Seahawks 2026 Roster Breakdown: Better, Worse or the Same?

The Seattle Seahawks head into the 2026 season with a roster that looks meaningfully different from the one that finished 10-7 and earned a wild card berth in 2025. Several notable departures in free agency and a draft class with limited immediate impact have left genuine questions about whether this team closed the gap with the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers or fell further behind.

Key Departures Reshaped the Depth Chart

The most consequential offseason loss came at wide receiver, where the Seahawks failed to retain their second wideout from 2025, forcing the team to lean even harder on Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who caught 94 passes for 1,187 yards last season according to ESPN NFL. Along the defensive line, a rotational pass rusher who recorded 9.5 sacks departed in free agency without a comparable replacement signed. Seattle addressed the receiver spot with a mid-round draft pick and a veteran free agent signing, but neither projects as a true starter in year one. The team did add a guard in free agency who starts immediately and upgrades an offensive line that allowed 47 sacks in 2025, the fourth-worst total in the NFC, per NFL.com. That addition matters, but it does not offset the losses at receiver and on the edge.

Geno Smith and the Offense Must Carry More Weight

Geno Smith enters his age-35 season having posted a 67.4 completion percentage and 28 touchdowns against 11 interceptions in 2025, numbers that remain among the better efficiency marks in the league. The problem is that his supporting cast thinned rather than deepened. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said in June that the staff has confidence in the group assembled, but declined to address specific depth concerns directly. Outside analysts are less measured. ESPN senior NFL writer Jeremy Fowler noted in late June that Seattle looks like a team that is running in place while divisional rivals added talent at premium positions. Check our live scores page once the 2026 regular season begins to track how those concerns play out week to week.

Verdict: Marginally Worse, With a Path Back

Seattle did not collapse this offseason, but it did not improve in proportion to the moves its division rivals made. The offensive line upgrade is real and will protect Smith better than the 2025 unit did. The defensive secondary remains a strength, with Devon Witherspoon entering his third season as one of the better young corners in football. However, the loss of pass rush depth and a thinner receiver room leave the Seahawks as a borderline playoff team rather than a legitimate division contender. If you plan to watch key matchups this fall, visit our streaming guide for broadcast and platform details. The first real test arrives in Week 3 when Seattle hosts Los Angeles, and that game will provide an early indicator of exactly how much ground this roster has or has not covered.