Not all false starts come with a five-yard penalty. Some can cost you your job. First-time head coaches who fail to hire the right staff in year one or build the culture and identity that reflects their vision run the risk of not seeing a year two. Mike Macdonald won 10 games in his first year in Seattle, but the product on the field did not reflect the style of play he wanted. His defense struggled to stop the run. His offense eschewed the run game altogether. The youngest head coach in the NFL (at the time) could have tried to run it back. Instead, he fired his offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, after just one season while making wholesale changes in personnel. The early results are promising. Macdonald has not only led the team to a 5-2 start, but has done so with an emerging identity that could take them much further.
Mission and Vision
Walk into any boardroom in Corporate America or any early team meeting of a sports team, and you are going to hear someone talking about the importance of mission, vision, and alignment.
“That’s what every team talks about in training camp,” said Seahawks wide receiver, Cooper Kupp. “How are we going to establish what we’re about? What’s our identity? I think it’s really hard because you’re not playing the games. You need to play the games. You have this idea of what you’re going to be, but there also has to be a willingness to adapt and move within that.”
Macdonald was persistent about the vision he had for the team, even if the first season was a detour in some aspects. He used the offseason to create a more shared understanding of where they were versus where they needed to go. A key moment happened in Mobile, Alabama.
One benefit of an unhappy early end to the 2024 season was the space it created for Macdonald to travel with President of Football Operations & General Manager, John Schneider, to the Senior Bowl. He was able to meet with prospects and watch them practice, but most importantly, he was able to spend that time with the personnel department.
Macdonald surprised the scouts by walking them through a position-by-position review of the current roster. He shared where he saw strength, and where he saw a need to improve. He opened by expressing enthusiasm for the opportunity in front of them.
“I love this shit,” Macdonald said. “This is an opportunity to become the team we want to be.”
The scouting department appreciated the honesty and humility he demonstrated by not only calling out personnel improvements that were needed, but better coaching as well. In this small town, at a small school, thousands of miles from team headquarters, Macdonald took the first step toward building a much different second season.
“That was awesome,” said director of college scouting Aaron Hineline. “It was real. Anytime you have that level of communication and honesty, you know where you stand. And our players are getting that too. I thought that was great. It was unfiltered, it was refreshing, because there’s not too many times that that happens.”
It was on that same field that Macdonald and Schneider watched the player who would become their first pick in the draft, Grey Zabel, dominate every pass rusher who challenged him, from nearly every position on the offensive line.
One small trip to Mobile, Alabama. One large leap for Seahawk-kind. Macdonald did not rest there.
During an era when coaches like Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan skip the NFL Scouting Combine, Macdonald and members of his coaching staff attended for the week. He sat in on all the visits with prospects. He watched players go through drills. His new quarterbacks coach, Andrew Janocko, worked out the QBs on the field. It was there that Macdonald first met the player who he pushed hard to take with what became their second selection, Nick Emmanwori.
The 21-year-old manchild stood 6’3″ and weighed 220 pounds. He had grown up playing cornerback before “outgrowing” the position and being moved to safety. He put on a show during the workouts, touching the sky with a 43″ vertical, bounding over 11 feet in the broad jump, and then impossibly registering a 4.38 40-yard-dash to cement what would become the new relative athletic standard for the safety position, ranking 1st of 1,086 players who had tested since 1987.
Many draft analysts questioned whether Emmanwori could play safety in the NFL. There were some who had a 3rd round grade on him despite his overwhelming athleticism and All-American recognition for play on the field. Macdonald had a vision for how he could unlock things for his defense. Schneider and Macdonald considered taking him with their first-round pick, but were thrilled to wind up with two players they considered first-round talents on either side of the ball.
Crisis Becomes Opportunity
Free agency was a little more complicated. Macdonald and Schneider had every intention to bring back Geno Smith and D.K. Metcalf. Both were due new deals. Both were tone setters in the locker room and on the field, though that tone was not always aligned with where Macdonald was leading. Both decided they would rather play elsewhere.
