The trade deadline passed, and the Seattle Seahawks are who they are.

A deadline day full of fireworks was expected around the league and in Seattle. Though NFL teams completed six trades on Tuesday, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider stood pat.

Like many GMs, Schneider is an admirer of the 2027 draft class, which is expected to include one of the deeper talent pools in years. Schneider currently has 10 picks in the draft after sending a third-round selection, plus a 2028 fifth-round pick, to the Colts for All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson.

While the team appeared to have some need at edge, defensive tackle and receiver, Schneider elected not to deal any premium chips away for to further help the 2026 team.

In addition to quarterback Sam Darnold, here are a few players who must step up for the Seahawks to make a run to their second straight Super Bowl:

Grey Zabel, guard

The early returns on the Quenton Nelson deal have not been the best. Nelson, one of the best left guards in the NFL for eight-plus seasons, played well in his Seahawks debut in a Monday Night Football loss to the Chicago Bears on Nov. 2, but will likely miss his second straight game Sunday after a minor knee procedure.

Nelson’s addition pushed 2025 first-round pick Grey Zabel over to right guard, where he struggled against the Bears.

“I knew it was going to be challenging,” Zabel said on Nov. 5. “At the end of the day, it’s taking one side of your body and completely flipping it. Best way I tried to describe it to my parents is, you’re writing left-handed for a year and a half and then you have to go write right-handed in the matter of a week. It might not be pretty, but we’re going to do our best.

“At the end of the day, you’re a competitor, you want to win and go out and try and do the best you possibly can for your team, for the guys next to you, for the offensive line and ultimately your quarterback to keep him clean.”

Nelson’s absence gives Zabel more time in his comfort zone, but he must learn to write right-handed quickly for the line to function when he’s bumped back to the right side.

Abraham Lucas, right tackle

After missing much of the 2023 and 2024 seasons with a knee injury, Lucas played well at right tackle in 2025 as the Seahawks line developed cohesion that helped Kenneth Walker III dominate down the stretch and win Super Bowl MVP honors.

Lucas has not been as consistent this season, though he played a solid game against the Cardinals on Sunday. Lucas will look to build upon that performance and work in concert with Anthony Bradford — and eventually Zabel — to give rookie running back Jadarian Price and veteran Zach Charbonnet room to run.

Rashid Shaheed, receiver

Though Jaxon Smith-Njigba has dominated even more than in 2025 when he was the league’s Offensive Player of the Year, it’s been a mixed bag around him in the receiver room. Cooper Kupp helps, but the veteran no longer possesses the ability to separate. Second-year receiver Tory Horton appears to have the tools, but the fifth-round pick has been injury-prone so far.

The wide receiver trade market was thin, and the Seahawks appeared to not be interested in what was out there. That leaves the $51 million man, Rashid Shaheed, who has just 16 receptions in seven games after signing the three-year deal in the offseason.

Though valuable as a return man, offensive coordinator Brian Fleury must find a way to utilize Shaheed’s blazing speed in the passing game, and occasionally out of the backfield.

Dante Fowler Jr., edge

The 32-year-old pass rusher averages just 11.2 snaps per game this season. He seemed to be in line for an uptick in playing time with Uchenna Nwosu out the past two games, but Fowler got in for just eight plays against Chicago and 12 vs. the Cardinals.

Fowler managed his first sack as a Seahawk on Sunday, and looked the best overall he has all season. Nwosu should be back soon, but Mike Macdonald’s defense could use some extra pass rush in the rotation along with Nwosu, DeMarcus Lawrence, Derick Hall and Mike Morris.

Rylie Mills, defensive tackle

After tearing his ACL during a College Football Playoff game in his final season at Notre Dame, Schneider selected Mills in the fifth round of the 2025 draft. Missing most of the season while rehabbing the injury, Mills burst onto the scene in the Super Bowl XL win over the New England Patriots. Playing just seven snaps, Mills used one of them to push Patriots guard Jared Wilson back with one arm and sack quarterback Drake Maye with the other.

So far in 2026, it hasn’t looked quite that way for Mills. He’s played 144 snaps, registering eight tackles, three hurries and zero sacks. Though Pro Football Focus grades should be viewed with lots of grains of salt, Mills currently ranks 189th out of 199 qualified defensive linemen. He’s been pushed back at times in the run game, though he showed a little more might while playing a season-high 31 snaps while star defensive lineman Leonard Williams missed the Arizona game with a stinger.

Williams is likely to return this week against the Raiders to team with Byron Murphy II as one of the top tackle tandems in the NFL. Jarran Reed is valuable off the bench, but Mills needs to keep the drop-off to a minimum when he rotates in for 15-20 snaps per game.

This story originally appeared at emeraldcityspectrum.com.