Seahawks Press — 2026-07-26#
Top Takeaway#
Julian Love revealed that head coach Mike Macdonald is using the 1991 Chicago Bulls as a blueprint for this year’s defense, urging established stars to sacrifice personal stats to maintain their championship standard and “12 is one” mentality.
Press Conferences & Interviews#
Julian Love / Safety Love explained that the defensive backfield’s versatility—specifically noting Emmanwori, Witherspoon, and Ty Kat—is their “superpower” against heavy 13 personnel offensive packages. He highlighted Macdonald’s focus on team-building, pointing to a team meeting where the head coach used Michael Jordan’s eventual buy-in to Phil Jackson’s system to emphasize selflessness to D-line stars like Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy, and Jarran Reed. Love was candid about the conscious effort to integrate the 30% of the roster that is new, actively avoiding a “clique” mentality from last year’s returning core. He also praised the return of D’Anthony Bell, who was painfully cut right before last year’s Super Bowl run, noting the playmaking safety will get a chance to fill in for “Nick”.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba / Wide Receiver JSN is visibly relieved to have his contract extension finalized, noting that the team is focused on brushing off last year’s Super Bowl win to create a “new story”. He provided a major scheme hint regarding new offensive coordinator Brian Flurry, stating the offense will lean into “smashmouth football” that focuses on fundamentals and turning short passes into long runs after the catch. JSN also praised veteran receiver Cooper Kupp as an “extra coach” who made a spectacular one-handed diving catch down the left sideline in practice. Defensively, he noted that new addition Jackson Law arrived at camp last night and immediately brought a “killer mode” to the building.
Injury & Roster Updates#
Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba confirmed his contract extension is officially done, getting the weight off his shoulders so he can focus on year two with quarterback Sam Darnold. Safety D’Anthony Bell has returned to the team after missing out on last year’s playoff run and is slated to fill in for “Nick” in the secondary. Defensive addition Jackson Law reported to camp last night, and rookie defensive back Bud Clark is already bringing significant swagger and “country boy” energy to the DB room.
Reading Between the Lines#
The coaching staff is making a concerted effort to physically punish teams this year, with JSN explicitly calling out Brian Flurry’s offensive mandate to “keep punching it down their throats”. Defensively, Macdonald is heavily cross-training the secondary to play positionless football, a direct counter to offenses deploying three-tight-end sets, signaling we will see players like Love, Witherspoon, and Emmanwori moving all over the chess board.