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The Seattle Seahawks have not found a dependable answer when their early-down run game stalls, and Bryce Coutts believes that delay is helping create the offense’s slow starts. In an appearance on Locked On Seahawks, The Hawk’s Eye Podcast host said coordinator Brian Fleury stuck with rushing calls too long in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders rather than using play-action and screens to change the picture for a defense committed to stopping the run.
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Coutts said Washington’s early approach should have declared the adjustment quickly: Seattle could not run efficiently on first down. He wanted Fleury to use the pass to set up the run, including play-action throws and horizontal screens that would force defenders to widen before the Seahawks returned to the ground game.
That is a meaningful issue for Seattle because its offense has relied on second-half corrections through three games. Coutts said he likes much of what Fleury has installed, particularly route concepts that allow quarterback Sam Darnold to progress through reads quickly. But he identified the coordinator’s first-half adaptation as the early concern, arguing the offense cannot regularly settle for single-digit first halves while its defense faces short fields.
The ground-game issues have been complicated by right guard Anthony Bradford (knee and hip), who is on injured reserve. Seattle announced Sept. 24 that Christian Haynes and rookie Beau Stephens would continue rotating in Bradford’s place. Coutts argued that instability affects the blocking combinations around center Jalen Sundell, especially on double teams and climbs to the second level.
Coutts would lean toward Haynes as the more consistent option at right guard because of his experience handling stunts and other in-game adjustments. The Seahawks have publicly committed to the rotation, however, leaving Fleury to find calls that work around a line still searching for continuity.
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Seattle’s next opportunity comes Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers at Lumen Field. If the Chargers similarly load the box on early downs, the Seahawks cannot afford another extended wait for their counterpunch.
Seahawks News and Notes
– Rookie running back Jadarian Price has fumbled in consecutive games, but Coutts expects Seattle to keep giving him touches rather than abandon him. He said more work can help Price rebuild confidence, while opponents will now look to strip him.
– Darnold’s pick-six against Washington stood apart from an earlier interception that bounced off a helmet, Coutts said. He added that Seattle must accept some risk from a quarterback willing to attack tight windows, especially because Darnold immediately responded with a deep completion to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
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This story was originally published September 29, 2026 at 8:39 PM.