensive side of the ball.

That’s the side that struggled the most in recent years – including last season, when the Seahawks ranked 24th in points allowed, 23rd in net yards allowed per pass attempt and 27th in yards allowed per carry. And that’s the side that figures to benefit most from Macdonald’s arrival, given his reputation as a defensive guru and the cutting-edge scheme he ran while directing the Baltimore Ravens’ league-best defense.

“We gotta start with the defense, right?” Bumpus said. “We gotta look at that box and feel like the big boys in the middle are getting the push, the guys that are responsible for the edge have contain and are getting after the quarterback, and the linebackers are where they’re supposed to be – they’re wrapping guys up and driving them to the turf. It has to look so fundamentally sound on defense.

“Plays will be made. (Denver quarterback) Bo Nix is going to make a throw. Receivers will make catches. … But you should feel like someone’s in position to make a play every single play.”

Rost shared a similar sentiment, saying she wanted to see better tackling and improved communication. Seattle received the second-worst Pro Football Focus tackling grade last season and struggled with communication breakdowns toward the latter part of legendary head coach Pete Carroll’s 14-year run. Though it can be difficult to glean much from the preseason, Rost believes Seattle already looks better in both areas.

“So far, what’s felt different is some sure tackling and just a little more discipline and seemingly better communication,” Rost said. “… I won’t be looking at very specific numbers. It’s OK to have a slow start, but I’m going to be looking at other little tells: Does communication look solid? Are guys putting in a lot of effort and looking like they have the fundamentals down? Because it felt like that was missing by the end of Carroll’s tenure.”

What to watch on offense

On offense, Rost said she will be focusing on how new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb utilizes Seattle’s array of skill-position talent.

The Seahawks have potentially one of the league’s best wide receiver trios in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. They have two young, talented running backs in Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. They have big-play potential at tight end with Noah Fant. And they have a veteran quarterback in Geno Smith who has had extended stretches of elite play over the past two seasons.

“One of the things that I’ve lamented about this offense is it feels like they have more weapons than they use,” Rost said. “And you’ve talked about it before – it feels like they have weapons that they don’t take advantage of, because, very specifically, they don’t build on concepts that they roll out. I’d love to see some of that.

“What I’d love to see is utilizing guys in ways where, after a game, we aren’t going, ‘Why don’t you use JSN more on third down? Why are you doing this?’ Like, I don’t want any more of those conversations. And will it happen? Absolutely. That’s just the nature of football. … But it feels like they have more weapons than people outside of Seattle even realize.”

In particular, Bumpus said he wants to see more creative play-calling inside the red zone. The Seahawks struggled in the red zone last year, ranking 26th in red-zone touchdown percentage.

“I just want to see versatility inside the 10,” Bumpus said. “Sometimes it’s simple: Get downhill, run a zone, run a power, get your first down, score, touchdown, you’re good to go. But there are gonna be times when you get stuffed and the offensive line isn’t getting the push that you need in that situation. All right. What’s your counter? Can you be creative there?”

Bumpus also said he wants to see more downfield passing, which figures to be a strength in Seattle’s offense. Smith is statistically one of the best deep-ball passers in the league, he has a trio of talented receivers to target and Grubb excelled while running a high-octane passing attack the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator of the UW Huskies.

“I just want to see Geno push that ball down the field,” Bumpus said. “You got (Metcalf), you got (Smith-Njigba) and (Lockett), who can all get down the field. … So, how are you going to utilize those guys?”

However, as Bumpus pointed out, the offense’s success ultimately hinges up front. The offensive line has long been an issue for Seattle, and though there are reasons to believe the unit can make strides this fall, it remains likely the team’s biggest question mark.

“There are so many ways I think this team can be explosive,” Bumpus said. “I think they can run the football, I think they can utilize the tight ends, I think that they have one of the best (wide receiver) trios in the game and a quarterback that’s better than what people are giving him credit for. The real question with the offense is just the offensive line, right? … (It) comes down to them.”

Listen to the full conversation at this link 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.