6 Players to Watch in Seattle Seahawks Preseason Opener at Los Angeles Chargers

With starters unlikely to play much, all eyes will be on rookies and veteran newcomers making their Seahawks debuts with plenty at stake in the preseason opener.

Jul 27, 2024; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. (81) carries the ball after making a catch during training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

After concluding the first phase of training camp on Thursday, the Seattle Seahawks will open their preseason schedule against the Los Angeles Chargers on the road with several players looking to impress Mike Macdonald and a new coaching staff.

Though quarterback Geno Smith won't see any snaps, Macdonald indicated several starters would play for Seattle on Saturday, particularly on the defensive side of the football where he wants a chance to evaluate players running his scheme in game action. With that said, preseason games still offer the most importance for incoming rookies and veterans squarely on the roster bubble, and that will certainly be the case for the Seahawks this weekend.

Which players should fans keep close tabs on when the Seahawks battle the Chargers at SoFi Stadium? Six players to watch in the first week of the preseason:

Laviska Shenault

Looking to revive his career after a couple down seasons in Carolina, Shenault has had a rock solid training camp for the Seahawks, including catching a pair of long touchdowns from Sam Howell. Continuing to showcase that chemistry with the backup quarterback in game action will help his chances of sticking around as a complementary weapon behind DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but his impact on special teams may hold even more value. Having 50 career carries on his resume, his background as a gadget running back should benefit him immensely with the new kickoff rule turning the return into a run style play, and impressing in that department out of the gate in the preseason could lock up his roster spot.

Despite a productive college career at Boise State, Holani didn't hear his name called at the 2024 NFL Draft, but that hasn't stopped him from turning heads as Seahawks camp. Delivering punishing blows as a runner and flashing soft hands out of the backfield, he has emerged as a viable candidate to win Seattle's third down back role and finds himself entrenched in a tight competition against second-year runner Kenny McIntosh. With much at stake heading into Saturday in a neck-and-neck battle, if he's able to continue blasting through defenders with a bruising running style and hold his own as a pass protector and receiver to go with special teams contributions, his odds of crashing onto the 53-man roster will only improve.

McClendon Curtis

After playing right guard for the first team offense throughout OTAs and minicamp, Curtis doesn't look like he will be starting for the Seahawks when the season begins on September 8, but he may be the team's most valuable reserve and has enjoyed a strong camp to this point. Now playing right tackle behind George Fant as another insurance option with Abraham Lucas still recovering from knee surgery on the PUP list, he has earned the trust of line coach Scott Huff by excelling at multiple positions and likely will start Saturday's preseason opener. Coming off a somewhat shaky mock scrimmage, he will look to impress going against the Chargers and cement his roster spot as a do-it-all swing linemen with potential starter upside down the line.

Byron Murphy II

For those still waiting to jump aboard the Murphy hype train, fans will get a first look at the uber-athletic, disruptive defensive linemen in his NFL debut. To this point, the former Texas star has lived up to lofty expectations in training camp, dominating teammates with ferocious bull rushes and an elite first step as a penetrator since the pads came on late last month. In a real football setting where he will finally be able to bring ball carriers to the ground, it will be intriguing to see how he fares playing against another team, and with Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed unlikely to play much or at all, he should get plenty of chances to show off his well-rounded game at SoFi Stadium.

Tyrice Knight

Aside from Murphy, none of Seattle's incoming draft picks may have a better opportunity to build momentum rolling into the regular season than Knight. The fourth-round pick out of UTEP has received a ton of work with the first team in place of an injured Jerome Baker over the past couple weeks and he's steadily becoming more comfortable in Macdonald's defense at the weakside linebacker spot. Thrust into a game situation as a likely starter against the Chargers, after racking up 140 combined tackles and double digit tackles for loss in his final college season, he will look to prove his nose for the football translates to the next level in the preseason opener and position himself to possibly see action on Sundays as a rookie.

One of two new safeties brought in during free agency, Wallace's communication skills, understanding of the game, high energy, and versatility have been on display throughout training camp while logging significant snaps with the first-team defense at both safety spots as well as big nickel. While he may not be a starter at this stage, he looks primed to play substantial snaps in Macdonald's defense as well as on special teams and with Julian Love and possibly Rayshawn Jenkins not playing much on Saturday, he should play quite a bit in Los Angeles with a chance to introduce himself to Seahawks fans making plays defending the run, blitzing, and covering receivers and tight ends.