The Seattle Seahawks are six games into defending their Super Bowl title, and the biggest question isn’t whether this roster has talent. It’s whether a talented team can stop beating itself long enough to get back on track.
On the latest episode of The Hawks Eye, I welcomed Andrew Destin, the newest Seahawks beat reporter for The Athletic
, to examine Seattle’s uneven opening stretch and preview Sunday’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.At 3–3, Seattle remains firmly in the playoff race, but
the path forward is uncertain. Turnovers have piled up. Sam Darnold has struggled to find consistency behind an offensive line dealing with protection problems, while an unreliable running game has made life harder for the entire passing attack.
These issues are connected. When Seattle cannot stay ahead of the chains, defenses can dictate terms. When protection breaks down, the quarterback’s decision-making window shrinks. When possessions end in giveaways, even an excellent defense has only so many answers, and no team has allowed more points off turnovers than Seattle.
That’s why the spotlight extends beyond Darnold. How much responsibility belongs to new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury? What adjustments can Mike Macdonald demand from his staff? And how quickly can the offense rebuild the complementary identity that made last season’s Seahawks so difficult to beat?
Andrew’s perspective is valuable because he covers this team up close. The goal of our conversation was to dig past box scores and examine the people, decisions and bigger questions shaping Seattle’s season. Here’s a sampling of what Andrew said regarding potential changes on offense, whether at quarterback or offensive coordinator, as well as trade deadline possibilities.
If the Seahawks make a change, is it firing Brian Fleury or benching Sam Darnold?
“I’ve said this on the record a few times […] If the Seahawks are going to make a change it’s going to be at offensive coordinator before they do so at quarterback, just going by dollars and cents. Sam Darnold is being paid $30+ million to be the guy. Drew Lock sure showed himself to be a more than capable backup, but there’s a reason the sentiment around the team is we are so lucky to have who we think is the best backup in the NFL. Nobody in the building right now is looking to it as, ‘Sam Darnold is the issue, he must be benched.’” I mean, there was a story I put out last week coming off the Broncos game where Mike Macdonald basically said, “Yeah, he’s got our full faith. We fully believe in Sam Darnold.”
“I think right now it really is a matter of if Brian Fleury isn’t the guy, then that would be who they move off quicker than Darnold. Because let’s remind ourselves, history is a precedent. Darnold’s coming off the two best seasons of his career. He’s coming off of a glute injury. We’re talking about four games and change. That’s such a small sample size. I also don’t think the offensive issues necessarily are—I don’t know that it’s schematic. I don’t want to put blame on the players and absolve Brian Fleury of blame, but so much of this comes down to execution. So much of this comes down to players who just haven’t been hanging on to the dang football or have been throwing away the football. I’m not expecting a change at either spot, but if one is to come before the other, I think it would be Brian Fleury before Sam Darnold.”
If the Seahawks replace Brian Fleury midseason, who could be the new OC?
“My expectation would be that it would be [quarterbacks coach] Jake Peetz just because he’s somebody who works so closely with the quarterbacks and is so in line and in tune with what Sam Darnold wants to do offensively and what the Seahawks want to do offensively.
“I really do think that it would be Peetz. Unfortunately, it’s not really my expectation at this point for the Seahawks to move off of [Fleury], but if they were to do so, educated guess would be Jake Peetz just given his background at the quarterback spot, his play calling [at LSU], all those sorts of things. But first and foremost, I think it’s going to be Brian Fleury [remaining offensive coordinator]. If they’re to move off though, perhaps by committee, and if not, then it would be Peetz.”
Will the Seahawks do anything at the trade deadline?
“I think they are more than likely to make a deal and we’ve seen that over the last few trade deadlines, right, of getting guys like Rashid Shaheed, Ernest Jones, Leonard Williams all come to mind. I think the precedent is there and especially with where the Seahawks are at salary cap wise that they absolutely would add. They have the flexibility to do so because you didn’t re-sign Kenneth Walker, because you didn’t re-sign Boy Mafe because you didn’t re-sign Coby Bryant.And you gave extensions but that’s neither here nor there; you’ve got the space and you’ve got the flexibility to do so.
“I think they would add and if they were to add it would be at a skill position, whether that’s tight end, whether that’s another number two receiver. Perhaps that would be some kind of swap where to acquire a more veteran receiver and let Rashid Shaheed go in that trade to make it salary cap negligible. I think offensively speaking, you’ve got to add another weapon. The Seahawks are sorely lacking a true number two guy alongside Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Kupp isn’t that guy at this point in his career. Shaheed hasn’t been. That’s where I am kind of looking.”
We also turned toward Sunday’s prime-time showdown at Lumen Field. Patrick Mahomes leads an undefeated Chiefs team into Seattle, while former Seahawk Kenneth Walker III returns in Kansas City colors as the league’s leader in rushing yards, in stark contrast to Seattle’s lackluster running game. It’s a matchup that will test Seattle’s defensive discipline and its offense’s ability to avoid self-inflicted damage.
Whether you’re looking for a closer look at the coaching staff, the quarterback, the locker room or the challenge ahead, this episode offers plenty to consider.
And let us know: Is Seattle’s slow start fixable, or are the problems deeper than six games suggest?
Video (interview starts at 11:09 and runs 20 minutes)
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