Seahawks position group preview: A look at special teams

Sep 7, 2024, 2:11 PM | Updated: 4:39 pm

Seattle Seahawks Jason Myers field goal attempt Tennessee Titans 2023...

Jason Myers of the Seattle Seahawks kicks a field goal during a 2023 game. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

(Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

Every day for the past week and a half, we at Seattle Sports have been previewing each of the Seattle Seahawks’ position groups heading into the 2024 season. Today, we wrap up our previews with a look at special teams.

Seahawks injury report: Two players ruled out for season opener

Here are links to each of our other position group previews: Quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, defensive line, outside linebacker, inside linebacker, cornerback and safety.

Roster breakdown

Kicker: Jason Myers

Punter: Michael Dickson

Long snapper: Chris Stoll

Kick returners: Laviska Shenault Jr., Dee Williams, Kenny McIntosh

Punt returners: Dee Williams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Offseason summary

Who’s in: Seattle signed Laviska Shenault Jr. to a one-year deal in April and signed Dee Williams as an undrafted rookie free agent in May.

Who’s out: DeeJay Dallas, the team’s primary punt and kick returner last year, departed in free agency. Dee Eskridge, who returned eight kickoffs last season, was released last week as part of Seattle’s 53-man roster cutdown.

2024 outlook

The Seahawks look to continue their success on special teams after finishing with the second-best Pro Football Focus special teams grade last season. Veteran punter Michael Dickson, who owns the second-best career average punt yardage in NFL history, gives Seattle a big advantage in the field-position game. Veteran kicker Jason Myers has alternated between up and down years, so given that he’s coming off a below-average 2023, the Seahawks hope that pattern continues. As is the case across the league, there’s great intrigue over how teams will approach the NFL’s revamped kickoff rules. One of the biggest potential byproducts of the new kickoff could be an emphasis on directional kicking, which likely will result in teams placing two returners back deep. Seattle appears to be in good shape in that regard. The Seahawks have a pair of capable kick returners in Laviska Shenault Jr. and Dee Williams, who each sprung a return of 40-plus yards during the preseason. Williams also is set to be the team’s primary punt returner after setting a school record at Tennessee for career average punt return yardage.

K Jason Myers | 5-10, 190 | Age: 33 | 10th year

Myers has converted 86.4% of his field-goal attempts over his five seasons with the Seahawks, which ranks 12th out of 29 kickers with at least 100 attempts over that span. During his time in Seattle, Myers’ performance has alternated between up and down years. After hitting a below-average 82.1% of his field goals in 2019, he was a perfect 24 of 24 in 2020. Then after dropping down to just 73.9% in 2021, he rebounded by making 91.9% of his field goals in a stellar 2022 campaign. Keeping with the trend, he fell back to 83.3% last season. The Seahawks hope the pattern continues with another bounceback this fall.

P Michael Dickson | 6-2, 208 | Age: 28 | 7th year

Dickson has had a brilliant six seasons with Seattle, sporting a career average of 48.0 yards per punt that ranks second in NFL history. The Australian native led the NFL in both 2020 and 2021 with the most punts downed inside the 20-yard line. And last year, he set a single-season franchise record by averaging 50.0 yards per punt.

LS Chris Stoll | 6-2, 255 | Age: 26 | 2nd year

Stoll is entering his second season as the Seahawks’ long snapper. During his 2022 season at Penn State, he received the Patrick Mannelly Award, given annually to the top long snapper in college football.

Laviska Shenault Jr. | 6-1, 224 | Age: 25 | 5th year

Shenault, a uniquely versatile player who figures to be Seattle’s No. 5 wide receiver, is listed as the top kick returner on the Seahawks’ public depth chart. Shenault shined on special teams this preseason with a 44-yard kickoff return and a key block on teammate Dee Williams’ 41-yard kickoff return. During his past two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Shenault returned nine kicks for an average of 27.7 yards per return.

Dee Williams | 5-10, 190 | Age: 24 | 1st year

Williams, an undrafted rookie out of Tennessee, is a return specialist. He currently is listed as the No. 1 punt returner and No. 2 kick returner on the depth chart. During his two-year college career at Tennessee, Williams averaged a school-record 15.4 yards per punt return and 21.1 yards per kickoff return. He returned four kickoffs for 123 yards this preseason, including a long of 41 yards. He also returned three punts for 19 yards. Williams also is listed as a cornerback. After playing both wide receiver and cornerback in college, he began training camp at receiver before switching to the defensive side.

Kenny McIntosh | 6-0, 204 | Age: 24 | 2nd year

McIntosh, the Seahawks’ No. 3 running back, is listed as the third kick returner on the depth chart behind Shenault and Williams. During his college career at Georgia, McIntosh returned 14 kicks for an average of 26.8 yards per return.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 6-0, 197 | Age: 22 | 2nd year

Smith-Njigba, a 2023 first-round pick who looks primed for a second-year breakout at wide receiver, is listed as the team’s No. 2 punt returner. He returned 11 punts during his college career at Ohio State.