Howell, O-line still have work to do, but Mike Mac’s defense looks good

Well, August is here and the first preseason game is in the books, which means our three-month break from football is over and it’s time to start paying attention again.

One thing that seems clear is John Schneider and Mike Macdonald have made the Seahawks better over those past three months.

While Macdonald has been building what looks to be a much tighter, more disciplined defense, Schneider’s addition of center Connor Williams answered the last big question on offense. If Williams is healthy and plays like he did in Miami – and if Ryan Grubb can call an NFL game — the offense should be more consistent than it was in 2023.

If that happens, the Hawks could be better than the nine-win team we peg them for. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Instead let’s look at the roster by position after the 16-3 win over the Chargers in the preseason opener.

Quarterback

Sam Howell played most of the first three quarters and looked OK as he hit 16 of 27 passes, including a 13-yard touchdown to Brady Russell. Macdonald said Howell “played really well,” perhaps a nod to taking care of the ball more than to being accurate. But one thing that really stood out is that Howell stared down his main receiver on almost every play, which led to a number of tight-coverage throws being knocked down. Howell is going to have to fix that problem if he is going to have a chance to replace Geno Smith in 2025.

Meanwhile, it is good to hear that Smith has looked great in camp, other than his odd injury absence (how does the untouchable starting QB get hurt in practice?).

Projected keepers: Smith, Howell.

Running back

Kenny McIntosh (a 2023 seventh-rounder) and George Holani (a UDFA out of Boise State) shared most of the carries in this game, and both looked good. Holani scored on an 11-yard run, cutting hard outside and outrunning the defense to the corner, and McIntosh averaged 5 yards on eight rushes. McIntosh has the obvious edge for the third spot, behind Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet; but, if Holani can stand out on special teams, he could stick, too.

Projected keepers: Walker, Charbonnet, McIntosh, Holani.

Wide receiver

Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo were Howell’s starting receivers. JSN, expected by pretty much everyone to break out in 2024, was in long enough to catch a couple of passes. Bobo played a lot longer, but he was the victim of Howell’s staredowns and thus dealt with tight coverage that held him to just one catch. Laviska Shenault Jr. looked solid, both as a return man and receiver, and looked like he should nail down the fifth spot.

Dee Eskridge and Dareke Young are on the bubble. Eskridge did not catch a ball but did gain 22 yards on his one carry. Young caught three passes for a team-best 44 yards. Young would seem to have the edge if Seattle keeps six, especially given Eskridge’s injury history.

Projected keepers: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, JSN, Bobo, Shenault, Young.

Tight end

Brady Russell appears to be a sudden surprise lock to make the roster. He scored the TD and finished with three catches, outperforming fourth-round rookie A.J. Barner. Russell has a lot of value – on special teams and as a possible H-back. The Hawks have the roster space to keep both behind Noah Fant and Pharaoh Brown.

Projected keepers: Fant, Brown, Russell, Barner.

Offensive line

Center was the biggest question mark on the roster, with Olu Oluwatimi and Nick Harris initially locked in a battle to see who would be the least-worst option. So Schneider made what seems like a very good move to sign Connor Williams, a solid veteran center coming off an ACL injury, and then traded Harris to Cleveland for a move up late in the 2026 draft (yeah, he basically cut Harris).

Once he is healthy, Williams should really fortify the middle, giving the Hawks two vets (Laken Tomlinson at LG) inside and very good tackles in Charles Cross and Abe Lucas (or George Fant a great fill-in if Lucas stays on PUP).

Then it comes down to right guard, where third-rounder Christian Haynes figures to eventually supplant 2023 fourth-rounder Anthony Bradford. Haynes had a solid first game.

Macdonald said the line is not where it needs to be yet.

“Our offensive line, to a high degree, is going to drive our football team — and we expect great things out of them,” Macdonald said. “There’s a high standard to play here, offensive line-wise. … I think we need to be more consistent, especially with our targeting in some of the run schemes, and I think we need to give our quarterback some more time in some of those critical pass situations.”

Projected keepers: Charles Cross, Tomlinson, Williams, Haynes, Lucas, Fant, Bradford, Stone Forsythe, McClendon Curtis, Raiqwon O’Neal.

Defensive line/pass rushers

Macdonald apparently has said he has the best stable of pass rushers he has ever coached. The Hawks definitely have a ton of talent, with Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Dre Jones and first-round pick Byron Murphy – plus outside linebackers Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe.

Of course, the performance against the run will be the big test, after Seattle gave up 138 yards per game in 2023.

Earlier this offseason, Macdonald said, “We’re trying to build a wall up the middle. … You don’t want to get gashed up the middle of your defense. You’ve got to have the right guys who can play right there so you can get the job done.’’

Murphy played well vs. the Chargers, creating havoc at times despite double-teams and nearly getting a sack. It looks like he already has the respect of the veterans on the line, who know his talent.

Derick Hall, a non-factor in 2023 after being drafted in the second round, appears as though he has taken a huge step under Macdonald’s staff. He put good pressure on the Chargers, made five tackles and tallied a sack. We’ll see whether that translates into real games in September, but he was very active in a promising 2024 debut.

Darrell Taylor was a dubious re-signing at $3.1 million and missed the first game injured. If Hall continues to step up, Taylor might have a tough time getting on the field over Jones, Mafe, Nwosu and Hall.

Cameron Young is on PUP; if he stays there, Myles Adams might have a clear path to at least a temporary roster spot.

Projected keepers: Williams, Reed, Murphy, Jones, Nwosu, Mafe, Hall, Taylor, Mike Morris, Adams.

Inside linebacker

We got our first look at ex-Buffalo linebacker Tyrel Dodson, who takes over in the middle of the defense. He seems up to the task. Rookie Tyrice Knight, who started with Jerome Baker injured and played pretty much the entire game, also showed he might be more than the developmental guy many thought he would be. Jon Rhattigan made a couple nice plays as well.

Of course, it all comes down to sticking their noses in there when teams start running the ball in real games. So we reserve all judgment on the linebackers (and front seven in general) until Week 1 against Denver (and beyond). Overall, we still see this as a very thin group that could entirely turn over in 2025.

Projected keepers: Dodson, Baker, Knight, Rhattigan.

Cornerback

This is the deepest position on the team, which is surely why Riq Woolen knows he needs to step it up after a poor 2023. He seems to have taken to Macdonald’s coaching; he had a very active preseason debut, looking much more like the 2022 rookie who made the Pro Bowl after hauling in six interceptions.

The unit is led, of course, by burgeoning superstar Devon Witherspoon. The Hawks also have vets Tre Brown, Artie Burns and Michael Jackson and rookie draft picks Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James.

Projected keepers: Witherspoon, Woolen, Brown, Burns, Jackson, Pritchett.

Safety

Signing Julian Love to an extension before camp was a good move by Schneider. That locks in a leader in the back end beyond 2024. Coby Bryant had a pick in Los Angeles, and K’Von Wallace seems like a solid third safety behind Love and Rayshawn Jenkins.

Jerrick Reed will be an interesting case when he comes off PUP. It was curious to see Schneider bring back Marquise Blair – seemingly an effort by Schneider to prove he made a good pick that was just not coached well by Pete Carroll’s guys. Blair seems likely to hit the practice squad in 2024.

Projected keepers: Love, Jenkins, Bryant, Wallace.