The Seahawks are set to begin their path towards the Super Bowl, with one position group key in the franchise's chance of success.
The Seattle Seahawks will enter the 2026 season keeping a large portion of the roster that claimed the Super Bowl last year.
That kind of continuity is perhaps a little underrated, and yes, they did lose Kenneth Walker, Riq Woolen, Boye Mafe and Coby Bryant, but for the most part, Mike Macdonald's roster remains roughly the same.
That is tough to do year on year, and where the Seahawks have the best continuity is along the offensive line. All five starters from last season return, which, for Sam Darnold, is a blessing.
Abraham Lucas, Anthony Bradford, Jalen Sundell, Grey Zabel, and Charles Cross are all back and ready to give Darnold better protection than they did a year ago.
And for Macdonald, having the starting five all return means the offense has a good chance to be even better than last year.
"I think we have a really great opportunity to take this thing to the next level," Macdonald said. "The chemistry that they have, the banked reps that they have, I think our offensive line's had a really good camp. So, it's a really exciting group, and I think we have some great competition really in the backup tackle spots and the interior line, in the backup guard spots, too.
"So, there's a lot of guys that are really jockeying for position there, which is really cool."
With the starting five returning, the depth behind them is perhaps equally as crucial.
Draftee Beau Stephens was seen early in camp as one who could push Bradford for the right guard position, but it was made clear early on that the veteran will get first crack at it in 2026.
Others in Josh Jones, Christian Haynes, Olu Oluwatimi, and Bobby Hart are likely to see a lot of action in preseason, with the Dallas Cowboys first up on the schedule.
For all the changes the franchise has gone through this offseason, having all starting linemen return can't be overstated, and what it can do for the offense's confidence.
Plus, it allows those behind them to continue working on their craft and build depth across all five positions.
No, it won't be a big storyline, but Seattle retaining its offensive line a year after winning the Super Bowl certainly is noteworthy, to say the least.