What could have been a crisis, may have been good fortune. Instead of bringing back two prominent players who clearly were not bought in to the new direction Macdonald represented, the slate was wiped clean. Each were traded for draft picks.
The knock-on effects were significant. All the money that had been earmarked to their sizable contract requirements was now available to be spent elsewhere. Some was spent on new quarterback, Sam Darnold. Darnold was almost a decade younger than Smith, less expensive, and was excited to be a part of the team. Cooper Kupp, a native of Washington and renowned standard setter with his work ethic, stepped into the wide receiver room. DeMarcus Lawrence was contemplating retirement, but was convinced to rejoin defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who he knew from their days together in Dallas. Lawrence had slowed as a pass rusher, but was still a dominating run defender and like Kupp, was known to be a tremendous worker and leader.
The pick acquired in the Metcalf trade was used as part of a package to move up for Emmanwori. The pick acquired for Smith was used on QB Jalen Milroe, who was taken to develop behind Darnold. The extra picks may have also played a role in Schneider feeling comfortable taking Zabel in the first round, knowing he had the ammunition to move around the draft board on the second day of the draft.
Seattle had become younger and cheaper at quarterback, while marrying a historically athletic rookie class with some thoughtful veteran additions. The players getting paid the most all wanted to be here and were exemplary workers and leaders. Now it was up to Macdonald to mold this group into one capable of kicking down the door to the playoffs and winning their first playoff game since 2019.
Forging the New Culture
On the advice of Schneider, the Seahawks coach reached out to performance psychologist, Dr. Michael Gervais, who was a key figure in the early days of the Pete Carroll era in Seattle. He worked with coaches and players to help maximize their careers. Macdonald wanted help reaching the team, and opened himself up to having his team meetings recorded and reviewed by Gervais and his team for feedback.
“As a head coach, where do I fall short,” Macdonald said on a podcast with former Seahawk Richard Sherman. “Well, I can be better in these areas, you know, like streamlining the message, taking more ownership of the team, being better in the team meetings, connecting the building better, having better relationships with our players. All those things were a priority.”
Asking your players to grow and be their best hits differently when the head coach is asking the same of himself. Macdonald knew the message had to be amplified by more than just his voice. Players needed to be the standard bearers. They had to understand and care about the vision enough to hold each other accountable. This was not about individual position groups. The goal was to create a locker room where everyone felt comfortable approaching each other. Macdonald set out to build mechanisms to help foster that connection .
Players were asked to share their “why” in front of their teammates, explaining why they pursue this violent and short-lived career beyond the money.
“I think something that’s been cool and part of growing the connection has been having guys go up and explain why they love football and why they show up every day,” Leonard Williams said during minicamp in June. “They put up pictures of their family and pictures of them when they were young.”
Williams went on to explain how that helped beyond team meetings.
“Obviously, going through camp is going to be hard. Everyone has tough days,” Williams said. “And now if I see someone having a hard or tough day, I understand that guy a little deeper now, on a human level, and I know his ‘why’ now, and how to talk to him and push him a little better.”
Williams was one of the only players to share his why outside of the meetings.
“Football has given me everything,” Williams explained. “I grew up homeless at times, in and out of hotels, motels, and an unstable lifestyle as a young kid. When I found football, it gave me stability and good male role models, and kind of distracted me from everything going on at home. I fell in love with the camaraderie and the team aspect.”
Team outings to Top Golf and to the premiere of Mission Impossible were interspersed with intense and physical practices to provide more opportunities for casual and genuine relationships to grow. Players broke out into groups that crossed position room boundaries and sides of the ball, allowing unlikely bonds to form. Guys would take “Walk and Talks” along Lake Washington just to get to know each other.
“We would just get to know people,” Jarran Reed said. “Believe it or not, Michael [Dickson], our punter, we were on a walk and talk and I knew he was competitive, but I didn’t realize he takes it to heart like he does. How much pride he takes in doing his job made me look at him in a different sort of way.”
