The Seahawks underwent an offensive makeover in one offseason -- is it working?

"It was midway through an organized team activity in early June, and the Seattle Seahawks' defense -- which had returned almost every key player from a top 10 unit in 2024 -- was taking it to their overhauled offense. Seattle had hired Kubiak to replace Ryan Grubb as the offensive coordinator, signed Darnold in free agency after trading Geno Smith and then turned over roughly half of the starting lineup around him. And on this day, the offense looked like it was starting over."

""Sam Darnold," Kubiak told his quarterback, "your group is the sh--s right now." Fast-forward two and a half months later, during a training camp practice in mid-August. Kubiak's offense had been making noticeable strides, and in a red zone period, it couldn't be stopped -- a stark difference from that June OTA. Darnold fired one touchdown pass after another, with two in quick succession to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and free agent addition Cooper Kupp."

"This was what Mike Macdonald had hoped to see when he and general manager John Schneider hit the reset button on an offense that ranked 20th in points per game in 2024. But at this moment, the head coach was wearing his defensive coordinator hat, and he had seen enough. "We are officially getting shredded," Macdonald exclaimed to the defense, his voice heightening in a frustrated tone."

Sam Darnold and a revamped Seattle offense struggled during early offseason work while the defense, largely intact from a top-10 2024 unit, dominated those sessions. The Seahawks replaced Ryan Grubb with Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator, traded Geno Smith, signed Darnold in free agency and changed roughly half of the starting lineup. Kubiak publicly criticized the group's play in June, but by mid-August training camp the offense produced red-zone success, with Darnold connecting on touchdowns to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp. Head coach Mike Macdonald expressed frustration when the defense was repeatedly beaten in practice. The retooled offense opened the season with a 17-13 loss to San Francisco.

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