Many expect new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury to simply maintain the system Klint Kubiak installed for the Seattle Seahawks, but it turns out the first-year play-caller is already making a “much bigger” change than expected.
Fleury’s “most notable” change from the Kubiak blueprint was noticed during minicamp by Hawk Blogger’s Brian Nemhauser. He explained “motion, and as we learned from Matt Hasselbeck, the difference between motion and shifting. Shifting is something you do before the snap where people get set. You move a a a tight end from one side of the formation to the other and he gets set before the snap. That’s a shift. Motion is people in motion at the snap. I believe motion is going to be a much bigger part of this offense. I think that is probably going to be the most notable change with Brian Fleury as the offensive coordinator.”
Nemhauser did offer a note of caution by pointing out the Seahawks have been “working on different things in install, there’s all sorts of things that can change, and I would not ever try to imply that I now understand the Brian Fleury offense, I don’t. But the amount of motion that I’m seeing and how they are using players in motion feels different already than what I was seeing at this stage a year ago, and really at any stage during the season under Klint Kubiak.”
This is the first clear indication former San Francisco 49ers tight ends coach Fleury’s offense won’t be more of the same. That’s despite Kubiak, who left to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, designing a system to elevate quarterback Sam Darnold and make Jaxon Smith-Njigba the premier wide receiver in the NFL.
It’s significant Fleury is being trusted to change what worked for last season’s Super Bowl champions.
Brian Fleury Has New Plans for Niche Players
Fleury changing what Seattle’s skill-players do before and at the snap is set to extend far beyond go-to wide receiver Smith-Njigba and supporting pass-catchers Rashid Shaeed and Cooper Kupp.
Nemhauser predicts “you’re gonna see fullbacks in motion. You’re gonna see receivers in motion, tight ends in motion. I do believe that that is going to be something that is going to be a staple of his (Fleury’s) offense.”
GettyFleury’s experience coaching tight ends for the 49ers will put new skill-players on the move for the Seahawks in 2026.
Those words should be music to ears of playmakers who don’t share the receiver depth chart with Smith-Njigba. The latter can still dominate thanks to one key number, but Fleury’s task is helping another prolific target or two emerge alongside JSN.
Fortunately, Fleury’s experience coaching 49ers All-Pro tight end George Kittle bodes well for a second-year pro who’s already an offseason winner for the Seahawks. There’s also room for fullback Robbie Ouzts and running backs, including top rookie Jadarian Price, to be moved around formations more often.
More moving parts at the snap is a smart way for Fleury to get different receivers involved and continue Darnold’s upward trend. Those things will help the Seahawks bridge the gap between offense and defense.
Seahawks Have Room for Improvement on Offense
They lifted the Lombardi Trophy last season thanks mostly to the league’s toughest defense, but there’s still room for Seattle’s offense to reach the same level. It will happen if Price proves an able replacement for Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, and if Fleury’s schemes are as good for Darnold as the X’s and O’s designed by Kubiak.
His unit ranked third in points and eighth in yards last season, before taking things up a notch in the playoffs, so Fleury has a tough act to follow. Fortunately, he also has the right blueprint to make Smith-Njigba and the rest of Darnold’s supporting cast more productive.
Getting more creative and consistently potent on offense is vital for the Seahawks’ chances of repeating as champions. Particularly if head coach Mike Macdonald’s formidable defense is undermined by a margin risk and can no longer do the heavy lifting.
Brian Fleury Already Making ‘Much Bigger’ Change to Seahawks’ Offense