Tory Horton Returns as Seahawks Begin Training Camp With Mostly Encouraging Health Updates
Approaching the midway point of the 2025 season, a wide open Offensive Rookie of the Year race had a surprise contender emerge from the Seattle Seahawks’ potent top-five scoring offense in the form of Tory Horton.
Falling into the fifth round after missing a significant chunk of his senior season at Colorado State with a knee/hamstring injury, Horton bounced back from the setback to quickly become one of Sam Darnold’s favorite targets on his new team. Though he only had caught 13 passes in nine games, five of those receptions put points on the scoreboard, including a pair of touchdowns in a 38-14 blowout win over the Commanders on Sunday Night Football in Week 9, tying him with superstar Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the team lead in receiving touchdowns.
Despite playing the entirety of the blowout win in Landover, Horton unexpectedly dealt with shin soreness in the days that followed the victory, first missing a handful of practices with hopes the injury wouldn’t sideline him for long. However, after missing a Week 10 win over Arizona, the shin showed no signs of improvement, leading to a stint on injured reserve that transitioned from being a projected four-week absence initially into the season-ending variety, keeping him out all the way through Seattle’s Super Bowl run and even into the offseason program this spring as he recovered from an injury far worse than anyone expected.
Sounders Enter Unprecedented Territory with Fifth Straight Loss
The Seattle Sounders continued their tailspin on Saturday night, losing 1-0 to the last-place Philadelphia Union (3-10-4) on the road. The result extended Seattle's losing streak to five, the worst in MLS play under coach Brian Schmetzer.
The Sounders, who started the campaign at 6-1-1, now sit at 7-6-3 and in sixth place in the Western Conference with one more game before their Leagues Cup title defense begins on Aug. 5.
It was only the seventh meeting all-time between Philadelphia and Seattle, and the Sounders gave up a rare kind of goal in the 31st minute of Saturday's game. Union striker Milan Iloski scored his ninth of the season by running past a makeshift Seattle backline, which defended well all night, and floated a ball over keeper Andrew Thomas in an awkward moment for the first-year starter.
It's the first time since 2015 that the Sounders have lost five straight MLS games. Schmetzer started coaching the squad in 2016.
The 63-year-old skipper said he “isn’t killing” the players over this streak, as Seattle continues to try and survive missing at least five usual starters at once.
Mariners Drop First Game of Critical Rangers Series
Every contest is an opportunity for a team to advance one game in the standings. The Mariners entered Friday night’s game having won 51 of those opportunities and lost 52 of them. They hadn’t given much indication at all that they could transform themselves into a competent, consistent squad during those 103 games, with every speck of momentum mired in a following slump, and with the team seemingly unwilling to impose themselves on the game.
At times, it appears that the team really wishes to turn things around. At others, they seem convinced that they can’t really control or influence what happens during a game. Skipper Dan Wilson didn’t touch upon the divisional implications of the loss, instead focusing on an offense that he saw as indicative of an upswing and a level of fight he admired.
“The score didn’t go our way tonight, but I thought we did a lot of good things offensively. We particularly really put a lot of pressure on it, a lot of pitches on. I thought they took their walks when we needed them, and able to get some hits and create a lot of traffic,” Wilson said. “I like the way they continue to fight back as they always do. Got behind after the solo shot, came back in it, got behind after the two-run shot, and were able to jump right back in it again. And they kept fighting ‘til the end.”
There is a difference between finding silver linings and blinding oneself to one’s own flaws. If that was the Mariners fighting, it goes a good ways to explain their season-long lethargy. It may have been one of the least close one-run games ever played, with the score only reaching 5-4 in the ninth because they lucked into a two-out wild pitch. Once they fell behind 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth, they had two total baserunners for the final three innings of the game.
This is flatly not how a contending team plays against a divisional opponent, let alone one that the world fancied as runaway division champions before the season. Their autopsy for Friday’s game has long since started to resemble an autopsy for the whole season, though as has held true the entire year, the other American League teams have been too busy immuring their own chances to take advantage of Seattle walling itself off.
Recapping the Summer League Play of Five Former Gonzaga Bulldogs
With hopes of earning solidified spots on NBA rosters later this fall, five former Gonzaga Bulldogs competed in the NBA Summer League that wrapped up this past week. Three of them were Zags as recently as this past season, while the other two are now more than a year removed from the last time they suited up in Spokane.
Because of the lack of draft pedigree in this group – all but one of them went undrafted – playing time fluctuated between them. Although some yearned for better showings in what they could bring to the floor, others left notable impressions during the two-week slate, including two that played big roles in their respective teams stacking victories.
How did each of these ex-Bulldogs fare during the offseason circuit?
Kraken the Ice: Is Seattle Thinking Playoffs After Roster Overhaul This Offseason?
