The 2024 Seattle Seahawks had a season of ups and downs, evidently seen by the offense.
While there were highs with Geno Smith setting franchise records, a nearly nonexistent run game limited the heights the unit could reach. And so, changes have been made, none bigger than Ryan Grubb being fired and Klint Kubiak coming in to take his place.
Why move on from Ryan Grubb?
Grubb came in after a great year with the Washington Huskies, where he served as the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
He led Heisman candidate Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies to the National Championship Game. That one season with Washington had Seattle excited about what Grubb could bring to the offense, but ultimately, the trial only lasted one season.
Head Coach Mike Macdonald spoke about Grubb’s departure, saying, “It’s really as simple as, I felt like the direction our offense was going was different than the vision I had for our team, and I felt like it was a necessary decision at this point.” As well as “It’s just that my vision for our offense just ultimately was different from where I thought Ryan thought it was going.”
Macdonald was speaking about a direction Seahawks fans are familiar with: running the ball and playing complementary football.
How does Klint Kubiak fit in the Seahawks offense?
The easiest way to analyze this is to look at the Saints’ offense in 2024.
But there’s something to note with that. The Saints battled numerous injuries along the offensive line that severely hampered their numbers. Despite this, they still managed to finish in the top 15 in rushing yards and yards per attempt. They also only allowed 37 sacks all season, good enough for 13th in the league and much better than the Seahawks’ 54 (29th).
This tells you that Kubiak can make the most out of his offensive line. Since the season ended, the one thing fans have been begging the front office to do is fix the offensive line. There haven’t been any moves yet, but this hire is a big step in the right direction.
Schematically, the Saints’ offense shows a team much more willing to play from under the center and run the ball. Part of that is due to injuries at quarterback and receiver. It’s also partly due to comparing it with a team that had a college coordinator who loved relying on the passing game.
With D.K. Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett, Seattle has the stars to throw to, but Geno Smith still needs some help. That help must come from the run game and the virtually nonexistent offensive line in 2024. Hence, seeing Smith set a franchise record in pass completions is unsurprising.
Kubiak will likely come in and emphasize the running game. A backfield duo of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet can be very dangerous, but they must be utilized correctly. In all honesty, shotgun run concepts just don’t work too well in the NFL.
When looking at the passing game, Rashid Shaheed stands out as a deep play threat. He was having quite a productive year before his injury. On the other side, Chris Olave could find the soft spots in coverage but was also hurt. It sounds like a one-two punch from Metcalf and Smith-Njigba.
Final Thoughts
There is plenty of talent on offer in Seattle’s offense.
It’s unfortunate that they’ve been underwhelming for the past two seasons. Many have put that blame on Geno Smith but he hasn’t been given enough help in a run game and the offensive line lately. This hire could be a great move, but it needs to be the first of many this offseason.
If the right pieces are brought in, we could be looking at a Super Bowl contender come next January.
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