Next stop: Lumen Field, What Mike Macdonald said ahead of Seahawks season opener

The 2026 football season is here.

For the Seahawks, it means starting the NFL season for the entire nation, with the Hawks and New England Patriots serving as the opening game on Wednesday.

That means Labor Day Monday served as the final practice and press availability for the Seahawks before they hunker down and gear up for that first game.

Here are some last-minute bits of information from Mike Macdonald ahead of that game:

While the Seahawks aren't going to give away any state secrets ahead of kickoff, the mandatory NFL injury report is concerning:

Ty Okada did not practice for a second straight day.

While Nick Emmanwori is trending in the right direction, he's still limited at practice.

“Nick had his most work in the last couple of days. Looks great. He practiced limited today,” Mike Macdonald said of Emmanwori.

And, of course, Bud Clark lost his entire rookie year to a broken ankle in the preseason.

That creates something of an issue at safety, but also an opportunity for Rodney Thomas II and D'Anthony Bell.

“Rodney (Thomas II) had a great offseason. We’re really excited to be able to acquire him in the offseason. He has a lot of range, ball skills, physicality. I thought he played really well in the games when he was out there. He’s practiced great. Everybody that’s practiced with us and been here throughout camp would be excited to see him, excited with where they’re at. We feel like they could contribute to playing great football for us,” Macdonald said, adding of Bell, “Physicality, for sure. D-Bell is also another one of those guys that’s done a great job since he's been here. I know his journey is a little different and a little different than Rodney’s (Thomas II). It’s a 70-man roster and he’s a part of the 70, so we're excited about that.”

Other players to appear on the injury report were:

Anthony Bradford, who was upgraded to a full participant at practice, Tory Horton and Josh Jones, who were both limited. Emanuel Wilson and A.J. Barner appear on the list, but more as a formality, as both players have been fully practicing.

“We have a lot of guys that have earned opportunities to play, and we spend a lot of the offseason getting them ready to play, so whoever’s ready to play, we have a lot of faith in them playing good football for us. We’re two different football teams right now, so for us to dust off the last game plan and just say that’s what we’re going to run is overly irresponsible, nor is it the best thing for this team. We have a game plan and we’re going to try to execute it to the best of our ability. As coaches, we have to do a great job of understanding how the game is being played and be able to adjust, more so probably than any other game of the season because of it being Week 1 and both teams haven’t had to show their cards yet,” Macdonald said.

Of course, injuries are a part of life in the NFL, and the 'next man up' mentality is real and full of opportunity.

All of that said, the Seahawks are healthy at most positions, and now it's about heading into this opener with the same intent that got the Seahawks to the top of the mountain last year.

“We’ve had really, really great practices. We did some good things today. I thought our intent was right. I think understanding how we want to practice on Friday, it’s Friday today. How we want to practice on a Friday with a lot of the guys that haven't been here. Just being aligned in terms of the speed. It’s a combination, it's not as crazy of a practice that we're looking for, but we're looking for high-powered execution at the same time. We’re still connecting those dots to a certain extent, which is OK. I think the guys understand the week’s not over. We still have an opportunity to really nail some of these details that we want to get to going into the game. But very pleased on our intent, our attention to detail, but we're still not there yet. We got some i’s to dot and t’s to cross before the game,” Macdonald said.

That work is a continuation of what we saw all training camp, from the practices to eventually the preseason games. The Seahawks have been on the steady ascent toward that rematch with New England.

Macdonald was asked specifically about cleaning up the game operations from the preseason opener against Dallas to now.

“They have been on it. They’ve done a really nice job, coaches, players included. Sam’s (Darnold) really driving the bus on that front. Offensive line has bought in, they see it. I’m excited to see them do their thing.”

The first game is the one where your most recent film of the other team’s starters is from last year.

So, for the Seahawks, that's video of Super Bowl LX.

But the Seahawks always pride themselves on staying locked in on what they can control.

So there’s preparation for what the Patriots might do, to be sure, but the Seahawks plan to execute their game plan.

“I think you have to stick to your core competencies at the beginning of the game. You’re going to build out some possible answers as it goes, but it’s just really having an understanding of what you can do, who you guys are, how you feel, what they are trying to do, and then get to it. You’re doing that every game anyways, but I think the first game is different because they can do anything. You got to be ready for it,” Macdonald said.

While the team is focused on what happens on the field, there will be plenty of hoopla surrounding the defending champions, with the Super Bowl banner being raised and concerts surrounding the action.

Rest assured, the Hawks will take a moment to enjoy that banner.

But they're not thinking about it yet.

“I haven’t really thought about it. It’s ‘Friday’ right now. Right now, I’m thinking about the things I’m doing right after this, and then working on a little red zone, and then getting home.”