The Seattle Seahawks will begin their 2024 regular-season campaign against the Denver Broncos in Sunday’s Week 1 matchup. It will mark the official debut of the Mike Macdonald era. With that in mind, we’ve identified three Seahawks players who will serve as X-factors towards determining Sunday’s outcome.
Anthony Bradford
Sophomore guard Anthony Bradford won the right guard job, defeating rookie Christian Haynes in a positional battle. Bradford’s Year Two development (or lack thereof) will go a long way towards determining whether the Seahawks’ offensive line improves this season or not. The second-year guard could draw some difficult matchups against Zach Allen and D.J. Jones.
Jarran Reed
Jarran Reed is listed as the starting defensive end for a second consecutive campaign. Dual-threat Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix will be making his debut versus the Seahawks on Sunday. Macdonald’s defense must maintain gap integrity with a balanced pass-rushing plan to keep Nix contained in the pocket. Reed will be crucial to Seattle’s effort to minimize the rookie quarterback’s escapability.
Jerome Baker
Off-ball linebacker Jerome Baker was signed in free agency to help the franchise replace the legendary Bobby Wagner. He missed the majority of spring workouts after undergoing offseason wrist surgery, and later hurt his hamstring that forced him to miss sizable chunks of training camp and all of the preseason. The Seahawks have been ramping up Baker’s practice participation in preparation for Week 1, and he’ll be key to slowing down Broncos running back Javonte Williams.
