SEATTLE — As a few stars of the 2025 Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks departed last month, coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider hope a few new ones will emerge in 2026 to help take their place.

At the NFL league meetings last week in Phoenix, Schneider reeled off the names of some players who either saw limited time last season or are new to the team who he thinks can help this season, concluding “there’s a cool group of guys” who have a chance to make a name for themselves.

Here’s a look at seven of those players and what Macdonald and Schneider said about them this week:

Defensive lineman Rylie Mills

Mills, a fifth-round pick last spring out of Notre Dame, missed most of the season while recovering from an ACL injury suffered in Dec. 2024. If he hadn’t been injured, the Seahawks think he might have been as high as a second-round pick.

Mills showed he might have been worth taking that high when he finally got healthy down the stretch and had one of the most memorable plays of the Super Bowl with a sack of Drake Maye for a 10-yard loss in the second quarter.

Mills won’t be a direct replacement for the departed Boye Mafe as an edge rusher as Mills plays primarily on the interior.

But Macdonald said Mills could get some increased time as an edge rusher depending on how the Seahawks think he could be best used.

“Just finding the sweet spot on his role and where he’s going to go,” Macdonald said. “But the sky’s the limit.”

Mills is listed at 6-foot-5, 296 pounds. Macdonald said the team is working with him now to see “what’s the sweet spot weight-wise” for him. “I think we are working through that (to see) where we want him to be. Like sometimes we have a bigger guy on the edge. I think Rylie can do that.’’

Whatever his role, he figures to play substantially more in 2026 now that he is healthy.

Safety Rodney Thomas II

Thomas is one of just four external free agent signees for the Seahawks, spending the last four years with the Indianapolis Colts.

He was a starter for his first two years in the league, and the Seahawks view him as having a chance to compete with returnee Ty Okada for the starting safety spot open as Coby Bryant signed with the Chicago Bears.

“Shoutout to our pro personnel staff,” Macdonald said. “I think it shows like the alignment we have with the coaches now like understanding the skill sets we’re looking for at the safety position. Haven’t been able to spend a lot of time with him, but from the tape I’m excited to add him to our group.”

Safety A.J. Finley

It will be a crowded competition for that safety spot, as the Seahawks also think Finley can make a legit run at starting. Finley was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Chargers late in the 2024 season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in August during a pass-coverage drill in the mock game at Lumen Field. He was re-signed in March.

“A.J. was a guy that was having a great training camp,’’ Macdonald said. “Such a bummer that that play happened. Almost like it happened in slow motion, like a nightmare. But he was competing right there with Ty for the third safety spot. So he’s a guy since he walked in the door he’s one of those steadfast guys that nails it every day and has a great attitude. He’s made a lot of plays on the ball in practice. So we’re excited about A.J.”

Cornerback Noah Igbinoghene

Another one of the Seahawks’ external free agent signees, they signed the former first-round pick of the Dolphins in 2020 to compete for the playing time at cornerback available with the departure of Riq Woolen.

Igbinoghene spent the last two years with Washington, but the Seahawks tried to sign him a year ago before he re-upped with the Commanders. Macdonald mentioned that they like his versatility to play multiple spots.

“He’s a guy that we’ve been interested in for a while and finally get him,” Macdonald said. “(Gave him) some grief for maybe being a year later for maybe when he should have been here, but a guy with inside-outside flex. And there’s great opportunity right in our secondary to go carve yourself out a great role.”

Linebacker Jamie Sheriff

The star of the 2024 preseason when he had three sacks in the final two games, Sheriff has spent most of the last two seasons on the practice squad, playing in only one game in 2025 — on special teams against Tennessee as a practice squad elevation.

He’s continued to impress behind the scenes, working at inside and outside linebacker. The Seahawks will have needs for depth at both spots and this looms as a key year for Sheriff to earn a spot on the 53-man roster, possibly as a hybrid player able to play as an edge rusher and inside linebacker.

“Mike’s got a really cool vision for him,” Schneider said. “He could play SAM (strongside linebacker), he can rush. He’s got a really cool skill set.”

Safety D’Anthony Bell

Bell spent the first 15 games with the Seahawks as a regular on special teams and backup safety, officially starting two games, before he was waived and claimed by Carolina. He was released by Carolina after the season and the Seahawks re-signed him.

Like Finley and Thomas, he’ll get a chance to compete for Bryant’s spot but could fill a jack-of-all-trades role in the back end, helping fill in for Nick Emmanwori, if needed.

“Well the Panthers kind of stole him from us there at the end, so that was a bummer,” Macdonald said. “But D’Anthony has been an asset for us. You can probably rattle off some big plays he’s made for us, the punt block (against the Saints in Week 3). He’s a guy that gives us safety flexibility but also some big nickel flex as a backup to Nick. So that’s going to be something we want to make sure, that if Nick can’t find his helmet for a series or two we can still go in and operate our defense.”

As ESPN reported, it’s expected that Bell will get a Super Bowl ring as the team has discretion to give out some rings to players who were part of the team during the season even if they weren’t there for the Super Bowl.

Cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett

A fifth-round pick in 2024, Pritchett played in all 17 games last season as a backup and on special teams. With Woolen gone he’ll get a chance to forge a regular role in the cornerback rotation.

“Nehemiah Pritchett’s going to have a great opportunity to compete,” Macdonald said. “We have a lot of young guys we are excited about like where they can take their game. Now, they need to take their game to another level and they know that, but they are going to have ample opportunity to do so.”

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