The Seattle Seahawks missed the playoffs in 2024 after going 10-7 and finishing in second place in the NFC West. The club has been rather sluggish offensively in recent seasons, so the Seahawks fired offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after one season. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald will have a revamped staff in 2025; general manager John Schneider spoke Thursday about three of Macdonald’s coaching hires — and about how the scarcity of offensive line talent leads to inflated price tags.
The 15-year-tenured Schneider made a comment a year ago that caught scrutiny regarding offensive guards, calling the position “over-drafted” and “over-paid.” This comment was brought back to life on Thursday, when Schneider spoke on a radio show that Brady Henderson of ESPN recapped.
When asked about his comment from last year, Schneider said that his belief reflects the scarcity of offensive-line talent, not how much the Seahawks value the position. Schneider knows the team overpays and overdrafts for offensive linemen, and he acknowledged that the team will probably continue to do so.
“I would say the statement, I guess, it’s not a level of importance – it’s extremely important, it’s highly valued,” Schneider explained, via Seattle Sports. “But we still to this day, because of the dearth of talent at the position, will overpay at that position and will over-draft at that position.”
Schneider went on to speak about three of Macdonald’s coaching hires: run game coordinator Rick Dennison, run game specialist Justin Outten, and offensive line coach John Benton.
“I think those are three really strong teachers right there,” Schneider noted of the trio of offensive coaches. “[Outten] brings an offensive line emphasis.”
The Seahawks ranked 18th in the league in total points scored a year ago, averaging 22 points per game. Seattle notably struggled in their run game, logging just 1,627 yards on the ground; this mark rated 28th in the league, with only the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Los Angeles Raiders logging less. A notable lack of strength in the run game definitely signals some turbulence in the offensive line.
A bright spot in Seattle’s offensive, nonetheless, is quarterback Geno Smith, who had a career year in 2024. The 34-year-old Smith started all 17 games for the Seahawks and racked up a personal-high 4,320 passing yards. Smith’s 70.4% completion rate was the best of his career as well.
