In the wake of a quicker-than-expected Super Bowl victory, it’s easy to forget that Mike Macdonald has been coach of the Seahawks for only two years. And apparently it’s easy for a lot of people around the NFL to wave him and his team off as a “lightning in a bottle” champion — never mind that Macdonald has almost his entire roster back and is still building the best version of his team as he begins Year 3.

People like Bucky Brooks who cannot see that Macdonald has the foundation of a possible dynasty in his hands are just not very smart (a 7-10 season? Come on, dude). Macdonald’s team is still ascending.

As the players reported Friday, Ernest Jones IV confirmed that when he said, “I’m super excited … (about) how much better of a team we are now than we were at this time last year.”

The roster is already so set that we count, at most, seven open spots. Three probably will go to backup offensive linemen, one to a fourth cornerback. The last spots will be special-teams roles that could rotate as the season goes on.

The biggest stories as the team starts camp are Devon Witherspoon’s contract and Nick Emmanwori’s health. When will the Pro Bowl corner agree on a big new contract and when will the “super athletic SAM” (as Macdonald has called Emmanwori) return from ankle surgery?

When preseason games arrive in August, we will be looking at top rookies Jadarian Price, Bud Clark and Julian Neal; the O-line competition; the receiver position (will they keep six?); and Brian Fleury’s progress as offensive coordinator.

In June, Macdonald made it clear the offense under Fleury is not new. He called it “this year’s version of last year’s offense.” Fleury has brought new ideas and “things we can move and shift,” but Macdonald obviously wants continuity for Sam Darnold and company.

Matt Hasselbeck has met Fleury and recently told Seattle Sports 710, “I think he’s ready for the moment.” We shall begin to see in preseason.

After the June minicamp, Macdonald said he felt like he and his staff have grown in “giving (players) the tools going into the summer and me setting the expectation for training camp so we can hit the ground running.”

As they prepare to hit the ground and run it forward into another potential Super Bowl season, here’s our look at the roster and the camp stories at each position.

Quarterback

Locks: Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe.

Camp stories: With Klint Kubiak gone, Darnold is working with a new OC for the ninth time in his nine NFL seasons — which must be some kind of record. Macdonald made it as easy as possible though, bringing Fleury from the 49ers, who run a similar offense. Darnold should make Fleury’s first foray into playcalling pretty smooth. … Otherwise, the story at QB is simply seeing whether Milroe can get good enough that he might supplant Lock as No. 2 next year. We do not see that happening this year, but this is a big camp for Milroe to show he has what it takes to be an NFL passer. Some think he might be a trade token if he shows well, but the 2027 draft is expected to be very strong at QB so teams might not want to surrender picks for project quarterbacks this summer.

Running back

Locks: Jadarian Price, George Holani, Emanuel Wilson, Robbie Ouzts.

PUP: Zach Charbonnet, Kenny McIntosh.

Camp stories: Price, the team’s first-round pick, is the one to watch. He should become the starter, if not in Week 1 then not long after. We could see Price getting at least 50% of the snaps, Wilson being the short-yardage guy and Holani being the third-down back. … Ouzts played in 12 games as a rookie, in for 27% of snaps. Macdonald hinted at an expanded role for him, using him more often as a blocking tight end. … As for the PUPs, Charbonnet is not expected back until midseason. McIntosh’s fate is uncertain — possibly bound for the practice squad once healthy.

Wide receiver

Locks: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed, Jake Bobo, Tory Horton.

Competing: Irv Charles, Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Ricky White III, Cody White.

Camp stories: Shaheed needs to keep building synergy with Darnold, and Horton needs to prove he can be healthy. Even though the Hawks matched an offer sheet to Bobo, he still might not be more than a special teams guy (45% snaps in 2025) and a meme (#MoreBobo). … If the Hawks keep a sixth receiver, it will be for special teams (basically replacing Dareke Young). That’s why they drafted Henderson and traded for Charles. Both could end up on the “ready” squad though and alternate being brought up for the first six weeks before a real roster move must be made to use one of them.

Tight end

Locks: AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo, Eric Saubert, Brady Russell.

Camp stories: Arroyo, a little-used second-rounder in 2025, needs to show that Schneider did not burn that pick. He must elevate his game and add to the big-play ability of the offense. Macdonald has called him out specifically as a young guy who is expected to show a lot more this year. … Barner was the No. 2 pass catcher on the team in 2025 (along with going 9 for 10 on the Barn Yard) and should remain a key factor on offense as he tries to increase his value for an extension in 2027.

Offensive line

Locks: Charles Cross, Grey Zabel, Jalen Sundell, Anthony Bradford, Abraham Lucas, Olu Oluwatimi, Beau Stephens.