Where many NFL locker rooms are organized by position group and side of the ball (e.g., tight ends together and near the offense), Seattle mixed up assignments so these uncommon bonds could continue to build. Edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu dresses next to offensive lineman Charles Cross. Fullback Robbie Ouzts is neighbors with receiver Tory Horton. Tight end Elijah Arroyo is close to quarterbacks Darnold and Milroe.
“This is probably the most time in a locker room I have seen offensive line interacting with defensive backs, defensive line interacting with receivers, quarterbacks,” Reed said. “Everyone talks to everyone on this team. It’s been a minute since I’ve seen that in a locker room. Everyone is building a bond with each other.”
That showed up in practices as well when Williams would pull rookie Zabel aside during one-versus-one pass rush drills and give him tips about how to improve his pass protection. The pair have continued those conversations into the season.
No matter how clear the messaging is or how much a leader works to create a positive environment, it ultimately is up to the players to decide whether they care enough about team goals to make some personal sacrifices. One crucial demonstration of that personal sacrifice is participation in optional OTA sessions during the spring.
It is common for some players to skip these workouts or practices in order to spend more time with their friends and family, or just enjoy the offseason. Metcalf, for example, missed large portions of the OTAs in 2024.
Not this group. The Seahawks had close to 100% participation throughout the spring. It allowed for those relationships to deepen between players, between coaches, and throughout the organization.
Veterans like Kupp and rookies like Emmanwori used some of the time to pick Macdonald’s brain in his office, and vice versa. Macdonald would run defensive concepts by Kupp to see what an offensive mind thought. Kupp’s knowledge of division rival Sean McVay was not going to go unused. Emmanwori had such a voracious appetite for time with Macdonald that the coach started wondering if he should close the door now and then. Kupp noted how that open-door approach has deepened the connection with the players.
“I have rarely been up in the coaches’ offices and seen his door closed,” Kupp said. “If guys want to go up and ask questions or if they want to be around their coaches and figure things out, his door is open. He wants to be around guys. He’s out there in the hallways and his access isn’t turned off. I think that goes a long way in terms of being able to connect with guys when there is so much on his plate as the head coach. Even the defensive stuff, but also as a head coach in general where he has to handle all the logistical stuff as well. He’s never going to turn down a conversation.”
The connections were developing. The message was getting through. The scouting department had added custom-fit parts through the draft and free agency to meet glaring needs. Everything appeared to be coming together. As the great philosopher Mike Tyson once said, though, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
The next test would be whether all the words and all the practice reps against teammates would translate into performance on the field during the regular season. It did not start well.
Week One: Failure to Launch
The San Francisco 49ers have dominated the Seahawks for the past few seasons. Seattle finally broke through for a win in Santa Clara last year, but both clubs were looking to make a statement to start 2025.
Macdonald had been deliberate in his search for a new offensive coordinator. He did not want to risk winding up in the same situation where he and his most important coaching partner were not on the same page. Klint Kubiak came from a long line of coaches who built their offense around the run game and play-action counters.
Kubiak made it clear from his first press conference that this would be a team that utilized outside zone runs to set up everything else. There were reasons heading into the first game to believe the running game would get off to a strong start.
His young offensive line had looked fantastic in clearing holes during the preseason, even topping 200 rushing yards in one game. The 49ers had won just six games the previous season and had lost a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Their replacements were young and unproven.
Luckily for San Francisco, Robert Saleh had fallen into their laps as a defensive coordinator after a failed stint in New York and an about-face from Liam Coen, who took the Jacksonville job before they moved on to Saleh.
What looked to be the first test of the new Seahawks offensive identity never materialized. Kubiak did attempt to run the ball, but it was ineffective. All the work the team had done from under center and on play-action was largely ignored in the game plan. The offense operated primarily out of the shotgun and attempted only one play-action pass, dead last in the NFL in that first week. Most of the passes that were thrown were quick screens to the perimeter that went nowhere, and often lost yards. For Seattle fans, it felt like a nightmarish combination of the worst of Shane Waldron and Grubb.
Saleh may have taken them out of some of what they wanted to do, but a true identity for a football team is persistent across opponents. This felt more like a violation of one of Macdonald’s core mantras, “through, not around.”