Coming up short of a playoff berth last season, the Kraken hope that a handful of moves to shake up their roster this offseason will take them back to the postseason, including trading for Mackie Samoskevich. But did they do enough to get back into the fight for Lord Stanley's cup?
Emerald City Spectrum writers Nick Lee and Josh Frojelin discuss Seattle's potential playoff prospects as the offseason continues in the NHL and if the team has done enough to be a threat in the Pacific Division, check in on the moves made by the rest of the division over the past few months, and examine possible sale candidates at the next year's deadline if Seattle fails to contend.
A Static Trade Deadline Would Doom Mariners in Crowded AL West
The Major League Baseball season is the most unique of any pro sports season. It’s not a 17-game sprint where every game feels like a massive chapter in the story. It’s not even 82 games, with breaks in between games sprinkled throughout the week. It’s a constant onslaught. It’s a marathon, if a marathon was a constant barrage of guys trying to throw a 100 miles per hour past you before you can hit it, day-in, and day-out.
Right now, the Seattle Mariners are in the middle of the pack in this long race towards October. They have yet to separate themselves from their fellow racers. On the flip side, their competitors have yet to hit the accelerator either. The big question is: how long will that last?
The Mariners can’t afford to wait around and find out. If this is truly who they are, that is a .500 club, that’s not going to be good enough when the regular season reaches the finish line. One of the Houston Astros or Texas Rangers will likely make a run to surpass them if they keep this mediocre pace.
How Significant is Departure of Gonzaga Assistant Jorge Sanz?
Although it can be easy to initially brush off a member of Gonzaga head coach Mark Few’s staff moving on to a different program, you would be hard-pressed to find an assistant as impactful as Jorge Sanz was to the Zags.
Sanz, who has been in Spokane for the last eight years, announced that he is leaving GU on social media. First reported by House of Krause, Sanz will join head coach Michael Malone’s staff at North Carolina. Serving as both an assistant coach and director of basketball operations, Sanz played an imperative role in Gonzaga’s international recruiting, nonconference scheduling, player development, and analytical advancement.
The Bulldogs have experienced several significant departures this offseason, notably losing commitments from their intended starting backcourt, Jack Kayil and Mario Saint-Supéry. But Sanz’s exit hurts both the program in its current timeline and in the future, and his role will be hard to replace.
Training Camp Preview: Who Will Win Seahawks Looming Positional Battles?
Opening up training camp as the defending Super Bowl champion, the Seattle Seahawks will have the vast majority of their roster back for their title defense in 2026 after losing only five players in free agency, leaving few question marks in the starting lineup on offense, defense, and special teams rolling into a new year.
But while their roster didn’t undergo near as much turnover as most Super Bowl champs do and most of the starters from last year’s squad remain under contract, with a new eight-player draft class in tow and a handful of veteran additions brought onboard to bolster depth in free agency, the Seahawks still have plenty of positional battles set to play out over the next six weeks and change. This includes the search for a new starting running back along with the need for a new gunner to emerge on punt coverage to replace long-time special teams standout Dareke Young.
With camp set to kick off on July 25, which roster battles stand out as Seattle’s most intriguing? And how will each of them play out over the course of training camp and the preseason?
Washington State, Rebuilt Pac-12 Welcome New Opponent in Utah State
A former member of the Mountain West, the Utah State Aggies will be among the newcomers set to join the rebuilt Pac-12 this season. While the Aggies may not carry the national brand recognition of some schools, few programs outside the Power Four have been as consistently competitive in both football and men's basketball over the past several seasons.
For Washington State fans, Utah State is a familiar opponent. The two programs have met on the football field in recent years, but those non-conference matchups will now carry much more significance as conference games in the new-look Pac-12.
The Aggies' football program has experienced both success and transition over the last several years. Utah State captured the Mountain West championship in 2021 with an 11-win season under Blake Anderson, turning in one of the best campaigns in school history. The Aggies have made a bowl game in three of the last four seasons and seven out of the last eight.
Washington Women’s Basketball Mid-Summer Outlook: Projected Depth Chart, Key Questions and Expectations
Coming off an NCAA tournament berth this past March, the Washington Huskies women’s basketball team has a chance to be the best in program history this upcoming season with most of last year’s squad returning and more than enough talent to earn the right to host an NCAA tournament game for the first time since 2017.
While the season doesn’t start until November, the Huskies’ roster has begun to take shape. Tina Langley and her staff currently have 12 players committed to playing next year, leaving three spots available. They might choose to not fill every spot, given Washington only carried 14 players on its roster last year.
Here’s a look at the depth chart as it currently stands, some questions that need answering, and how high expectations should be for the program in 2026-27.
