Seahawks’ preseason opener: New offense, OL, Grey Zabel all sublime in tie with Raiders
The Seahawks said they were done with subpar offensive-line play. They acted that way all offseason.
They hired new line coaches. They changed the multiple blocking schemes they were failing at, for years, to focus on one. Their first draft pick was a guard. Grey Zabel in April became Seattle’s highest-selected interior offensive lineman in 24 years, since they took eventual Hall of Famer Steve Hutchinson in the first round.
Thursday night, the first “game” with this new O-line approach was more than better.
By Seahawks’ recent standards, it was sublime.
Zabel absolutely dominated the Raiders’ starting defensive tackle lined up over him, getting him benched. Then he dominated his replacement. Not that the rookie was gloating afterward.
“Learned every play,” he said at his locker over boomin’ bass from the team stereo.
The line with three starters steamrolled Las Vegas defenders in new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s new outside-zone running scheme. Rookie fullback — yes, Seattle will have a fullback this season — Robbie Ouzts threw a block that created George Holani’s 24-yard touchdown run.
Rookie second-round pick Nick Emmanwori had a tackle on a run blitz in two drives as an off-ball, slot defensive back — only one of his many starring roles in training camp.
Camp co-star Tory Horton had a spinning, 10-yard touchdown catch from backup quarterback Drew Lock.
Rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe replaced Lock. The third-round pick connected with undrafted rookie Tyrone Broden on a rollout pass into the red zone. That set up a touchdown run by rookie Jacardia Wright in the fourth quarter.
And the Seahawks began their 50th year of NFL football in Seattle with deep reserves blowing a 16-3 lead in the second half of a 23-23 tie with former coach Pete Carroll’s Raiders at Lumen Field. Seattle rookie linebacker Jalan Gaines blocked Daniel Carlson’s 55-yard field goal with no time left. Carroll winced and threw back his head seeing that from the Raiders sideline.
There are no overtimes anymore in the league’s preseason. “You felt the physicality,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said of his O-line. “They gave us a couple pressures there early that we weren’t necessarily expecting. We were able to identify the front, get everything targeted.
“And sustaining blocks, I thought, was really good.”
Zabel, the Seahawks’ first rookie draft pick was the best lineman on the field in the two drives and 19 snaps he played, starting at left guard as he will week one against San Francisco.
Starting next to his North Dakota State University teammate Jalen Sundell playing center, Zabel pushed around Jonah Laulu so much on Seattle’s opening possession — including three times far off the ball of running plays — the Raiders’ starting defensive tackle began the second drive by grabbing Zabel and spinning him around. That was the first of Laulu’s two defensive-holding penalties in five snaps. Carroll’s coaching staff removed Laulu from the game.
Zabel blamed himself for allowing himself to get held.
"I mean, at the end of the day, my shoulder pad has got to be down so he doesn’t have the chance to hold me and I can get to the second level,” he said. “So sometimes you look at that, you think maybe you got bailed out a bit by the refs by not getting to the second level. But at the end of the day, if I just have lower shoulder pads, that doesn’t happen.”
Zabel, the 18th pick in this year’s draft at Hutchinson’s recommendation, then dominated Laulu’s replacement, too. Zabel drove Las Vegas’ Tonka Hemingway 7 yards off the ball into the turf on a running play. He blocked Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson.
He blocked everybody.
Zabel had three knockdowns in his two drives. Zero Raiders got anywhere close to going past him in 19 snaps over two drives. Asked if anything surprised him from his first NFL game, Zabel said yes.
“I would just have to say, I know the 12s and Lumen Field gets loud,” he said, “but wow, that was remarkable. Especially at the end of the game there how loud it got when our defense was out there on third down.
“I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I was surprised how awesome our fans were tonight. This goes to show that we got one of the best fan bases in the United States.”
Already a Seattle favorite, on and off the field.
The line had fellow starters Abe Lucas at right tackle and Anthony Bradford at right guard, and veteran backup Josh Jones playing left tackle because starter Charles Cross had surgery on a dislocated finger. Coaches and teammates were congratulating them, tapping them on the shoulder pads at the bench following their bulldozing drives.
They created large, easy pockets for Lock. He competed 12 of 22 passes for 147 yards and the TD to Horton, with the interception. Of Horton, playing his first game since a knee injury in October 2024 ended his college career at Colorado State, Lock said: “He’s FAST. He’s really fast.” Lock praised his linemen for how physical they were, particularly in run blocking coaches are drilling them so hard each day.
Jalen Milroe’s game one
Playing in front of his immediate family plus his aunt and uncle, Milroe entered to begin the third quarter with the Seahawks leading 16-3. The third-round pick from Alabama, only the third quarterback general manager John Schneider has taken in 16 Seattle drafts, completed his first pass on his third snap, to Jake Bobo for 5 yards.
On his second snap, the quarterback who ran for 32 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Alabama scrambled up the middle with no receiver open down field, gaining 11 yards. But the play didn’t count because officials penalized rookie backup center Federico Maranges for holding.
Milroe took off around right end on an option keeper in the fourth quarter, zooming past Raiders like no Seahawks QB has in a minute, maybe ever. That gained 26 yards. He had three carries for 38 yards, plus the 11 that didn’t count.
More encouraging for coaches: He completed 5 of his first 6 passes, for 47 yards. But he missed tight end Marshall Lang throwing while rolling out of fourth and 1 near midfield leading 23-20 with 4 minutes left. A better pass, or Milroe running instead there again, may have clinched Seattle’s win 23-20.
