RENTON, Wash. \u2014 Mike Macdonald\u2019s Seahawks will make their preseason debut against Pete Carroll\u2019s Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night at Lumen Field. Macdonald has said he won\u2019t play most of his starters, whereas his predecessor is choosing not to reveal his plans.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s absence and will presumably do the same against the Raiders.<\/p>\n
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\u2019 situation is still fluid, Macdonald said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
So even though the offensive line is the position group that will determine Seattle\u2019s fate<\/a> 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\u2019s exhibition opener.<\/p>\n Big-time potential<\/p>\n Seattle\u2019s 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\u2019s case).<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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\u2019s one thing to throw a go ball deep down the sideline \u2014 which Milroe does very well \u2014 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\u2019ll be the steal of the draft.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the Jalen Milroe long ball to Ricky White, via the @Seahawks<\/a> IG https:\/\/t.co\/9fTAQuHvaq<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/2DKWMinZgE<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) August 6, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The most dangerous version of Milroe can threaten defenses in ways few quarterbacks can. He\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Macdonald said he wants Milroe to simply continue to progress as he\u2019s done since arriving in the spring.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to reinvent quarterback play, just do all the things that you\u2019ve been trained to do,\u201d Macdonald said. \u201cGo let it rip. Be decisive and be the quarterback and person that we drafted you to be, and that he\u2019s becoming out there every day. You guys see it, there\u2019s a lot of progress, a lot of things to be excited about and there\u2019s a lot of things we want to work on, too. I can\u2019t wait to watch it.\u201d<\/p>\n Emmanwori, pick No. 35 in the second round, is being groomed as a \u201cbig nickel\u201d defender who plays at the second level while Julian Love and Coby Bryant play the more traditional safety spots. Emmanwori\u2019s 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\u2019s Brian Branch, a Pro Bowler last year, and Baltimore\u2019s Kyle Hamilton, a two-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler, are examples of how dynamic elite players in that role can be.<\/p>\n Emmanwori isn\u2019t 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n The question going into Thursday night is whether he can carry that into actual game action. The sky\u2019s the limit on guys who can maximize that role he\u2019s playing in Macdonald\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n \u201cNow we\u2019re at the point where the standard is the standard,\u201d Macdonald said of his expectations for Emmanwori. \u201cLet\u2019s do it all the time. One play at a time. If it takes 19 times, let\u2019s do it 19 times. If it takes five, let\u2019s do it five. And there\u2019s a responsibility that comes with that because we\u2019re expecting a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Battle out wide<\/p>\n Wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp are roster locks with clearly defined roles in Klint Kubiak\u2019s offense. Everything else is seemingly up for grabs.<\/p>\n Jake Bobo (6-4, 211 pounds) is a big target with a wide catch radius. The 2023 undrafted free agent signee has great feet \u2014 demonstrated by his toe-tapping touchdowns against the Panthers and Cardinals as a rookie \u2014 and runs crisp routes. Bobo lacks top-end speed, but there\u2019s a place for him as a weapon in the intermediate area of the field as well as the red zone.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t 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\u2019s starting to come on strong during training camp. He\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n That catch though. \ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8<\/p>\n Powered by @Boeing<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/D4DqDWR9y7<\/a><\/p>\n