Turf Show Times
The Seattle Seahawks represent the biggest challenge to the Rams in their quest for the NFC West title. Both teams have made significant changes to their coaching staffs and on-field personnel, with the Rams addressing their biggest weakness by acquiring Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson from the Chiefs. Trading for Myles Garrett will have Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald wracking his brains trying to scheme around the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
The Seahawks, on the other hand, did very little to upgrade their offense or defense.
Significant free agency departures from the Seattle Seahawks in 2026 include running back Kenneth Walker (Kansas City Chiefs), cornerback Riq Woolen (Philadelphia Eagles), safety Coby Bryant (Chicago Bears), and outside linebacker Boye Mafe (Cincinnati Bengals).
I’m not sure what was behind the Seahawks’ decision to let Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker leave, but they drafted a pretty nice prospect in Jadarian Price. Prospect is the keyword there; hoping to replace a very good running back with a rookie is always a gamble.
They also drafted a pretty good CB, Julian Neal, to replace Riq Woolen, and signed Dante Fowler to replace rising star Boye Mafe. To be fair, the Hawks are pretty deep at linebacker, and Mafe’s snap counts were shrinking year over year due to the rotations utilized by Coach MacDonald, but Fowler is going to be a situational piece and doesn’t have Mafe’s upside.
Seattle also added two others, Irvin Charles and Bobby Hart. Charles is a special teams ace, while Hart can best be described as a journeyman lineman. I can’t see either of these players making much of an impact on the team’s overall performance.
Seahawks’ offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak departed after being hired as the next head coach of the Raiders. Quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko followed Kubiak to Las Vegas to become its offensive coordinator, and run game coordinator Rick Dennison left to become their offensive line coach. Brian Fleury, previously the 49ers’ run game coordinator and tight ends coach, was hired as Kubiak’s replacement.
Kubiak came up with a great scheme in the NFC Championship Game, moving Jaxon Smith-Njigba all over the field and leaving the Rams completely confused at times, while Kenneth Walker delivered the game of his career. He will be sorely missed by Hawks fans.
While coaching changes happen frequently in the NFL, take the Rams, for example, this wholesale turnaround is notable for the fact that the biggest surprise in Seattle’s improvement last season was Sam Darnold’s play. Taking away his quarterbacks coach, run game coordinator, and Kubiak all at once could lead to a pretty serious slide in production.
In the three games against Seattle last year, the Rams had the upper hand offensively, but their defensive backs and special teams let them down. In the first game, they were up by nine late in the fourth and barely hung on for the win. In...