Seahawks Confident Nick Emmanwori Will Be Ready for Season Opener vs. Patriots
Despite undergoing surgery in the week leading up to report day for training camp, the Seattle Seahawks don’t have any concerns about safety Nick Emmanwori’s availability to kick off the season with a Super Bowl LX rematch against the New England Patriots.
According to sources connected with the player, Emmanwori underwent arthroscopic surgery during the past week to clean up his right ankle, which still had been providing some lingering discomfort for him even though he participated in OTAs and mandatory minicamp this spring. It’s unclear whether the procedure stems from a high ankle sprain that he suffered early in his rookie season or a separate lower ankle sprain suffered in practice during Super Bowl week back in February, but it could be a cumulative situation with both injuries happening on the same leg.
On Monday, Seattle placed Emmanwori on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, deactivating him while keeping him on the 90-man roster as he recovers. Given the timing of the surgery, he will likely miss at least the first few weeks of training camp and playing at all in the preseason seems improbable, but per team sources, the Seahawks expect he will be back at some point in August, allowing him to ramp up with plenty of time to work back into game shape before the season opener.
WATCH: Sounders Drop Fourth Straight Against Austin, Ragen to Miss Next Two Matches
If you didn’t think it could get worse than a 5-1 loss to Portland, Wednesday was a stark reminder it truly can.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali recaps the Seattle Sounders’ 3-1 loss at 14th-place Austin FC, in which the home team scored twice after the 85th minute. It was a 95-degree night in Texas full of frustration, boiling to All-Star center back Jackson Ragen picking up two frustration-fueled yellow cards to ensure he misses the next two fixtures, including an August 1 rematch with Portland.
Mariners’ Meandering Losses to Reds Leave Team Shrinking Breathing Room
On March 31, 2026, the Mariners lost their sixth game of the season and fell to a .500 record. The team did so again on July 21, and in the 111 days between, they performed that same act thrice (June 20 and 25, July 9). Five times in between those days (April 3 and 29, May 29, June 29, and July 19), the M’s did the opposite, winning a game to get back to an even record.
Before the season, the team was held as one of the best squads in the American League. According to FanGraphs, they went into Wednesday’s matinee with the second-highest chance to win the World Series of any American League team, only behind the Yankees.
But the experience for the Mariners in 2026 has been a dreary cycle of drought and drenching. They get a set of wins and then the foot goes off the gas. They lose a bunch, struggle a bunch, and then get a cathartic burst of energy that sets them off for some wins. Rinse and repeat: 63% of the way through the season, they won half and lost half.
Wednesday wasn’t encouraging. Once again - this time by a score of 5-3 - the Mariners fell below .500, having lost the following two games of their series against the Reds to turn what could have been a momentum-bringing homestand into yet more water-treading.
Tuesday’s loss had been a little more of an encouraging one, with good at-bats during most of the game - other than clutch situations, as has been depressingly common with the team - and some good defensive plays by the Reds keeping Mariners runs off the board. But a mystifying decision by skipper Dan Wilson to put Michael Rucker in ended in a ninth-inning homer for Cincinnati and the complete dissipation of the team’s energy.
Both games were winnable, but the team plainly lacked the killer instinct to put the Reds away. Seattle is now 52-53; they would have to go 38-19 over the rest of the year just to match their win total from 2025. In more immediate terms, the losses continue their gradual, brick-by-brick immurement in the divisional race.
Ranking Seahawks: Nehemiah Pritchett, Christian Haynes Face Critical Camp Atop No. 40-36
With the calendar recently flipping to July and offseason workouts wrapped up league-wide for the summer, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will soon descend upon the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the start of training camp, kicking off a much-anticipated 2026 season.
To celebrate the new incoming season, I will be ranking every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks leading up to report day, providing detailed profiles, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and breaking down what to expect from each player entering the 2026 campaign.
Continuing the 90-man countdown with No. 40-36, two 2023 draft picks will have pressure on them to prove they deserve a roster spot with new competition on board to battle against and an incoming rookie has sights on a starting job in a crowded safety group.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Drop Sixth Straight vs. Lynx Ahead of All-Star Break
It was much closer than the final score suggests, but the Seattle Storm’s chronic shortcomings and late-game mistakes led to an 86-76 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday, July 22, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Seattle (6-23) dropped its sixth straight game and eighth of its last nine. It also marked the second straight home loss to the Lynx in just three days following a three-point loss to Minnesota on July 20.
Minnesota (22-6) won its seventh in a row, leaning on the trio of Napheesa Collier (24 points), Kayla McBride (20) and Olivia Miles (13). Dominique Malonga led the Storm with 21 points on 9 of 13 shooting and added nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and four blocks.
Cougars Land In-State Standout Jaylen McLaughlin
Washington State continued to build for the future with the commitment of Bothell guard Jaylen McLaughlin, one of the top basketball prospects in the Evergreen State and now a member of the 2027 recruiting class.
