Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Each week we ask questions of the most plugged-in Seattle Seahawks fans and fans across the country.
The 2025 preseason has now ended, and with one week remaining until the start of the regular season, fans around the country are wondering how their teams will perform in the games that count. While the preseason can be a good way to evaluate how a team’s new rookie class can do against other rookies, these games are rarely reflective of a team’s true
potential.
For the Seattle Seahawks, perhaps the biggest area of interest during the preseason was in the team’s offensive line. With newcomers like first-round pick Grey Zabel, fans were keen on the team having a stronger o-line compared to the last several years. That being said, did the o-line do enough to quell most (or any) of the fans’ doubts from years past?
Well, possibly.
Fans seem to be energized in the early going, noting that they feel that the Seahawks’ performance in the preseason improved their confidence about the regular season. According to the latest Reacts survey, 64% say that Seattle’s preseason play has improved their overall confidence in this season, feeling better about the team’s chances after seeing their performance this summer.
Unlike with last year, Mike Macdonald will not be facing the pressures of being a rookie head coach after 14 years of Pete Carroll, so he can breathe easier knowing that he can construct the team as he sees fit. Thus, this newfound sense of confidence from the fans could be due to the fact that Macdonald now has over a year of experience as an NFL head coach under his belt.
Now on to the offensive line. With Ryan Grubb and Scott Huff no longer overseeing the o-line, the Pacific Northwest was able to collectively breathe a massive sigh of relief knowing that the front office was committed to improving the offensive line. New OC Klint Kubiak brought along John Benton, who has over 20 years of experience as an o-line coach in the NFL, a far cry from Huff, a newcomer to the NFL.
The Seahawks recently announced their starting offensive line for Week 1, which consists of Charles Cross, Grey Zabel, Jalen Sundell, Anthony Bradford, and Abe Lucas. All five appeared to perform well in the preseason, providing good pass protection and support for the run game, particularly over the first two preseason matchups.
With this in mind, the performance of the offensive line significantly impacted fan confidence in the latest Reacts survey — a whopping 79% said that they felt more confident about the team after seeing the o-line perform this preseason, ushering in a new sense of hope for Klint Kubiak’s offense. Suffice it to say, fans are more enthused about the o-line with this new coaching staff.
The offensive line was viewed as an area that could use some tweaks, and at least for now, it seems as though there is a renewed feeling of optimism surrounding one of the most crucial position groups. We still have yet to see how things will go in next week’s season opener, but fans are feeling jazzed heading into Week 1.
Year two of the Mike Macdonald era will begin with a home matchup against the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday, starting the golden anniversary season with a key contest that could have some major ramifications within the NFC West.
Time for the real test to begin!
Check out FanDuel, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.
