5 things we learned from Seahawks preseason opener

In recent years, the best part about preseason football has been when it’s over and the real games begin.

For fans of the 2024 Seahawks, however, the preseason opener — a 16-3 road victory over the Los Angeles Chargers — came with some intrigue. Though many believe Mike Macdonald has the potential to be a fantastic NFL head coach, no one can be sure until we’ve seen him running the show for at least a few weeks.

This wasn’t a final exam, a midterm, or even a big test. But he deserves an A grade on the first-week quiz.

The coordinators also bring questions. Sure, Ryan Grubb did some great work as offensive coordinator for the Washington Huskies, but can he make a successful jump to the NFL? Aden Durde, a rare NFL coach with a British accent, is also a first-time NFL defensive coordinator.

So, the biggest question is: Are these guys any good?

Answer: Probably. But, let’s wait to fully decide this until after Week 6. By then, Seattle will have played tough tests against Miami, Detroit and San Francisco as part of its 17-game schedule.

Though we don’t know everything yet, here are a five things we learned.

Not all defensive head coaches are the same: There will be a lot less gum chewed on the Seahawks sideline this season. Pete Carroll was not always your typical NFL football coach. He may have led the league in jaw movements, steps and smiles during games, and was beloved by most players and fans during the majority of his time as the Seahawks coach. Macdonald showed a more stoic personality, and he may be a little less supportive when a player makes a mental mistake. Though both are defensive coaches, their personalities and schemes are significantly different. It will be interesting to watch Macdonald evolve as a head coach. It appeared that it was important to him to win his first game with the Seahawks.

The defense looks strong: Look, Easton Stick started at quarterback for the Chargers, and there will likely be no need for him to ever prepare a Hall of Fame acceptance speech. Meanwhile the bulk of Seattle’s expected starters played on Saturday, though they mostly ran the base defense. The Chargers managed just 21 yards on their first six drives, however. Five possessions ended in punts, and Seahawks defensive back Coby Bryant ended the other by intercepting a Stick pass. That’s a dominant start, no matter the stakes or the names on the jerseys.

Murphy is a problem: A good problem, if you’re a Seahawks fan. Byron Murphy, Seattle’s first-round draft pick this year, made just one tackle, but stuffing L.A. running back Isaiah Spiller for a 1-yard loss may have been a glimpse of things to come. The athletic defensive lineman could be a star as his snaps increase and Macdonald and Durde find creative ways for Murphy to disrupt offenses. As often happened during his career at Texas, he just missed an opportunity for a sack on Saturday. Can the defensive staff help him learn to finish?

Kickers will need to tackle: Each team’s kicker made a defensive stop in the game. The new kickoff looks very different, and there’s not enough room in this article to explain it. There will be more returns this year, and the kickers are going to have to get physical at times. Somewhere, sometime this season, someone will say something along the lines of, “The team would have lost if not for the kicker’s tackling ability.”

Smith is the guy, but Howell is a guy: It’s unlikely that Sam Howell will take meaningful snaps this season if starting quarterback Geno Smith stays healthy, but he showed on Saturday he can run an offense. As the Washington Commanders’ starter last season, the 2022 fifth-round pick was asked to carry the offense. He led the NFL in passing attempts and interceptions while the Commanders finished 4-13. Washington then used its first-round pick to draft Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels No. 2 overall. Howell played behind an offensive line missing 2-3 starters, and the Seahawks top two receivers didn’t play Saturday. He showed some decent decision making, and wasn’t asked to do too much while the defense dominated. We’ll learn a lot more about the offense when the starters all see the field at the same time. That may not happen until the outcomes truly matter.