Analysis: Checking in with each position as Seahawks open 50th camp

SEATTLE – Has it really been 50 NFL seasons since Seahawks fans first got to know Jim Zorn, Steve Largent, Dave Brown and Sherman Smith?
Thus began a love affair that, despite the typical ups and downs associated with longtime fandom of any sports franchise, endures to this day.
While Seahawks fans understandably lament what might have been in seasons such as 2005 and 2014 (and going way back, 1986 and 1987), it’s been a pretty good ride.
The Seahawks have the 14th-best winning percentage among current NFL teams at 51.9% (402-373-1). Compare that to Seattle’s 1976 expansion partner Tampa Bay, which comes in at 32nd and last place at 318-457-1 (41%).
All that matters now is the future as coach Mike Macdonald and the Seahawks begin training camp Wednesday afternoon at the VMAC in Renton, Washington.
Here’s one thought or question on each Seahawks position group as camp opens:
Quarterback
Everyone will need to wait to judge Sam Darnold.
No sport gets covered with intense minute-to-minute glare like the NFL, and the beginning of camp tends to take that to another level.
Interest in Darnold is understandable as he begins his first year with the team and is generally viewed as the team’s biggest question mark. As such, there will be a temptation to make sweeping judgments based on every pass he throws in camp. The reality is no one is going to know until the season begins if the Seahawks are getting the 2024 Darnold (or at least all but the last two games of it) or some iteration of the 2018-23 version.
The goal in camp when it comes to Darnold is to keep him healthy and moving in the right direction as the team implements the offense of new coordinator Klint Kubiak.
Running back
This is a make-or-break season for Kenneth Walker III.
That’s hardly an original thought, as Walker’s status has been one of the big talking points of the offseason. But it’s worth reiterating now that camp is here.
Not much was seen of Walker in the offseason program as he nursed an ankle injury and running backs are often paced in training camp.
The Seahawks need Walker to hit the ground running this season – and Walker needs the same as he enters the final season of his rookie contract and an uncertain future.
Receiver
Tory Horton may be the most intriguing offensive player of camp.
Horton, a fifth-round pick, did little in the offseason program while recovering from surgery to repair an injury suffered last October at Colorado State.
The hope is he’s healthy and ready to start showing if he can be a legitimate contender for snaps in the team’s receiving rotation this season.
There is certainly the opportunity with little set in stone behind the top three of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, though Jake Bobo appears to have a hold on the No. 4 job.
Tight end
Are the Seahawks content with their tight ends?
That’s the big question after Sunday’s salary-related move to release veteran Noah Fant. The top of the depth chart reads AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo and Eric Saubert with only rookie undrafted free agents Nick Kallerup and Marshall Lang behind them, though fullbacks Brady Russell and Robbie Ouzts have tight end experience as well.
How quickly Arroyo progresses could influence if the Seahawks will add anyone at tight end as camp progresses.
Offensive line
Could the Seahawks again go with a rotation at right guard?
Right guard is one of two spots on the offensive line that appears wide open entering camp with Anthony Bradford and Christian Haynes sharing time there in the spring. The other open spot is center, where Olu Oluwatimi appears to have an edge on Jalen Sundell.
Teams don’t typically rotate at center because of the leadership and communication requirements of that spot.
The Seahawks did last year at right guard for much of the season and could consider it again if neither Bradford nor Haynes pulls away.
This is a particularly pivotal camp for Haynes to prove himself after they picked him at 81st overall in 2024.
Defensive line
It’s going to be interesting to see how they deploy Byron Murphy II.
Murphy said recently in a television interview on WFAA in Dallas that he may be used more this season between the guard and tackle instead of over center, which would make more use of his pass-rush skills.
Early camp practices should help show how differently Murphy might be used this season.
Linebacker
Continuity at inside linebacker could be one of the more underrated reasons for optimism for Seahawks.
A year ago, the Seahawks were counting on Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker as their inside linebacker duo. Both were battling lingering injuries and were rarely on the field together during camp.
That seemed to cost the Seahawks dearly as the defense struggled against the run in the first half of the season before they made a sweeping overhaul, getting rid of both players and trading for Ernest Jones IV to play MLB and inserting rookie Tyrice Knight at WLB.
As another camp begins, there is no question mark about who is where, which should allow the defense to be at its best from the first game this year.
Cornerback
Can Devon Witherspoon go from good to great?
Another obvious point is that this needs to be the season Witherspoon becomes known as a truly elite corner.
Witherspoon has been a solid player in his first two years with the Seahawks, ranking eighth in Pro Football Focus’ cornerback ratings the past two seasons.
It was expected they would get a solid player with the fifth overall pick of the 2023 draft.
For the defense to become a truly elite unit, it needs Witherspoon to become even more of a playmaker and make more than the one combined interception he has over the past two years, and Macdonald’s scheme needs to help him.
Witherspoon will be eligible for a contract extension following this season, so he’ll be highly motivated to prove he’s worth a salary at the top of the cornerback wage scale.
Safety
Could three safeties become the primary defensive alignment?
It could if rookie Nick Emmanwori proves a quick study in the third safety role that the team appears to be grooming him for as a rookie.
Using Emmanwori as a “big nickel” regularly and having Witherspoon playing inside – where he might be able to make his biggest impact – will prove a fun challenge of Macdonald’s defensive scheme-making abilities.