Milroe said he had the option to run there, and that he wanted to see the game film of the play to determine if he should have.
“Of course an incompletion we have to look: How can we be better on that play,” he said.
“But the best thing for me...Coach trusted me on fourth down to make a play. So, I just give thanks to Coach Kubiak, Coach Macdonald, because they kept the offense on the field and allowed us the opportunity to advance downs.”
The Raiders converted the turnover on downs to the tying field goal with 1:12 left. Milroe got the ball back in a tie game late. But a second-down pass to Broden was just wide out of bounds. On third down, Milroe got pressure up the middle he couldn’t escaped and got sacked.
“Can’t take a sack there,” Milroe said.
“What a dream come true, to play my first NFL game, and in Lumen Field,” Milroe said.
“Now, (let’s) try to build upon that.
“It was just awesome.”
Macdonald sounded pleased with Milroe’s debut.
“I thought Jalen played well. I thought he made good decisions,” the head coach said. “Operation-wise there are some things we want to be a little cleaner on.
“Throwing the ball accurately, throwing it on time, and then when it wasn’t there, extending plays with his legs I thought was really cool. Made some good decisions in the quarterback-driven game with how they’re playing their edges.”
Bulldozing first half
The Seahawks’ offensive line pushed Raiders off the ball. It created vast cutback lanes for Holani, starting with lead back Kenneth Walker and number-two Zach Charbonnet resting, to rush for 61 yards in the first 1 1/2 quarters.
The O-line is why the Seahawks rolled to 132 yards and seven points in those first two drives. It likely would have been two scores in two possessions, but Lock threw an interception from the Las Vegas 30-yard line to end the first drive.
The O-line is why Seattle led 16-3 with 222 total yards and seven conversions on 10 third downs by halftime. The Seahawks had 75 yards rushing in the first half.
They didn’t rush for 75 yards over five complete games last season. The Seahawks finished with 170 yards rushing. “Oh, yeah, shout out to the bigs, man,” Holani said.
Seattle didn’t convert seven or more third downs in 13 of its 17 games last season.
Kubiak and new offensive line coaches Rick Dennison and John Benton, with 47 years of coaching NFL O-lines combined, could not have hoped for a better first performance by its remade blockers and the scheme.
Pete Carroll’s return
Carroll, who turns 74 next month, chomped his gum and walked the sidelines in his white Air Monarchs under Raiders silver khakis and white team shirt with the team’s pirate, eye-patch logo.
During early pregame warmups he hugged his former Seahawks players, coaches and staffers. He went over at midfield to embrace Seattle tight end and special-teams ace Brady Russell at midfield. Carroll gave Russell his Seattle chance after Philadelphia released him in September 2023.
It was his first time in Lumen Field, but not his first time in Seattle, since the Seahawks fired him in January 2024, after 15 seasons as the franchise’s chief football authority. He talked warmly and at length on the field during pregame warmups with Schneider, his Seattle GM for all those 15 years.
Nick Emmanwori only a safety
Macdonald has had rookie second-round pick Nick Emmanwori all over his defense in training-camp practices. He’s been a post safety deep in coverage, a “big nickel” extra defensive back near the line against the run, an outside linebacker, blitzing off the edge — all over.
Thursday night, the defensive maestro kept his versatile new weapon mostly under wraps. Emmanwori was only a slot defensive back. He was in coverage down the field for all but one play. That was a blitz off the left edge from slot coverage. He chased down Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty on a run to the opposite side for a tackle.
Like Zabel, Emmanwori left after playing two series. It was 7-0 Seahawks when he left.
Robbie Ouzts’ debut
The offense’s physicality included Kubiak using I formation a dozen times in the first half. He used two tight ends, and three on two third-and-short situations.
The new look also included a fullback. Yes, the new coordinator Kubiak is bringing that to the Seahawks this season, too.
Ouzts, the 275-pound fifth-round pick who was a tight end at Alabama, stood up Raiders edge defender Chris Smith, a safety, at the point of attack. That allowed second-year back George Holani to romp on a 24-yard touchdown run around left end.
That ended a 10-play, 75-yard drive against a Raiders defense playing mostly starters on Seattle’s second possession. Yes, it’s a new-old era of Seahawks offense, at times looking like 1970s power-I. “You can trust Robbie,” Milroe said.
They played together the last four years at Alabama.
Geno Smith returns, plays early
Former Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith started for the Raiders. He played one series. On his final play he threw a short swing pass to his running back on third down into the turf incomplete. He completed 1 of 3 passes.
The Seahawks traded Smith to Carroll’s Raiders in March. Days later, they signed free-agent Sam Darnold from Minnesota to replace Smith.
Sam Darnold’s night (all pregame)
New Seahawks starting quarterback Sam Darnold did not play.
Darnold’s night consisted of early pregame throws to Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The new, veteran wide receivers with 17 combined years of NFL experience didn’t play, either.
Darnold, Kupp and Valdes-Scantling took snaps and throws in uniform during full pregame warmups. It was his first time in his Seahawks home, navy-over-navy uniforms, number 14.
Macdonald said this week Darnold and the team’s veteran starters will play next week when the Kansas City Chiefs come to Lumen Field for the second preseason game.
This story was originally published August 7, 2025 at 10:19 PM.