It was puzzling to see Kubiak go away from the offensive identity so quickly and completely. One of the criticisms of Grubb was that he seemed to adjust his approach each week instead of having a core philosophy he forced others to stop.
It was not surprising to see an offense struggle with a new coaching staff, a new scheme, and fresh personnel. Seeing them betray their identity so quickly, though, was a red flag.
Despite the offense failing to find itself, the defense and special teams helped the Seahawks hold a lead until the 49ers final drive. Crucial mistakes by cornerback Tariq Woolen led to a go-ahead touchdown, followed by a strip sack of Darnold after he had led the team quickly into the red zone with a chance to win.
Seattle would fall on that day to their bitter rival in painful fashion. They would later find out injury was added to insult when top player Devon Witherspoon was lost with a bruised MCL and Emmanwori had a high ankle sprain.
It was another false start, and one that stung after all that had been done to get to this point. The question was no longer whether they had an identity, but whether they had the conviction to stick with it.
Offensive Identity: Heavy Personnel, Run, & Explosive Play-Action
Macdonald took the loss hard. He admitted to being “edgy” all week. Part of the frustration almost certainly was losing without “throwing their fastball,” a phrase Macdonald often utters to indicate a desire to always play to their strengths. He was asked about the lack of play-action passes and his answer was terse, but clear.
“We need to [play] action more,” Macdonald said. “We need more [pocket] movement. We’ll call it. We’ll execute it when called.”
The game appeared to be a wakeup call for Kubiak. Lose or win, they were going to play their style. No longer would he allow an opponent to dictate terms to him or let his game plan stray too far from their core philosophy.
Over 30% of Darnold’s pass attempts have been play-action in the six weeks that followed, ranking 5th-highest in the NFL. He has averaged a league-leading 15.0 yards per attempt on play-action passes and has the highest grade (93.3) of any starting quarterback on those throws by Pro Football Focus (PFF).
The most consistent beneficiary has been receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN). Nature abhors a vacuum, and apparently, so does Smith-Njigba. He more than filled the void left by Metcalf. His efficiency has been off the charts. Every box has been checked. A player who many had pegged as a slot receiver with good hands shattered every preconceived notion. He has beaten teams inside, outside, short, intermediate, and deep. No receiver has been more explosive than Smith-Njigba through seven games. His stellar play was recognized with a NFC Offensive Player of the Month award for October.
Part of that success has come from Kubiak. He hand-picked Ouzts to be his fullback in the draft, with an eye on playing more 21 personnel (2 backs, 1 TE). He helped recruit Eric Saubert, who he had experience with in Denver, to improve the blocking of the tight end room and allow them to play more 12 personnel (1 back, 2 TEs).
These personnel packages have led the Seahawks to face more base defensive personnel from opposing defenses. Most teams have optimized their rosters to play nickel defenses the vast majority of the time. Being forced to put an extra linebacker on the field and pulling off a nickel corner often means swapping in a lesser player who has fewer reps.
Kubiak has used motion to create overloads on one side of the formation that can cause a safety to rotate down near the line of scrimmage. Seattle is facing more stacked boxes (8+ defenders near the line of scrimmage) than any other offense in the NFL (38.1%), per Next Gen Stats. That is leading to more single high safety looks, further advantaging the passing game.
It has made for tougher sledding in the run game, where Seattle ranks near the bottom of the league in efficiency. Being the most explosive passing team in the NFL, however, has probably been more than worth the slow start on the ground. The commitment to the run that looks exactly the same as a play-action pass has made the Seahawks a top-five scoring offense.
Even if overall run game has not got untracked, there are signs that the physical identity Macdonald wants is taking hold. Seattle was a terrible short yardage team a year ago. They had trouble converting and often chose to pass instead of run. The change in year two has been drastic.
In fact, when narrowing to just rushing attempts on 3rd or 4th down with 1 yard to go, the Seahawks have a better conversion rate (87.5%) than the tush-pushing Philadelphia Eagles (86.7%). Seattle has converted every time they have utilized tight end A.J. Barner in their version of the tush push. The only time they have not converted a 3rd or 4th and 1 run play was when they ran out of shotgun with Zach Charbonnet.
