Seattle Seahawks training camp preview: Key dates, notable additions, biggest storylines

With NFL training camps just around the corner, it’s time to get up to speed on all 32 NFL teams. Christian Gonzales has the lowdown on position battles, key players and notable subplots across the NFC West.

Catch up on the Seattle Seahawks’ offseason developments and 2024 outlook below.

Training Camp Dates/Information

• Players report: July 17 (rookies); July 23 (veterans)
• Location: Virginia Mason Athletic Center | Renton, Wash. (fan information)

Notable Roster Changes

Preseason Schedule

• Week 1: at Los Angeles Chargers | 7:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 10
• Week 2: at Tennessee Titans | 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 17
• Week 3: vs. Cleveland Browns | 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 24

2024 Schedule Notes

• The Seahawks are tied for the seventh-easiest strength of schedule in 2024, based on their opponents’ .488 win percentage last season.
• Seattle is scheduled to play four prime-time games in 2024.
• The Seahawks play four of their final six games on the road.

— NFL Research

What you need to know

1) It’s a new era in Seattle, with Mike Macdonald replacing long-time head coach Pete Carroll. Macdonald is coming off a successful stint as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator over the past two seasons, with the Ravens finishing third and first, respectively, in points allowed per game in that span. Not only is he currently the youngest head coach in the NFL (in contrast to his predecessor, who was one of the oldest), but his offensive coordinator (Ryan Grubb) and defensive coordinator (Aden Durde) are in those roles with an NFL team for the first time in their careers. We’ll get our first solid glimpse of what the Macdonald regime might look like when camp begins.

2) Geno Smith‘s production in 2023 dipped from 2022, but he still earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod — and he excelled when it mattered, posting the NFL’s best TD-to-INT ratio (9:1) in the fourth quarter or overtime last season. He also led the league with five game-winning drives. How will he perform in Grubb’s offense, which Smith called “pretty complex” and includes plays that Smith — entering his 12th NFL season — said he’s never seen before? One factor working in the 33-year-old QB’s favor: Seattle returns the same set of skill-position players who helped the team log middle-of-the-pack rankings in scoring (17th) and total yards (21st) in 2023.

3) How will the receiver trio shake out? DK Metcalf is one of three players in NFL history to have 900-plus receiving yards and six-plus touchdown catches in each of his first five seasons, per NFL Research. Tyler Lockett, meanwhile, ranks in the top 10 among wide receivers in receptions (475), receiving yards (6,178) and touchdown catches (50) over the last six seasons. Both players rank in the top five in the league in deep receiving touchdowns of 20-plus air yards since 2019. Then there’s second-year pro Jaxon Smith-Njigba, whom Macdonald expects to be “a massive piece” in Seattle’s offense after tallying 63 receptions for 628 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie.

4) Since entering the league in 2022, Kenneth Walker III has emerged as a true RB1 for the Seahawks. He’s the first player in team history to have 1,000-plus scrimmage yards and nine-plus touchdowns in each of his first two seasons, per NFL Research. Walker has also logged 17 carries of 20-plus yards since 2022, second in the NFL only to Christian McCaffrey (18). Can Zach Charbonnet solidify his role as a complement to the workhorse? In his rookie season, Charbonnet contributed 108 carries for 462 rushing yards and one touchdown, with a better yards-per-carry mark (4.3) than Walker’s (4.1). They could make for quite the potent duo out of the backfield in 2024.

5) Seattle made moves in free agency and the draft to build Macdonald’s defense. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams (acquired via midseason trade last year) was re-signed, while linebacker Jerome Baker and safety Rayshawn Jenkins were among the new additions. In Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seahawks selected Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, who was the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year in his final college season, recording a career-high 29 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. Can the line develop into something special in Year 1 under Macdonald? The coach already has a strong foundation in the secondary. The cornerback room appears to be one of the best in the NFL, anchored by Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen. Witherspoon led all rookie DBs last season with a Pro Football Focus grade of 84.1.