The Seahawks made a massive change to their coaching staff this offseason, letting Pete Carroll and all but one of his assistants go. In his place Mike Macdonald has assembled a highly-regarded staff, with a mix of long-time NFL coaches and others pulled from the college ranks. The biggest name in the bunch is offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who just spent two years leading the Huskies to become one of the nation’s top passing units.
Of course things will be different in Seattle than they were at UW. Grubb may have the same offensive line coach but the unit itself is one of the worst in the league, at least on paper. Grubb will still have three excellent wide receivers and an aggressive quarterback leading the charge, though.
As mandatory minicamp kicks off later today at the VMAC, Grubb’s offense has been named the most interesting storyline to watch by NFL.com. ESPN is sounding a similar note going into camp. Brady Henderson says Geno Smith is “well ahead” of backup Sam Howell in Grubb’s new scheme.
“There is no contract drama hanging over the Seahawks’ offseason, nor is there a quarterback competition, but there is plenty of intrigue. Smith and Howell are learning new coordinator Ryan Grubb’s scheme, which he estimated in early June to be almost 50% installed. The three OTAs that were open to reporters were heavy on 11-on-11 work, which made it clear that Smith, who has already been declared the starter and took all the No. 1 reps, is well ahead of Howell. Mandatory minicamp will offer a better look at each quarterback’s progress since receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett should both be there after being in and out during OTAs…”
While they’re both learning a new scheme, Smith has far more experience at his level as well as two and a half seasons of familiarity with Seattle’s skill players. That means it’s going to be pretty tough for Howell to pass him on the depth chart this year, and we may not see him start a game in 2024 unless Smith gets injured.
After this coming season all bets are off, though. Both Smith and Howell will be entering the last year of their respective contracts, and the Seahawks can save a ton of cap money by cutting Smith. If they’re truly enamored with Howell as much as has been reported, we may see Howell taking over QB1 duties in 2025.
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