RENTON, Wash. — Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks will make their preseason debut against Pete Carroll’s Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night at Lumen Field. Macdonald has said he won’t play most of his starters, whereas his predecessor is choosing not to reveal his plans.
There will be a few exceptions on the Seattle side, mostly for rookies who will likely start but need the live reps to prepare for the regular season. Fans can expect to see all the healthy members of the 2025 draft class in action, including projected first-team players such as left guard Grey Zabel, defensive back Nick Emmanwori, tight end Elijah Arroyo and fullback Robbie Ouzts.
There are position battles for starting jobs that need to be sorted out, particularly along the offensive line. However, the center battle could be delayed at least a week if the back tightness that kept Olu Oluwatimi out of practice on Monday and Tuesday also sidelines him Thursday night. Jalen Sundell handled all the first-team reps in Oluwatimi’s absence and will presumably do the same against the Raiders.
Christian Haynes and Anthony Bradford have been competing to be the starting right guard, but the former primarily took snaps as the backup left guard in practice this week (Haynes is also dealing with a pectoral injury). Haynes’ situation is still fluid, Macdonald said on Tuesday.
So even though the offensive line is the position group that will determine Seattle’s fate this year, there may not be much to glean Thursday night at the spots that are up for grabs. Here are some of the other players and positions to keep an eye on in Seattle’s exhibition opener.
Big-time potential
Seattle’s entire draft class is intriguing, but Milroe and Emmanwori really stand out to me because of what unlocking the best version of them can mean for the long-term future of the franchise (and the short-term in Emmanwori’s case).
Milroe, the 92nd pick in the draft, is one of the most explosive athletes on the team and has a big-time arm. In Monday’s practice, he ripped a hole shot to rookie receiver Ricky White III in the void between the cornerback and the safety in a two-high coverage. It’s one thing to throw a go ball deep down the sideline — which Milroe does very well — but throws like the one to White require a combination of timing, touch and zip. If Milroe can display those attributes and create explosive plays with his legs, he’ll be the steal of the draft.
Here’s the Jalen Milroe long ball to Ricky White, via the @Seahawks IG https://t.co/9fTAQuHvaq pic.twitter.com/2DKWMinZgE
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) August 6, 2025
The most dangerous version of Milroe can threaten defenses in ways few quarterbacks can. He’s not going to be at his best in his first NFL game, but the path to reaching that potential starts with making a good first impression as a pocket passer Thursday night.
Macdonald said he wants Milroe to simply continue to progress as he’s done since arriving in the spring.
“You don’t have to reinvent quarterback play, just do all the things that you’ve been trained to do,” Macdonald said. “Go let it rip. Be decisive and be the quarterback and person that we drafted you to be, and that he’s becoming out there every day. You guys see it, there’s a lot of progress, a lot of things to be excited about and there’s a lot of things we want to work on, too. I can’t wait to watch it.”
Emmanwori, pick No. 35 in the second round, is being groomed as a “big nickel” defender who plays at the second level while Julian Love and Coby Bryant play the more traditional safety spots. Emmanwori’s role is reflective of a league-wide evolution toward players with box-safety bodies who can defend the run against heavy personnel but also play in space (Emmanwori is 6-3 and 220 pounds). Detroit’s Brian Branch, a Pro Bowler last year, and Baltimore’s Kyle Hamilton, a two-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler, are examples of how dynamic elite players in that role can be.
Emmanwori isn’t going to make the All-Pro team based on his preseason debut, but one thing Branch and Hamilton have in common when playing that role is how often their football instincts show up on game days. They quickly diagnose plays, then let their athleticism and playmaking abilities take over, leading to splash plays. Emmanwori has been doing that in practice, which is why the ball keeps finding him.
The question going into Thursday night is whether he can carry that into actual game action. The sky’s the limit on guys who can maximize that role he’s playing in Macdonald’s defense.
“Now we’re at the point where the standard is the standard,” Macdonald said of his expectations for Emmanwori. “Let’s do it all the time. One play at a time. If it takes 19 times, let’s do it 19 times. If it takes five, let’s do it five. And there’s a responsibility that comes with that because we’re expecting a lot.”
Battle out wide
Wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp are roster locks with clearly defined roles in Klint Kubiak’s offense. Everything else is seemingly up for grabs.
Jake Bobo (6-4, 211 pounds) is a big target with a wide catch radius. The 2023 undrafted free agent signee has great feet — demonstrated by his toe-tapping touchdowns against the Panthers and Cardinals as a rookie — and runs crisp routes. Bobo lacks top-end speed, but there’s a place for him as a weapon in the intermediate area of the field as well as the red zone.
Dareke Young (6-2, 225) has the ideal body type and straight-line speed to be a field-stretching outside receiver in this scheme. He hasn’t done much since joining the team as a seventh-round pick in 2022 (just two catches for 24 yards in the regular season), but he’s starting to come on strong during training camp. He’s willing to make tough catches over the middle, attacks the ball in the air and has the wheels to pull away from defenders on vertical routes.
Cody White (6-3, 227) tracks the ball as well as anyone on the team except for Smith-Njigba. The 26-year-old put that on display a couple of times last year, first with a 73-yard reception in the preseason (nullified by a holding penalty up front) and a 28-yard catch against the Rams in Week 9. White has been making plays in camp over the last two weeks, taking advantage of mistakes by defenders to break free for big gains.
Rookie receiver Tory Horton began camp behind all those veterans on the depth chart, but the fifth-round pick out of Colorado State took first-team reps in practice this week (at Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s expense), likely because of all the plays he made the first week of camp. Horton (6-2, 195) uses balance, speed and athleticism to separate from defenders at the top of routes and make tough catches when necessary.
That catch though. 😮💨
Powered by @Boeing pic.twitter.com/D4DqDWR9y7
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 2, 2025
He’s made such a strong first impression that cornerback Riq Woolen jokingly referred to him as “Jerry Rice Jr.” during a news conference.
“He’s a rookie and he’s competing with the big dogs,” Woolen said. “He’s been consistent out there, he’s making highlight plays, he’s catching over guys. That’s one thing I’ve been noticing from him.”
Extra edge rushers
The Seahawks’ top three edge rushers are DeMarcus Lawrence, Boye Mafe and Derick Hall. Seattle needs a fourth guy in the rotation until Uchenna Nwosu (knee) gets back on the field. Two players to watch on Thursday night are Tyreke Smith, a 2022 fifth-round pick, and Jamie Sheriff, a 2024 undrafted free agent signee who’s moonlighting as an off-ball linebacker.
“They’ve got to do their superpower,” Macdonald said of the edge rushers slotted behind Mafe, Hall and Lawrence. “Tyreke Smith is a great rusher, so bring that to the table.”
General manager John Schneider said Seattle cut tight end Noah Fant because the team felt it could use the cash savings to improve other position groups. Schneider didn’t name a specific spot, but it would make sense to reallocate those funds to the outside linebacker group if none of the young players flash in the preseason and Nwosu’s absence lingers into the regular season.
Smith and Sheriff may be able to keep Schneider off the phone lines if they show up big during these preseason games. They’ve both delivered splash plays before in the preseason. They’ll just need to take it up a notch this time around and take advantage of the organization’s desire to be more efficient with its cash spending. Otherwise, it’s not hard to imagine Schneider seeing how long it would take a veteran free agent like Jadeveon Clowney or Za’Darius Smith to get into game shape.
(Photo of Nick Emmanwori: Ryan Sun / Associated Press)