The Seahawks head to Los Angeles this weekend to face the Chargers in their preseason opener, a game that will see Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald face off against one of his former bosses, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who was the head coach at Michigan when Macdonald spent a year there as defensive coordinator. While the stakes might not be too high when it comes to the final score—though Macdonald still wants to get a win—there is plenty that Macdonald and his coaching staff will be looking to see from their team when the Seahawks take part in their first game action of the season.

"Well, we'd like to win the game," Macdonald said when asked what he's looking to get out of the game. "You play with a purpose. But like we told the guys today, we want to give the guys the best opportunity to show their best football. It's an awesome opportunity to evaluate where we're at as a football team."

With that in mind, here are five things to watch when the Seahawks play the Chargers at SoFi Stadium:

1. What starters play and how much do they play?

There's always a bit of mystery, and even more so with a new head coach, about how much starters play in the preseason. Some coaches want to rest top starters throughout the preseason to avoid possible injuries, while others see value in getting some game reps as a tune up for the regular season.

Macdonald didn't lay out a detailed plan for the preseason, but he did say some starters, especially on defense, will get some work. Quarterback Geno Smith, who missed some time in practice due to injury before returning on Monday, will likely not play, Macdonald said.

"A couple things driving the decision is one, the science of getting the exposure obviously with the new systems, new schemes," Macdonald said. "Guys wanting to knock the rust off so to speak, make sure we're sharp going into Week 1. There's two things going on, one, yeah we want to get the starters out there and then also some individual decisions on certain positions, guys we might hold back or don't put them out there maybe until Week 3 after the Tennessee practice, things like that. I think defensively you'll probably see a good amount of starters out there to start the game. We'll see how long that lasts. Offensively, as of right now, I don't believe Geno is going to go. A couple other starters aren't going to go as well. It's all good, by then we'll sharpen it out, guys will have a great showing and we'll see where we're at and move forward."

2. What does the new kickoff look like, and can anyone make an early mark in the return game?

As special teams coach Jay Harbaugh noted earlier this week, there was more anticipation than usual for the kickoff last week's Hall of Fame game, because that particular play, the kickoff, is going to look a lot different in 2024. In an effort to increase the rate of returns while also making the play safer, the kickoff underwent a major overhaul this year, and while teams are of course practicing the play, the only way they're going to really be able to figure out what works and what doesn't is to get full-speed game reps with kick returns and coverage.

"We're pumped up. It's going to be pretty cool," special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh said. "I think the Hall of Fame game the other night was probably the most anticipated preseason viewing, maybe ever, that I could think of at least. So that was fun to see, and we're really excited to see our guys bring what we've practiced to life."

For returners, there figures to be more returns every game, and quite possibly chances at bigger returns. The Seahawks have had several players returning both kicks and punts in practice, and will likely continue to take a look at multiple players in those roles Saturday.

Receiver Laviska Shenault Jr., one of the leading candidates to handle kick return duties, said he expects the play to be a little chaotic at first, but also sees an opportunity for himself and other returns to make things happen.

"My thoughts on it? It's going to be a (expletive) show," he said with a laugh. "But I feel like there's the possibility of some great thing happening. I'm going to speak it into existence, some great things are going to happen, and we're going to start that this Saturday. I think there's a lot of ways to attack this new kickoff return, and everybody's just got to do their job."

The new kickoff format also changes things for kickers. Before, there was a big emphasis on hangtime for kickoffs, but now that players, other than the returners and kicker, aren't moving until the ball is either caught or hits the ground, placement is the key, not hangtime or even distance.

"It's just placement," kicker Jason Myers said. "It's kind of the opposite of what it's been. It's always been high and far, and now, short with less hangtime is probably more beneficial. It's kind of just being able to find a spot to put the ball where you want. I've been working on it a lot. I'm kind of taking my old soccer life into effect, just looking to where I want to put the ball and just finding a way to get the ball there. I'm not really taking my traditional steps, I'm just going back at an angle. It's a nice way to differentiate my kickoff swing from my field goal swing. Just kind of soccer style, just finding a way to get the ball there."

3. Can the defense tackle well out of the gate?

Football teams can get a lot of things done in a practice setting, but for the most part, full-on tackling to the ground is reserved to game days in order to minimize injury risk. That means the Seahawks, like every team heading into the preseason, isn't exactly sure how we'll they'll tackle in their preseason debut. With defensive starters expected to get some playing time, coaches will be keeping a close eye on tackling to see if all the work they've been doing in practice translates to a live situation.

"It's huge," Macdonald said. "It goes back to how well you can orchestrate practice and execute making sure you're taking the right angles, things like that. Thudding guys up in square view, making sure you're taking good angles on side view, things of that nature. How we're coaching the fundamentals of it. Getting some live reps of the threes at the stadium is another opportunity to kind of hone the tackling. Absolutely, how we tackle will definitely be at the top of the list of things we're evaluating."

4. Who helps themselves in the battle for the No. 3 running back job.

There's a pretty clear top two on the depth chart when it comes to running back, with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet expected to carry the load this season, but the Seahawks will keep more than two running backs on the roster, and depending on who the player is, the No. 3 back could have an important role in the offense, perhaps as a third-down back.

Kenny McIntosh, a 2023 seventh-round pick, came into camp looking like the favorite to be the third back, but a pair of undrafted rookies, George Holani and Kobe Lewis, have both had some nice moments in camp and are pushing McIntosh. Given the physical nature of that position, it would not be a surprise if Walker and Charbonnet are limited in what they do Saturday, which means the rest of the running backs have a big opportunity to state their case.

"Kenny's getting pushed right now," Macdonald said. "He's in a battle. I think George is right there with him. He's in a battle to see who's going to be the third running back for us. He's getting his money's worth. It will be interesting to see how it plays out over the next few weeks."

5. With Geno Smith not expected to play, how do Sam Howell and PJ Walker look running the offense?

With Smith unlikely to play Saturday, that will mean a lot of work for Sam Howell and PJ Walker to show what they can do. Both players have had plenty of good moments in camp, but facing a new opponent in live game action will give coaches valuable information as they evaluate their two backup quarterbacks behind Smith.

"I want to see them operate our offense," Macdonald said. "Do the things that they do that we love about them. Go out and go sling it, and make some great decisions, and let's rock and roll."