Opponents know what they are getting each week with the Seahawks. Seattle will stay committed to the run, utilize play-action for explosives, and run heavy personnel packages that force them to make difficult decisions about how to match personnel.
The best of what Seattle has to offer might be their 12 personnel package that is first in the NFL in EPA/play, and has been efficient in both the run and pass. Kubiak has also shown no clear tendency when in that group, as the pass/run rate is roughly 50/50.
All of this has helped to raise the level of what has been a beleaguered offensive line. Darnold is also getting rid of the ball faster than he ever has in his career. A healthy Abe Lucas at right tackle has been key, after spending most of the past two seasons with second and third-string players at that position. One of the most important changes has been how the scheme is keeping defenses guessing on when they can safely rush the passer.
Committing to the run forces defenders to account for that before the snap. The dangerous play-action game puts some hesitation in the minds of defensive linemen. Movement of the pocket with bootlegs and rollouts changes where the target will be. All of these strategies keep pass rushers from being able to consistently anticipate a pass and pin their ears back to rush the quarterback.
The result? Darnold has been sacked just 9 times in his first seven games after being sacked 9 times in his final game with the Vikings.
Kubiak’s offense has become consistent, productive, and explosive. Young players are making leaps, and there is room for more growth from rookies like tight end Elijah Arroyo and Horton. If Seattle can find a more productive rushing attack on early downs, they will be as dangerous as any offense in the league.
Underlying the success has been a clarity about who they want to be and how they want to play. Even if not all parts of the vision are realized, it is easy to see the outline of what they want to be. Kubiak and his staff are in their first season here, and he has never had a chance to be in the same place for more than one season as the offensive coordinator due to his head coaches being let go. While some may assume he would jump at a head coaching opportunity if one came his way, there is reason to believe he might choose some stability for him and his family.
In some ways, he is ahead of his boss. Macdonald took eight games to get his defense and personnel in place with Baltimore and again with Seattle. Kubiak had one game to forget. Macdonald had many more last season. That adversity has led to growth.
“You probably learn way more from stubbing your toe than you do with having success,” Kubiak said when asked about the 49ers game.
Macdonald had a much stronger hand to start this season given his head start last year, but the injuries against San Francisco created an early obstacle he would have to overcome.
Defensive Identity: Trenches & Boxes
Schneider hired Macdonald, in part, due to the identity he established on the defensive side in Baltimore. Seattle currently sits 5-2. The last time they were 5-2 was in 2023 when they traded for Williams ahead of a game with the Ravens in Baltimore. Macdonald’s defense confused and overwhelmed the Seahawks on that day in a 37-3 drubbing. Schneider took note, and would hire Macdonald just a couple of months later.
A consistent thread across Macdonald’s defenses has been an ability to create pressure with just four players. He rarely blitzes, which allows the team to keep more players available in coverage. The creativity of who is coming on those pressure packages has led to one of the highest rates of unblocked rushers over his career.
Getting to those pressures, though, requires a sturdy run defense. Seattle struggled mightily in that regard last season. After a decent start, there was a five-week stretch where they were the worst run defense in football. They allowed at least 155 yards on the ground in four of the five games, including 175 yards against the lowly Giants in Lumen Field, which resulted in the most embarrassing loss of the season.
Macdonald prefers to play light boxes (6 or fewer defenders near the line of scrimmage). This allows more players to remain in coverage and creates fewer openings for the passing game. The problem was that Seattle could not stop the run in those looks.
That led to ejecting the two starting inside linebackers off the team during the season last year. Schneider was able to orchestrate a trade for Ernest Jones IV, who became an instant leader and stabilizing force. Still, the run defense buckled in a game against the Green Bay Packers that ended a four-game winning streak.
Seattle would finish 22nd in the NFL in yards per carry allowed (4.9 YPC) when in light boxes, and 15th in EPA/rush in those situations. They rank 2nd (3.4 YPC) and 1st in those categories, respectively, this season. There has not been a better run defense in the NFL in 2025.
