+34
Seahawks reporter and analyst Corbin Smith joins The Hawks Eye podcast with rookie minicamp observations, plus his take on upcoming training camp battles.
Seahawks reporter and analyst Corbin Smith joins The Hawks Eye podcast with rookie minicamp observations, plus his take on upcoming training camp battles. The Seattle Seahawks are entering one of the most fascinating seasons this franchise has seen in years.
Coming off a championship season, expectations are obviously sky high, but what makes this offseason so interesting is that Seattle didn’t approach it like a team trying to completely reinvent itself. Instead, this organization doubled down on continuity, internal growth, and building on the foundation Mike Macdonald has established entering Year 3 as head coach. One of the biggest storylines surrounding this roster is the transition at offensive coordinator, with Brian Fleury stepping in to replace Klint Kubiak.
While Fleury takes over play-calling duties for the first time, Seattle made a clear effort to surround him with experienced offensive voices and coaches whose philosophies align with the overall identity the Seahawks want as a football team. The emphasis on complementing the defense, situational football, physicality, and efficiency feels very intentional, and it’ll be interesting to see how that offensive structure evolves moving forward. We’ll also spend time discussing why continuity matters so much for this roster.
Seattle returns a large portion of its starters from last season, particularly on defense, and that familiarity within Macdonald’s system could have a major impact on the overall ceiling of this team. Historically, some of the best defenses in the NFL have taken major jumps in Year 2 and Year 3 under stable coaching staffs, and there’s a real argument that this Seahawks team may still have another level to reach.
Another major focus of the show will be the roster battles that could shape training camp, especially in the secondary. There are legitimate competitions brewing at multiple spots in the defensive back room, and those battles could play a major role in defining Seattle’s defensive identity moving forward.
“I do expect no matter what that Ty Okada is still going to play a lot because Macdonald likes to play three and four safety looks, and there’s going to be times Bud Clark’s playing in the slot,” Smith said. “They’re they’re going to utilize him in that way as well. And so I think you’re going to have plenty of chances to get Ty Okada on the field.
It’s not like he’s going to get relegated to being a bench bump. He is going to play a lot.
“Really the other part of the competition there that I’m curious about is just how many guys can you keep on your roster because they’ve got a bunch of really solid safeties that are behind Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori, Ty Okada, and Bud Clark. You brought back D’Anthony Bell. You’ve got Rodney Thomas, a guy that they love in that building. So, where does he fit in the equation?
They really like AJ Finley, who’s coming out of a torn ACL, is a really good special teams guy. Maxen Hook is one of the returning reserve signings they had that they are high on. You can’t keep them all, though. So, I’m really curious to see how the depth standpoint plays that position as well.
“If Bud Clark’s playing a fair amount in the slot, there’s not going to be the need to play that third corner on the field,” Smith said. “You can have Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe playing on the boundary, but there are going to be times that they want Devon Witherspoon in that slot position because it would it would be malpractice if you don’t use him some in that regard with how dangerous he is there, particularly with his blitzing ability.
“They’re gonna have to have another boundary corner that they can rely on in those cases. Could it be Julian Neal? Sure.
I think the fact that he does have the technician stuff, you know, he’s got the fundamentals and the way they teach things down because he’s been in that system already, a very similar system that was taught to him at Arkansas, but he’s also a guy that really was a one-year starter at the corner position in college. So, I think it might be asking a little much for him to come in that early.
“So you’re looking at players like Nehemiah Pritchett, who had some really good moments last year when he played. He also had some really bad moments. His career has been a roller coaster at this point, but he’s very athletic. He’s now in year three with Mike McDonald.
You got to wonder if he’s a player that’s ready to take that step. And Igbinoghene is a first-round pick that just has never played close to that level. But Mike McDonald believes that he can get him playing at that level. If he can, then that ends up being a steal of free agent signing.
“I think the real X-factor to watch here is the other two rookies, because Andre Fuller—I had a fifth round grade on. I think getting him in the seventh is a tremendous value. And I could almost make the argument and maybe I can make the argument that he might be a little bit more pro ready than what Julian Neal is. Doesn’t have as much upside, but I think he’s got a higher floor at this point.
“If Michael Dansby can learn to play the slot—he hasn’t really done it at the college level, but his athleticism and his size, he is better equipped to play inside. If he could quickly learn to play the slot position with his speed and his quickness and his ball skills, I mean, he’s got really good ball skill numbers the last couple years at Arizona.
If they could get him to play that spot, that could be an end of seventh round guy that ends up hitting and being an impact potential player for you down the line. So, all those rookies for different reasons I’m going to have my eyes on, and I’m going to be looking to see can Noah Igbinoghene prove that he’s worth a roster spot. Just because Seattle signed you in free agency doesn’t mean you’re making this team.
We saw it last year at the receiver position with Valdes-Scantling. ” We’ll also discuss the long-term outlook of Seattle’s championship window, whether this team can statistically improve from last season, and how sustainable this current roster construction truly is in today’s NFL. The Seahawks’ 2026 regular season slate is finally unveiled. We react to all of the news live at 5 pm PT on The Hawks Eye!
The Seahawks defense will have a few new faces to replace outgoing players in 2026. How will that impact Mike Macdonald’s scheme? It’s easier to forecast the top of the board, but CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt is doing a deep dive on the less popular names in the 2026 class. Tacoma News Tribune’s Gregg Bell joined The Hawks Eye podcast and had some interesting nuggets on Seahawks free agency. How wide open is the Seahawks’ Super Bowl window?
Scratch the next story
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Tim Corbin Addresses Pressure Vanderbilt Baseball Feels Heading Into SEC TournamentThe Commodores coach pushed back on one of his players saying there was pressure to extend the regional streak for Corbin.
Read more »
Former Seahawks running back on why he feels like he let Seattle downThe former first-round pick has nothing but love for the Emerald City.
Read more »
Pre-Snap Reads 5/17: 2026 is primed for Derick Hall, Seahawks to thriveDon’t leave your money on the table, Derick!
Read more »
Tim Corbin Looking to Add General-Manager Esque Staff Member To Vanderbilt Baseball ProgramNASHVILLE—Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin is looking to add someone to the Vanderbilt baseball staff in an effort to modernize his program. The job doesn’t appear
Read more »