NFL analyst sees national media as ‘a lot lower’ on Seahawks than they should be

NFL: Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams — Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Did the Seahawks do enough to close the gap with the rest of the NFC West?

In a recent HawksZone Rundown episode, hosts Ryan MacMillan and Bryce Coutts were joined by special guest Garret Greenlee of Football Analysis to analyze the Seattle Seahawks’ 2025 outlook. You might have seen Garret’s videos on YouTube, where he has nearly 200,000 subscribers breaking down the entire NFL. This conversation covered the NFC West, the Seahawks draft class, Sam Darnold’s potential, the running game, and paths to an elite defense.

Greenlee highlighted the NFC West’s competitiveness, noting the Seahawks’ bold offseason moves, like trading Geno Smith and signing Sam Darnold, position them to challenge teams like the 49ers. The division remains fierce, but Seattle’s revamped roster sparks optimism.

“The NFC West I feel doesn’t get as much publicity as it should nationally,” Greenlee said. “I really think it is the most complete division in football, top to bottom. AFC West can certainly give it a run for its money and so can the NFC North. But the NFC West, there’s no bad team. […] Every team is a complete unit, and you can tell me right now that Seattle goes 4-2 in the division, they could go 2-4, really nothing would surprise me. But that doesn’t apply to just Seattle, it applies to all of the teams in the division.”

“I definitely think the national media is a lot lower on Seattle than what they should be, especially with how many positives there were to take away from year one of the Mike Macdonald era,” Greenlee also added.

The 2025 draft class, led by first-rounder Grey Zabel and third-round QB Jalen Milroe, earned Greenlee’s praise. He lauded Zabel’s fit on the offensive line and Milroe’s high upside, though he noted Milroe’s growth may require patience, aligning with GM John Schneider’s vision. There was one area he believed Milroe could be instantly beneficial.

“What Jalen Milroe will also provide is when you get into that deep red zone area, that 5- to 10-yard line, you can bring him in kind of as… not gadget player, but another quarterback that teams are going to have to deal with,” he said. “This is not going to be a Ricky Williams/Ronnie Brown Wildcat offense where they might throw one pop pass to the tight end that you might have to look out for. This is a legit player that started in the SEC last year and he was a third-round pick for a reason (I will go ahead on preface that), but he’s a guy who has legit running back capability at the quarterback position. He ran for 20 touchdowns last year. I am very excited for the idea of Jalen Milroe in the Seahawks offense this year and everything that Klint Kubiak can muster up with him.”

On Darnold, Greenlee (a Minnesota Vikings fan) is hopeful, citing his 2024 Pro Bowl season (4,319 yards, 35 TDs) with the Vikings. He believes Klint Kubiak’s play-action-heavy scheme and weapons like Cooper Kupp can sustain Darnold’s success, provided he stays consistent.

Reviving the running game depends on Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, supported by a stronger offensive line with Zabel and Kubiak’s run-heavy scheme, emphasizing gap and zone concepts. Greenlee sees this as key to a dynamic ground attack.

“I’m a big believer in having two styles of backs on the same team, so I love the Kenneth Walker/Charbonnet duo,” Greenlee said. “I think there will be a better identity with Seattle this year. The Anthony Bradford experiment hasn’t exactly worked out the best for the Seahawks in the first couple of years in his career, and several other offensive linemen in 2024 for that matter, too. I do think that this is going to be one of Klint Kubiak’s goals is to really establish the identity of the run game, and ultimately it’ll be one of Mike Macdonald’s goals, too. Because if we continue to pound the rock, our defense can stay fresh, and if the opposing offense isn’t on the field then they can’t score.”

To achieve an elite defense, Greenlee emphasized building around Byron Murphy II and the defensive line, with cornerbacks Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon as cornerstones. Coach Mike Macdonald’s scheme, which ranked 11th in points allowed in 2024, needs enhanced pass rush and secondary playmaking to dominate.

“Seattle has the talent. It’s just a matter of how many games can all of these guys play together. If it’s 14-15 games where we have 10 of the 11 starters playing, I’d be pretty surprised if they’re not a top-10 or 12 defense,” Greenlee said.

Watch the whole conversation below, and you can also take a look at Garret’s own video on why he believes the Seahawks are doing everything right this offseason.