The addition of Lawrence has been critical. He not only is one of the best edge setters in the league, but he can move inside and is strong enough to hold up there against interior linemen. A return to health for Uchenna Nwosu has been a big lift as well.
Nwosu was always an exceptional run defender, and has also made an instant impact as a pass rusher with 5.0 sacks in the past four games.
Byron Murphy II was solid as a rookie, but rarely got a chance to stay on the field for pass rushing situations. He has continued to be a force against the run and is the rare player able to generate pass pressure from the nose tackle position.
Williams continues to play at an All-Pro level, with Reed next to him as one of the more underrated defenders in the league. Derick Hall and Boye Mafe have contributed as both run defenders and pass rushers as well.
The rotation at defensive tackle and edge is as strong as the Seahawks have seen in some time.
That dominant front has allowed Seattle to weather a storm from the injuries that hit the secondary early in the year. Witherspoon and Emmanwori were lost in week one, while safety Julian Love was lost in week two.
There was one game, against Baker Mayfield and the Bucs, where the defense buckled. They played without Lawrence, Witherspoon, and Love. Hall and Tariq Woolen went down with injuries during the game. The Bucs are the only team to score more than 20 points against Seattle, and only the second team to gain more than 300 yards.
The injuries have tested Macdonald’s mettle. Witherspoon, Love, and Emmanwori were central to his plan to defend the run without sacrificing coverage. He never flinched, even after the blowup against Tampa. With roughly the same secondary players available to him the following week in a game against the 4-1 Jacksonville Jaguars who had just taken down the 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs in back-to-back weeks, his defense dominated.
An early miscommunication in the secondary led to a touchdown that looked a lot like the Bucs game, but those would be the only points the Jaguars would get until the fourth quarter.
The one constant this season has been the run defense. Seattle has gone six straight games allowing fewer than 90 yards rushing, and the last three games without allowing more than 60 yards on the ground. Their weakness from last season has become a strength.
And now some of the key injured players are returning. Emmanwori has played so well in his three games that his odds of winning Defensive Rookie of the Year have skyrocketed. Lawrence has had 3.0 sacks in his two games since he returned to the field. Woolen has steadied after a rough start. Witherspoon is expected to play against the Commanders for the first time in four weeks, and only his third game this season.
They have been the 3rd-best defense in the NFL by DVOA, and also rank 3rd in yards per play allowed. There is every reason to believe they can be even better when they get their starters back. Williams was prophetic during training camp about how they would need to overcome adversity, and pointed back to bonds built over the offseason as the key to pulling through.
“We definitely let some games slip out of our hands last year,” Williams said. “I think having a clearer identity as a team will help us push through those hard times that we went through last season. Me and Julian (Love) talked about this actually, where, every great team, every team in general, is going to go through at least two hard points in the season, and it’s the great ones who can bounce back, and rely on their culture, rely on their training, that would be able to push through those hard moments and make it through the playoffs and further.”
It’s All About the Finish
Macdonald came to Seattle with a reputation as a schematic whiz kid. He proved that it was transferable even when taking on head coaching duties. The Seahawks finished last season with one of the best defenses in football and a middling offense that was orthogonal to Macdonald’s vision. He was not satisfied with winning 10 games or narrowly missing out on the division title.
The investments he made from January to June—closing gaps with scouting, aligning his staff, and forging a new culture with his players—have paid off. Great teams know who they are. They are the lion who hides from no one and makes others wary, not the chameleon who tries to blend in.
Macdonald’s first season was a 10-win false start. The Week 1 loss to San Francisco was another. Both were costly, but neither proved fatal. The identity he and Schneider forged in Mobile, cemented in Indianapolis, and nurtured on walks along Lake Washington is no longer just a vision. It’s a 5-2 reality, built on a dominant defense and an explosive, physical offense.
Whether that identity is capable of winning a Super Bowl will be decided in January and February. But after a year of resetting the standard, the Seahawks are no longer waiting for the play to start.
The whistle has blown. This time, there are no flags on the field.