Seahawks begin Super Bowl title defense with unknown

Running back Jadarian Price, the first-round draft pick by Seattle in the 2026 NFL Draft, is expected to start for the Seahawks on Wednesday in the season opener against the new England Patriots. (Getty Images / The Athletic) Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury will serve as a team's primary playcaller for the first time in his career. (Photo courtesy of the Seattle Seahawks) RENTON, Wash. — As a longtime NFL assistant, Brian Fleury has already lived out a childhood dream. But when the Seattle Seahawks open the regular season Wednesday night against the New England Patriots, Fleury will achieve a personal milestone: calling plays for the first time as an offensive coordinator. Seattle hired Fleury, previously the San Francisco 49ers' run game coordinator and tight ends coach, in February to replace Klint Kubiak, who left to become the Las Vegas Raiders' head coach. Fleury, who isn't afraid of a little self-deprecating humor, knew from a young age that his path to the NFL wouldn't include shoulder pads and a helmet, but a headset and a play sheet instead. 'I wasn't a very good football player after high school,' Fleury said. 'As soon as I realized that (coaching) was going to be the only way I stayed involved, that's kind of the direction I went.' Fleury played quarterback at Towson for four seasons but was injured while competing for the starting job with two years of college eligibility remaining. While he was recovering, Fleury got his start in the coaching ranks: He was asked to help prepare the next quarterback in line. Fleury has since embarked on a coaching journey of more than 20 years, including stops at Sacred Heart as a defensive coordinator and Towson as a special teams coordinator. He called plays in both roles, but he has never done so on offense at any level. Fleury even worked as a football analyst for the Miami Dolphins in 2016, and then as their director of football research from 2017 to 2018, before taking his first full-time job on offense in 2020 as an offensive quality control coach with the 49ers. 'It's cool to see (Fleury) transition from a tight ends coach who was once (on) defense too,' backup quarterback Drew Lock said. '(To) know the run game, know the blocking, also be able to teach tight ends routes, concepts, why we're calling these plays — to now be in a position to have his own offense and be able to make his own system, his own image of how he likes to call a game.' Fleury said at his introductory news conference in February that he's long been preparing to call offensive plays. The key, he said, is the work done in advance to develop a plan for every situation. Players often describe Fleury as stoic and dry-humored. Tight end Eric Saubert played for him in San Francisco and adored the coach's wit back then. To Saubert, though, Fleury stands out much more for his skill than his opportune wisecracks. 'He's obviously very studied, and you would assume that an offensive coordinator would know everyone's roles,' Saubert said. 'But to be able to articulate it in the moment like he does, I'm telling you: I've been on a lot of teams, and not everyone does that, which is pretty cool.' Fleury noted it's in his nature to be a bit on the reserved side. He's authentically himself with his players, often looking ahead and trying to stay ahead rather than getting lost in the moment. 'What's portrayed on the surface isn't always what's going on internally,' he said. 'Usually, when something good happens, I'm thinking, 'On to the next scenario,' and I'll celebrate at the end.' It's perhaps unsurprising, then, that Fleury hasn't had much trouble implementing a new offensive system, despite doing so without the luxury of bringing his own assistant coaches to Seattle. Most of the Seahawks' coaching staff is back in 2025, including three coaches — pass game coordinator Jake Peetz, run game coordinator Justin Outten and tight ends coach Mack Brown — who interviewed for the job that went to Fleury. 'He's done an unbelievable job,' veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp said of Fleury. 'He didn't bring anyone with him. He had to install his vision to coaches so they can go out and install it to the players. That's a tough thing to do, but it's been cool to have that collaboration.' Fleury has hardly viewed that task as a chore. As the Seahawks inch closer to their season opener and Fleury's play-calling debut, he has found Seattle's most recent practices to be more fun than any from the previous seven years. Mentors like current NFL head coaches DeMeco Ryans, Robert Saleh and Jeff Hafley all helped Fleury reach this juncture of his career. But he hasn't heard from many of his advisers of late. 'Unfortunately,' Fleury quipped, 'the people I would seek advice from aren't really interested in seeing us do well.' The Seahawks, of course, are the reigning Super Bowl champions, and the rest of the league is on high alert for some of Seattle's most dangerous weapons. Jaxon Smith-Njigba racked up the eighth-most receiving yards in a single season in NFL history (1,793) last season, winning Offensive Player of the Year. Quarterback Sam Darnold has established himself as a bona fide NFL starter with back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons, growing by leaps and bounds in Fleury's eyes since he was a backup for the 49ers in 2023. Fleury, meanwhile, has impressed Darnold with his thorough preparation ahead of Seattle's Super Bowl 60 rematch. 'Every day we've come in so far this week,' Darnold said, 'he's been great in terms of the way he's presenting, how clear the plan is so far. It's been great.' Seattle will naturally adapt its game plan to each opponent, but Fleury's scheme should be fairly similar to Kubiak's. The Seahawks are expected to continue using outside-zone principles in the run game and feature plenty of play-action passing from Darnold. However, defensive lineman Leonard Williams has seen Seattle's offense lining up much quicker in practice than it did at this time a year ago, and putting tight ends and fullbacks in motion much more frequently. 'It makes it hard on our defense, so there was a lot of good competition throughout camp,' Williams said. 'I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how they can continue to grow.' Running backs could be featured more prominently in the passing game, too, than last season. Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet combined for 426 receiving yards on 51 catches in 2025. Reserve running back Emanuel Wilson has run more routes in practice than he usually did across his first three NFL seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Ample opportunities to catch passes out of the backfield could loom for rookie Jadarian Price and third-year pro George Holani. 'It's wonderful,' Wilson said. '(Fleury is) a great coach, and I love learning from him.' On Wednesday, Fleury will operate from the sidelines after calling plays on the field for two of Seattle's three preseason games. He coached from the sidelines the past four seasons in San Francisco as well and enjoys having face-to-face communication with players. Many of the players Fleury chatted with during preseason games, though, won't be counted on often during the regular season. He does not expect the lack of game reps to be an issue, nor does tight end AJ Barner, who did not play during the preseason. When Fleury speaks up, it's usually for good reason. 'He's a man of few words,' Barner said. 'He's about ball, about his business.' It remains to be seen how different Seattle's offense will be, if at all, considering all the returning players from last year's Super Bowl-winning squad. Fleury and Kubiak both come from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, so the Seahawks' offense could closely resemble the 2025 version. That wouldn't be an unwelcome development. Fleury has arrived in Seattle short on offensive coordinator experience, but with a clear understanding of what the objective is. 'We're just going to play Seahawk football. That's what Mike (Macdonald) has always said,' Fleury said. 'We're going to be fast and aggressive — just try to control the game and put pressure on the opponent any way we can.' Added Lock: 'I'm really excited for him. He's ready for the challenge.'