A new era for the Seattle Seahawks under head coach Mike Macdonald also means plenty of new highlights. After Seattle receiver Jake Bobo made an epic goal-line dive in practice, teammate D.K. Metcalf must have told him, “Hold my Gatorade.”

Metcalf connected with starting quarterback Geno Smith and, to outdo Bobo, did it with one hand. During camp, Smith stressed that he needed to work on his chemistry with Metcalf. Well, throwing a perfect dime to Metcalf like that is a step in the right direction.

Metcalf is entering his sixth year as a Seahawk. Last year, he scored eight touchdowns and had 66 receptions for 1,114 yards. His best season was undoubtedly the 2020 season when he scored ten touchdowns and had 83 receptions for 1,303 yards. Metcalf is looking to go even further this year with a rebooted Seahawks offense under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Based on early returns like these during camp, Seattle is primed to turn a corner with Metcalf and Smith supercharging the offense.

Can the Seahawks win the NFC West behind Geno Smith and DK Metcalf?

It’s a new era in Seattle. Pete Carroll is no longer head coach, and Macdonald is now at the helm. Thankfully for Macdonald, the Seahawks have continuity on their roster to ease the first-time head coach into the NFC West, one of the NFL’s toughest divisions.

Unfortunately, that continuity is also a double-edged sword for Seattle. Sure, the Seahawks were able to nab Byron Murphy and Christian Haynes in the 2024 NFL Draft to patch some of their issues. However, there are still flaws on this Seattle roster that could come back to bite them, especially if Smith remains a so-so signal caller.

It wasn’t all on Smith either, mind you. The Seahawks dropped 30 passes (ninth-most in the NFL) and gave up 229 pressures (sixth-most), while Smith still led the league in game-winning drives. While the highlight plays that Metcalf and Bobo are putting on in training camp are nice, the hope is they translate to the field this year. If they do, Seattle should have more than a fighting chance to make some noise in the division.

The question is how far that noise will take the Seahawks. They play in the same division as the San Francisco 49ers, an odds-on Super Bowl favorite, and the Los Angeles Rams, a veteran team that is a legitimate playoff threat. With the roster mostly the same as last year, will Seattle get similar results? The Seahawks finished 2-4 in the division last season, with its two wins coming against the lowly Cardinals, who finished 4-13 overall.