The Seahawks special teams is not off to a great start in one key area

When the Seattle Seahawks slogged their way through a pretty uninspired preseason, the special teams concern was the performance of Jason Myers , who missed five kicks over three games. Myers has been perfect on his field goals and extra points, which is a big relief.

But through three weeks of the regular season, the Seahawks have a different special teams issue that definitely was not a problem in 2025.

The Seahawks are one of the worst teams at defending kick returns

Last season, Jay Harbaugh's unit allowed only 24 yards per kick return, tied for fourth-fewest in the NFL and almost two full yards below the league average. Seattle allowed 81 returns (second-most in the league) while Jason Myers had a career-low 17.5% touchback rate, so the Seahawks having a high-scoring offense was only part of the equation. This was a team that was willing to put the ball in play and limit the opposition to much worse field position than a touchback at the 35.

According to Stathead , the average starting field position for Seahawks opponents off of kickoffs was their own 28, the worst in the NFL (well, best, if you look at it from Seattle's perspective).

With Week 3 almost wrapped up, the Seahawks rank 30th in yards per return allowed at 30.1 . They have already allowed five of 11 kickoffs to be run back for at least 30 yards. In 2025, the Seahawks only allowed eight such returns. The average starting field position for Seahawks opponents off of kickoffs is their own 32, which is worse than league average and includes touchbacks and illegal kicks that bring the ball to the 40.

I'm no film expert, but the Seahawks look to be having trouble with outside contain and getting off their blocks in the first place. In none of these returns is the returner contacted until they're just about at the 30.

I stress that this is only a kickoff return problem, because the Seahawks are the only team in the NFL yet to even allow a punt return.

If the Seahawks coverage unit cannot consistently make returns significantly better than a 35-yard line touchback, then Jason Myers might as well just kick more touchbacks when possible. Seattle has been really, close to letting a big return break and the dam might burst sooner rather than later.

Losing Dareke Young , Cody White , and Jake Bobo could be looming large

The Seahawks didn't lose too many players from last season's roster, but 15 of those kick return tackles last year came from current Las Vegas Raiders , Dareke Young and Cody White. Young was second behind Brady Russell in kick return tackles, while White had six before suffering a season-ending injury. Jake Bobo is still on the team but on injured reserve for the year. That's a combined 407 special teams snaps lost to injury or departures. Seattle usually had at least one of those three receivers on kick coverage duties, and during the playoffs (when White was on IR) the Seahawks had Bobo and Young together.

It's not nothing that Montorie Foster Jr, star of Hard Knocks and one of the preseason standouts over the summer, has been a healthy scratch for two games. Foster played seven special teams snaps (three punts, four kickoffs) and that's the extent of his action up to this point. Seattle has played two straight games without a receiver covering kicks.

After Week 4, Irv Charles is available to come off injured reserve. There is zero chance he's going to do anything on offense, not when he's pushing 30 and has zero career targets. But he was acquired in the offseason because , when healthy, he's supposed to be a very valuable special teams contributor.

In his last healthy season (2024), Charles was part of kick coverage duties on the New York Jets , but kick coverage stats prior to 2025 are a different beast when touchback rates were north of 65 percent under the old rules. The ball is now in play on kickoffs an overwhelming majority of the time, so Charles can justify double-digit snaps weekly upon return.

Despite everything I've said about the kick returns, the Seahawks have curiously allowed just one touchdown drive after a kickoff, and that was back on opening night versus the New England Patriots . But the knock-on effect of allowing the opposition to start with reasonably good to great field position is, should a punt be forced, you're most likely backed up. The margin for error for giving up at least a field goal attempt is, at most, 25-ish yards if the other team is anywhere from its own 30 or better. That's asking too much of any defense, not accounting for when they're defending their own territory off of turnovers like we saw in the Washington Commanders game.

This is comparatively not a high priority fix for Seattle compared to the run game inconsistencies, pre-snap penalties, and low red zone struggles, but it's one of those "little things" that is currently not in the Seahawks' favor.