Competing: Josh Jones, Bobby Hart, Christian Haynes, Mason Richman, Bryce Cabeldue, Amari Kight.

Camp stories: The Hawks return their starting five for the first time in John Schneider’s 16 years as GM – which is a crazy stat, frankly. The unit is being ranked as high as ninth in the NFL, as low as 15^th. … The only starting spot possibly in question is, of course, right guard. Can the rookie Stephens push the inconsistent Bradford? … At swing tackle, if Jones does not show up ready to go, he could end up losing his spot to Hart, who was signed when Macdonald was not pleased that Jones still was not practicing during OTAs. … If Haynes or Richman can prove capable of doubling as the No. 2 center, Olu might end up traded during preseason. Otherwise, Haynes, Richman and Cabeldue likely are battling for the last spot or two.

Defensive line

Locks: Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, Jarran Reed, Rylie Mills.

Competing: Mike Morris, Brandon Pili.

Camp stories: There seems little competition among this group, barring a trade that upgrades over Morris or Pili. Morris is mostly a ST guy, playing 77% of snaps on Jay Harbaugh’s units in 2025 (just 15% on defense). Pili started on the practice squad but ended up on the regular roster and played in a career-high 13 games, getting 18% of the defensive snaps. … Mills is 100% healthy this year, and all eyes will be on Aden Durde’s draft favorite to see whether he can sustain his Super Bowl performance across a full season.

Edge rusher

Locks: Uchenna Nwosu, DeMarcus Lawrence, Derick Hall, Dante Fowler Jr.

Competing: Jared Ivey, Connor O’Toole, Jamie Sheriff.

Camp stories: Fowler replaces Boye Mafe among the top four, so there should be no falloff there. … Ivey is a favorite pick to make the roster this time. The 6-6, 274-pounder played in just two games as an undrafted rookie in 2025, but there is a buzz about him entering this camp. If he can excel on special teams, he could make it. … It would be no surprise at all to see Schneider pull off a trade to upgrade this group. Among the names floating on the trade winds are Kayvon Thibodeaux (Giants), Alex Highsmith (Steelers) and Will McDonald IV (Jets). Fans should be on trade watch through the Nov. 10 deadline.

Linebacker

Locks: Ernest Jones IV, Drake Thomas, Tyrice Knight, Chazz Surratt.

Camp stories: This position seems pretty set. Thomas beat out Knight last year to become the starter alongside Jones, one of this team’s great leaders. Thomas earned a two-year contract after an unexpectedly excellent season. Knight had his moments as well, particularly the two almost identical sack-fumbles that Lawrence turned into touchdowns in a 44-22 win against Arizona. Knight played in 29% of defensive snaps (37% of ST) vs. Thomas’ 68% (33% ST). Can Knight push Thomas to regain playing time? … Surratt came over from the Jets in 2025 and became a core special-teamer (60% of snaps) before being lost for the season with an ankle injury in Week 11 at Tennessee. He’s a big part of Harbaugh’s units.

Cornerback

Locks: Devon Witherspoon, Josh Jobe, Julian Neal.

Competing: Nehemiah Pritchett, Noah Igbinoghene, Andre Fuller, Michael Dansby.

Camp stories: Witherspoon is expected to sign a top-end contract soon. … Neal should be a lock as a third-round pick, but will he win the No. 3 corner spot? He will have to beat out Pritchett and Iggy, a former first-rounder the Hawks have wanted for a couple years. Pritchett has more experience on special teams (in on 56% of those plays in 2025), so Iggy likely needs to win the third corner spot to stick.

Safety

Locks: Julian Love, Nick Emmanwori, Ty Okada, Bud Clark.

Competing: Rodney Thomas II, D’Anthony Bell, AJ Finley.

Camp stories: Emmanwori’s health bears watching after he reportedly had arthroscopic ankle surgery this month (he was put on PUP). Reports indicate he should be ready for the Sept. 9 opener vs. the Patriots. … Clark’s development is the next biggest thing to watch. How quickly will the second-rounder learn the defense to the point where he can maximize his versatility, like Emmanwori did as a rookie? Macdonald is very curious to see the answer to that because it might determine how much better this defense can be. … Thomas, who signed from the Colts, likely will push Bell for a special-teams role. Thomas played 61% of the ST snaps for the Colts last season. They also could end up on the “ready” squad for weekly call-ups – as Bell was to begin 2025.

Special teams

Locks: Michael Dickson, Jason Myers, Chris Stoll.

Camp stories: This trio is coming off probably its best season together, and it would not be a surprise if Myers (in the last year of his contract) were extended ahead of the season.