NASHVILLE—The Seahawks will continue their preparation for the 2026 season on Sunday with a preseason game against the Tennessee Titans, closing out a trip to Nashville that included a joint practice on Friday.
With Seattle's starters getting in a lot of good work during practice against Tennessee's starters, it's likely we won't see much, if any, playing time from the top players—Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has not disclosed if any starters will play—but regardless of who plays, there will be plenty of intriguing things to keep an eye on in Sunday evening's game at Nissan Stadium.
1. Does the operation improve after a subpar showing in the preseason opener?
The Seahawks lost their first preseason game to the Cowboys, and coming out of the game, Mike Macdonald's biggest takeaway was that the team didn't operate very well on offense or defense.
"Our process needs to improve," he said after the game. "That's really the biggest take-away really in both phases, on offense and defense. Our operation is not up to par, and how we're finishing plays is not up to par. That will be a focus moving forward, but it's good to know. You know, I'm glad we know now on the things we need to be able to do to take our team to the next level. We have a great opportunity to go figure it out. We have a big week coming up. A couple of great practices, opportunities. Then off to Tennessee we go. Have a great practice and play another great game and move forward. That's where we're at."
Macdonald elaborated that the issues were in a number of areas, including, "how we get calls in, how we take the line, how we motion, how we shift, how we get lined up on defense, how we communicate. All those things need to take a very big jump very quickly, but it's good to know. Now we know it, so let's go get it."
While it's still only August and probably not realistic to expect a team shuffling lineups to play a flawless game, Macdonald does want to see his team take a step in the right direction in Sunday's game.
2. Can Noah Igbinoghene or Nehemiah Pritchett make a statement in the cornerback competition?
Among the players with the most to gain on Sunday night might be cornerbacks Nehemiah Pritchett and Noah Igbinoghene, who are currently in a battle for the third cornerback spot behind Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe.
Both have had strong camps and have a real shot to emerge with a big role in the defense come the regular season, but in addition to competing with each other, those two also might have to fend off free-agent signing Trevon Diggs, a former All-Pro who will need some time to get up to speed, but who figures to factor into that competition at some point.
"It's still rolling," Macdonald said of the competition for that spot. "We're trying to figure out what the best combinations we have in our secondary are going into the season. Noah's right there, Mighty's (Pritchett) right there. Got a couple of other guys in the mix."
3. Does the receiver depth step up?
The Seahawks suffered an unfortunate blow on Friday, losing receiver Jake Bobo to a season-ending knee injury, but while Bobo will be missed, the Seahawks have a lot of receiver depth and there is now an opportunity for someone to take on a bigger role. Seattle's top four of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed and Tory Horton seems pretty set—though Horton is currently sidelined by an undisclosed injury—but beyond those four, it's pretty wide open with Bobo out. That makes this Sunday's game and next week's preseason finale in Kansas City big opportunities for the likes of Cody White, Ricky White III, Montorie Foster Jr., Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Irv Charles and Rashad Rochelle, who had a big punt return last weekend. As is always the case for players trying to earn the final roster spots at any given position, special teams play will be crucial.
