5 new Seahawks the 49ers must be ready for in Week 1

The Seahawks made some significant changes to their roster.

Aug 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) looks to pass against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks are a division rival, so there are not many teams that San Francisco 49ers fans know more than this opponent in Week 1. However, the Seahawks did go through some offseason changes and have some notable personnel differences. 

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Sam Darnold 

The Seahawks will come in with a new offensive coordinator and new quarterback, and they are both intimately familiar with the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle moved on from Ryan Grubb and Geno Smith and will be starting Sam Darnold, who will play under Klint Kubiak. 

Smith was 1-4 against San Francisco with two touchdowns to five interceptions, so the 49ers would have had fears if they kept Smith. However, they may be more interested in facing Darnold, who was in the quarterback room with the 49ers coaches in 2023. Klint Kubiak was the passing game coordinator in 2023 as well, so while many teams may be thrown off by what these two were discussing, Kyle Shanahan was there. 

Either way, it is a fun narrative to watch. 

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Cooper Kupp 

Kupp is another familiar face after spending his entire career with the Los Angeles Rams. Kupp is expected to play more outside this season as the Seahawks will play a lot more 12-personnel due to Kubiak. He has only run 36% of his routes from the outside in his career, and last year it was at 33.3%. 

Still, with Deommodore Lenoir likely seeing a lot of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kupp will face off with Renardo Green in what will be a testy matchup for both.

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Demarcus Lawrence 

The 33-year-old edge rusher is looking to prove to the Dallas Cowboys that he still has a lot in the tank at this stage of his career. Lawrence will replace DreMont Jones on the Seahawks front, which is by far the strength of the team. Lawrence is coming off an injury-plagued 2024 season and will look to bounce back when he squares off with right tackle Colton McKivitz. 

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Grey Zabel 

The Seattle Seahawks took a plug-and-play starter in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft when they selected Zabel. The Kubiak scheme has added wide receivers and a new quarterback, but the heart of this offense is the running game. Zabel fits the scheme perfectly, and will be a tough matchup for the 49ers weak interior. 

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Nick Emmanwori 

How do the Seahawks use their second-round rookie? He played safety in college, but Mike MacDonald may view him similarly to his former draft pick, Kyle Hamilton. If Emmanwori can hit the ground running, then the team finally has someone who can physically defend George Kittle.