4 things we learned from new Seahawks OC Kubiak’s press conference

The Seattle Seahawks held their introductory press conference for new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak on Tuesday morning.

New Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak describes vision for offense

Here are four things that stood out.

Kubiak’s ‘scheme expertise’ a major draw

After parting ways with previous OC Ryan Grubb one day after the season finale, the Seahawks held a nearly three-week search before hiring Kubiak late last month. What ultimately drew them to their new 37-year-old OC?

Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald heaped praise on Kubiak’s “high character,” “humility” and “passion for his players.” And of course, Macdonald focused on Kubiak’s “scheme expertise.”

Kubiak has held two previous OC stints, serving as New Orleans Saints’ OC in 2024 and Minnesota Vikings OC in 2021. He is the son of former Super Bowl-winning head coach Gary Kubiak and has strong ties to the Shanahan coaching tree, which is deeply intertwined with the Kubiak tree. Kubiak’s offenses in New Orleans and Minnesota had strong Shanahan staples, including a rushing attack centered on wide-zone runs.

Kubiak’s dad pinpoints a key role under Seahawks’ new OC

“Klint’s been around this scheme since he probably took his first breath,” Macdonald said. “So he knows it. He knows it cold. … (And) it’s the repetition and time on task. The reads are consistent for the quarterback, the O-line tracks are the same, the running back tracks are the same.”

Macdonald also pointed to Kubiak’s ability to fit his scheme to personnel.

“Klint has a really great vision for where he wants our offense to go,” Macdonald said. “He was very clear with that with the personnel we have on our roster. I definitely believe it aligns with how we want to rock. So just really, really excited.”

Kubiak wants balanced Seattle Seahawks attack

Kubiak acknowledged that he wants the Seahawks’ offensive identity to be running the football. But he also emphasized the importance of having a balanced attack.

“The No. 1 thing is that you better have more than one way to win,” Kubiak said. “We’re going to have an identity. We want to be smart, we want to be tough, we want to be physical. Those are three critical attributes. But it’s important that we can run that football (and) that we’re a successful throwing team.”

“I feel like that’s important, because if you drop back 50 times a game, it’s tough,” he added. “You’ve got to be a balanced team. … And sometimes you’ve got to drop back 50 times to win the game. Sometimes you got to run it 50 times. But when it all comes through, we want to be balanced. We want to be able to win multiple ways.”

Kubiak envisions that balance extending to run game

Outside-zone schemes are the foundation of Kubiak’s Shanahan-inspired offense. But that doesn’t mean Seattle won’t mix in other run schemes as well.

“I think it’s important to establish a way of doing business here,” Kubiak said. “We’re going to start with that being an outside zone (team), but obviously we’re going to incorporate gap schemes, inside zones, pin-and-pull. We’ve gotta do what our players do best.

“So we have a philosophy that we believe in, a style that we believe in, but you’ve gotta be able to win more than one way. So we’ll start with the fundamentals running off the ball and then we’ll get to know our guys. And we better do what they do best, or else we’re not going to like the results.”

Kubiak plans to use a fullback

The Seahawks’ short-yardage struggles this past season left many clamoring for them to add a fullback to their roster. Kubiak said his offense will include a fullback, but said it’s to be determined whether that means signing a fullback or using tight ends in fullback roles.

“I certainly love playing with a fullback,” Kubiak said. “I like being in 21 and 12 personnel. Again, that’s going to come down to the strength of our players and who we have on our roster, and let’s use the best 11 out there. … But I think we’re gonna take a look at all those things. We’re excited about the guys we do have one roster. We’ll play tight ends in the full back position, for sure. But that’s a process right now.”

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• The Seattle Seahawks’ options to tame their salary cap crunch
• Brock Huard: The Seattle Seahawks’ top 2 priorities now
• Lefko: Blueprint for Seattle Seahawks lies in Eagles’ Super Bowl win
• Why Seattle Seahawks should be ‘open-minded’ with OL plans
• Seattle Seahawks Draft: Why Jeremiah projects surprising first-round pick

Related

Brock: Where Seahawks QB Jalen Milroe needs to improveSeahawks on ‘Hard Knocks’: What stood out from episode 3Report: Seahawks work out former Pro Bowl CB Trevon DiggsSeahawks Injury Updates: RB Jadarian Price returns to practiceReports update CB Terrion Arnold’s status with SeahawksStacy: NFL critics keep finding ways to doubt the Seahawks