The in-state standout announced his commitment to the Cougars, giving Washington State a quality recruiting victory while keeping one of the state's best young players close to home.
McLaughlin has quickly emerged as one of Washington's premier guards thanks to his ability to both score and create for his teammates. At 6-3, he has the versatility to play either guard position, making him a natural fit in head coach David Riley's up-tempo offensive system.
Washington Lands Sharpshooter Harun Zrno to Complete Offseason Overhaul
Washington appears to have added the final piece to its transfer portal class for the upcoming 2026-27 season. Set to join the Huskies, sophomore guard Harun Zrno committed to the program on Wednesday, filling the 15th and final roster spot.
The Bosnian product transferred in from Rutgers, where he spent his first season in the NCAA. He averaged 6.5 points on 34% from three on good volume at 4.5 attempts a game. Zrno suited up in all 34 games for the Scarlet Knights, averaging 19 minutes a contest.
Outside of his three-point shooting, Zrno didn’t really fill up the box score much, showing below average rebounding, passing, and defensive marks. Standing 6-7 and weighing 220 pounds, it remains to be seen if he can use his large frame to pull down more rebounds (1.6 per game) or protect the rim after recording just one block all season.
At 22 years old, the former Scarlet Knight projects as a low-usage shooting guard who will move around on offense to get open from three. He will likely be matchup dependent considering his defensive limitations and limited production outside of his perimeter shooting.
Analysis: Entering Contract Year With Kraken, What’s Jared McCann’s Long-Term Future Look Like?
A great goal-scoring winger, Jared McCann has flourished in an increased role since he joined the Seattle Kraken in their inaugural season. Over the last four seasons, he’s scored at a minimum of a 60-point pace. McCann even scored 40 goals four seasons ago.
But as an unrestricted free agent next offseason, his return to the Emerald City beyond the 2026-27 season remains uncertain. On the wing, the Kraken also have captain Jordan Eberle, recently-acquired Mackie Samoskevich, recently re-signed Bobby McMann, Kaapo Kakko, and top youngster Berkly Catton, creating a log-jam at the position.
Besides Eberle, McCann is the oldest of that group. He’s also the only winger without a contract beyond next season. Catton could eventually move back to center, but is best suited as a winger as of now. During his exit interview, McCann emphasized that he’s trying to help Seattle’s less experienced players, and that leadership may help his cause seeking another contract with the franchise.
“The young guys, I’m trying to help them as much as possible,” McCann said. “Tried to help them as much as I could this year, with growing. I feel like they’re a huge part of this organization moving forward. They’re gonna be the stepping stones to whatever happens [in the future].”
Lights, Camera, Lombardi: Seahawks Set to Star on Hard Knocks as Title Defense Begins
The show Hard Knocks has been a staple for football fans since its inception in 2001. Narrated by Liev Schreiber, the sights and sounds of that show welcome football fans to another season in the NFL. They typically cover a team’s training camp and the team's preparation for the upcoming football season. It’s enjoyable for fans to learn about some of the lower-level players on the roster and root for underdog stories. It typically highlights players fighting to make the roster or battle to become a starter.
Opening camp this upcoming weekend, the Seattle Seahawks will become the first reigning Super Bowl champs to be featured on the show since its inaugural year covering the Baltimore Ravens ahead of their title defense in 2001. The recent trade of the show had been a rebuilding team trying to find its footing, with franchises like the Bears and Jets, or a team right on the cusp of greatness like the Buffalo Bills last summer.
Previously, the Seahawks had been asked to be part of the show in 2013, but declined. The NFL now has the power to select a team to be part of Hard Knocks. Essentially, “volun-telling” them instead of waiting for a volunteer. Certainly, the Seahawks will bring eyeballs to the show as the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Which Washington Huskies Could Hear Their Names Called in 2027 NFL Draft?
With less than six weeks until the college football season begins, NFL scouts and talent evaluators already have started to build their preliminary draft boards for 2027.
The Washington Huskies had a remarkable seven players drafted in 2026, despite only three (Jonah Coleman, Denzel Boston, Tacario Davis) showing up in mock drafts before the season began, a testament to the progress made in year No. 2 under coach Jedd Fisch and his staff.
Seven drafted Huskies was the most since 10 had their names called in 2024, which of course came after a birth in the College Football Playoff title game. Fisch’s ability to develop his players into NFL draftees is highlighted by his mantra “Be a Pro” that is plastered all over the team facilities on Montlake.
The players internalize and buy into this philosophy as noted by fourth-round draft pick Carver Willis, who said, “Playing for Washington was the best decision I ever made. I will forever love my time here. It absolutely helped. And my time here is something I hold in great regard... the people I’ve met here and the things I’ve learned here, we all preach ‘Be a Pro,’ how to be a pro.”
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