Jun 11, 2025; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) passes the ball to quarterback Drew Lock (2) during mini-camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Seattle Seahawks offense gets dismal ranking after reboot around Sam Darnold

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 10:00 AM ET

No NFL team made bolder changes to the core of their roster this offseason than the Seattle Seahawks. By trading Geno Smith and DK Metcalf and cutting Tyler Lockett they destroyed what had been their nucleus for the last three seasons - all of which ended with winning records.

It's admittedly the biggest risk any team has taken this year - and there is a chance it would blow up in general manager John Schneider's face. However, the details matter - and they've set the Seahawks up to succeed in the long run in a very meaningful way. Seattle effectively replaced Smith, Metcallf and Lockett with Sam Darnold, Jalen Milroe, Cooper Kupp and Elijah Arroyo and had enough leftover to sign DeMarcus Lawrence. The value of the latter group is superior, no questions.

However, most analysts remain critics of Seattle's offseason and sees a below-average offensive unit on paper heading into the 2025 season. According to a new ranking from Pro Football Network, the Seahawks only have the 20th best offense in the league - but with potential to rise.

"Now, they welcome Sam Darnold and hope that he and Jaxon Smith-Njigba can take this unit to new heights. The depth on offense is questionable (Kupp is their WR2, a role he didn’t look capable of filling for an extended period of time last season), and that has us tepid when projecting Seattle’s future. Yet, the high-end talent is in place, and in a star-driven league, that gives the Seahawks the potential to finish better than the NFL average."

From our perspective there's no doubt that the skill group is better overall than last year and the quarterback room is deeper, younger and more athletic.

Then again, none of that may matter on account of the two elephants in the room that are the giant holes at center and right guard, which the Seahawks inexplicably left unattended. They did get a big upgrade at left guard with rookie Grey Zabel, but that was the only significant addition to a unit that was arguably the worst in the NFL coming into the offseason. Right tackle is also a potential liability - and much depends on Abe Lucas' knee holding together.

If the Seahawks don't do something between now and Week 1 to address the right side of that line, they may be setting themselves up for disaster.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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