In the latest HawksZone Rundown podcast, hosts Bryce Coutts and Ryan MacMillan welcomed Brian Nemhauser, known more familiarly to fans as HawkBlogger, to discuss the Seattle Seahawks’ 2025 mandatory minicamp and offseason developments. If you’re not aware by now, Nemhauser has become a credentialed media member with inside access and first-hand observations regarding the Seahawks.
The show explored the team’s revamped roster, focusing heavily on the offensive line, a unit that has long been a concern for fans but is now showing signs of growth. Nemhauser highlighted the offensive line’s potential, led by the new coaching staff.
“They’ve got John Benton and Rick Dennison and Justin Outten and they’ve got a whole crew there working with the offensive line,” Nemhauser said. “I think that’s allowed them to do some interesting kind of micro-coaching or at least you know change the ratio.
“Anyone that knows about education like ratio of teacher to student is a big deal, right? And so they have a better ratio now and so you’ll see in the in the drills they will split up the left side of the offensive line from the right side of the offensive line and they’ll have one guy like one group working with one guy and another group working with another guy. So you’ve got the right tackle, the right guard, and one of the centers going with one group, and then the left tackle, the left guard, and another center going over there. That was not the way things were working last year, and I think that that’s got some potential.”
“My craziest take probably is that I think the offensive line might be good,” Nemhauser added. “I’m not even saying it might not be terrible. I think it might be good. That’s my early no pads, lots lots lots to prove [take]. But I like what I see from that group.”
This optimism reflects the strides made in year two of head coach Mike Macdonald’s operation. Unlike last year’s transitional phase, Macdonald’s system now emphasizes refined schemes and player accountability, creating a more cohesive unit. Young talents like Charles Cross and Abe Lucas, both up for contract extensions, have adapted well to the coaching staff’s technical demands, while first-round pick Grey Zabel adds depth and promise. Nemhauser also noted that Anthony Bradford has looked good so far and could actually be more of a factor in the right guard battle then many might have thought.
“While Christian Haynes seems to be getting a little bit of the the nod as the starter at right guard, I think that they internally—I don’t think they’d be shocked at all if Anthony Bradford ends up forcing his way into that spot, which would be a pretty big surprise. It would definitely be a surprise to me,” Nemhauser said.
Nemhauser noted that starting quarterback Sam Darnold, signed to a three-year, $100.5 million deal in free agency, has not been overly impressive in minicamp, describing his performance as a “yellow flag” but cautioning that it’s still early in the process.
“I can’t say like Sam Darnold has really clearly demonstrated this strength where he’s doing this really well or he makes this throw repeatedly well or I could see this clear progression in terms of how he’s playing or he’s great in the red zone.
“I don’t have that yet for Sam Darnold,” Nemhauser continued. “The things that have stuck out to me more have been some judgment stuff still, like where he’s choosing to deliver the ball, when he’s choosing to deliver it. He’s thrown a handful of interceptions he should have thrown a number more because Riq Woolen or Deon Witherspoon dropped some interceptions. I just don’t know that’s where it’s like is that because he’s still learning the system and learning the players and he’ll make better decisions along the way? You hope. You also look at his history and the guy has a pretty high turnover worthy play rate over his career.
“At this point I think it’s fair to at least have a little bit of concern that, okay, he does not have a Justin Jefferson on this team who can beat any player in any coverage, and he doesn’t have a Kevin O’Connell who knows how to scheme everything perfectly to get those guys open. That said, I don’t think this is like a red alert ‘things are absolutely a disaster,’ but it’s a yellow flag right now,” Nemhauser said.
“He did not come out looking like, man, I don’t know why people said that he couldn’t repeat what he did last year when he was an MVP candidate. He’s definitely that guy now. I left thinking he’s not quite there yet, there’s some work to do.”
The podcast also touched on upcoming training camp battles and some of the areas that will be interesting to watch come July. Nemhauser praised the energy Macdonald brings to camp, fostering a dynamic environment and how this team seems more connected than last year.
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, the episode offers fans insight into a Seahawks team gearing up for a potential breakout in 2025. Have a listen to the full interview in the video below!
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