A key difference so far between Seahawks OC Fleury and predecessor Kubiak

It’s been a rocky start to Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury’s first season as an NFL play-caller.

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Through six games, Seattle ranks 17th in points per drive (2.0) and 25th in EPA per play, according to Sumer Sports. It’s a notable dip from last year’s Super Bowl-winning campaign, when the Seahawks ranked 11th in points per drive (2.3) and 13th in EPA per play under then-offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

From a play-calling perspective, what’s been the biggest difference between Kubiak’s 2025 season and Fleury’s start to 2026?

During an appearance on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, The Athletic Football Show co-host Derrik Klassen pointed to Fleury’s struggles in getting other playmakers involved aside from NFL receiving leader Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Last season, the Seahawks had three players averaging at least 30 receiving yards per game: Smith-Njigba (105.5), Cooper Kupp (37.1) and tight end AJ Barner (30.5). This season, they have one: Smith-Njigba (119.5).

“Last year, when Kubiak needed to find a play that wasn’t to JSN, I think that he had better answers,” Klassen said. “… And I think other than some of the JSN plays, I think we’ve seen Fleury struggle a little bit to find ways to get these auxiliary pieces going.”

However, Klassen acknowledged the challenges Fleury has been facing with Seattle’s injury-depleted running back room.

Last year, Kubiak had a backfield tandem of eventual Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.

This year, Fleury has had to maneuver the past three games with a tandem of Emanuel Wilson and George Holani.

“It would be really hard in my mind for almost any offensive coordinator to have a good run game with the state of the running back room right now,” Klassen said. “Like, I think even Kyle Shanahan, I think that this would be a little bit of a difficult thing to put together.”

Listen to the full Bump and Stacy conversation with The Athletic’s Derrik Klassen at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune into Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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