Seattle Seahawks Poised For Breakout Entering Training Camp

Breaking in new schemes on both sides of the football, Jaxon Smith-Njigba stands out among others as potential breakout candidates for the Seahawks in 2024.

Expectations are sky high for Jaxon Smith-Njigba entering year two with the Seattle Seahawks, while Mike Jackson could be a wild card to watch thriving in Mike Macdonald's defense. /

After months of anticipation, the Seattle Seahawks will open their first training camp under the direction of new coach Mike Macdonald on July 24 with plenty of buzz surrounding the franchise entering a new era.

Looking towards the 2024 season, which Seahawk looks primed for a breakout year playing under a new staff with new schemes on both sides of the football? Our writing staff dished out their picks examining who will benefit the most from the arrival of Macdonald and company:

In the shadows of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, Smith-Njigba got off to a slow start as a rookie and he didn't have any games with more than 70 receiving yards. But he wound up eclipsing 60 receptions and 600 receiving yards with four touchdowns despite not being a heavily featured part of Shane Waldron's offense, closing the year on a strong note as his chemistry with Geno Smith improved, and caught two game-winning scores. As evidenced in OTAs and minicamp when he caught touchdowns in bunches this spring, he should flourish in coordinator Ryan Grubb’s explosive scheme and could supplant Lockett as the team’s No. 2 receiver. -Corbin Smith

The addition of offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is the biggest X-Factor for the Seahawks in 2024. He led a prolific offense for Washington that went to the National Championship Game last season with a trio of excellent receivers. After Shane Waldron misused Smith-Njigba last season, this offense is built for him to thrive. While he might be at his best in the slot, Grubb’s play structure with the use of condensed sets and spacing in the open field will maximize the quick twitch route running of Smith-Njigba. It will be difficult for defenses to key in on him with the presence of DK Metcalf, making him primed to emerge onto the national stage. -Tyler Forness

Mike Jackson

Even though Tre Brown is arguably Seattle’s better cover corner, Jackson is the perfect player opposite of former Pro Bowler Riq Woolen in head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense. Jackson is a hard-nosed player who has been a willing run defender throughout his career and plays with a rare physicality near the line of scrimmage from the cornerback position. He’s a more complete player than Brown when you add in his coverage abilities. Jackson was the Seahawks’ second highest graded cornerback in coverage last season (76.9 grade), per Pro Football Focus, behind only Devon Witherspoon — also ranking 25th in the NFL among corners with at least 200 snaps. He was also second to Witherspoon in run-defense (71.5), and that is clear as day on the tape. Jackson has just one interception in 38 games played with Seattle, but he has 19 pass deflections in that span and 111 tackles. Macdonald needs a bruiser opposite of Woolen, and Jackson will provide that during the best season of his career in 2024. -Connor Benintendi

Zach Charbonnet

The Seahawks aren’t going to go through the entire season with one running back. That just doesn’t happen in today's NFL anymore. While Ken Walker III is super talented and productive when healthy, Charbonnet might get a larger role. His skillset is much different than Walker’s and it might even be one Mike Macdonald and Ryan Grubb favor more with his physical, north and south style. I expect a bigger workload for the UCLA product in year two and maybe even a 100 yard game or two as he takes a bigger piece of the backfield pie. -Nick Lee

Check out breakout candidates for all 32 NFL teams via Sports Illustrated team reporters here.