With Seahawks training camp kicking off next week, Seahawks.com is taking a look at 10 of the most intriguing storylines, position battles and players heading into the 2024 season. So far, we've taken a look at special teams, tight end, safety, running back, inside linebacker and receiver, and today we focus on quarterback and why Geno Smith expects to thrive in Ryan Grubb's offense. Check back tomorrow when we turn our attention to cornerback and the potential for Devon Witherspoon to do big things in Mike Macdonald's defense.

Key Quarterback Additions: Sam Howell (trade), PJ Walker (free agency).

Key Quarterback Departures: Drew Lock (signed with Giants).

Geno Smith's 2022 season was one of the best stories in the NFL. After taking over for Russell Wilson, Smith thrived in his first season as a starter in nearly a decade, earning Pro-Bowl and AP Comeback Player of the Year honors while leading the Seahawks to the playoffs. It was inspiring stuff to see a player wait so long for his opportunity, work so hard behind the scenes, then thrive when he finally got the chance he probably should have received years earlier at some point in his career.

Smith's 2023 season was less spectacular, numbers wise, though he still made the Pro Bowl for the second straight year, and the Seahawks just missed the playoffs despite an identical 9-8 record. But to look at Smith's numbers and suggest he regressed from 2022 isn't really accurate. Yes, his numbers were slightly worse, in part because of the two games he missed due to injury, and in part due to the injuries around him along the line.

But when Smith and the offense were relatively healthy, he was every bit as good as the previous season, particularly late in the year, when, over the final four games of the season, he had an NFL-best 81.3 QBR (ESPN's quarterback rating). He also was once again one of the league's most accurate passers, particularly when accounting for outside factors like pressure.

So, despite what some of his detractors might think, Smith is still a very good quarterback and the clear-cut starter heading into the 2024 season, the big question now is how he will perform in a new offense led by former University of Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

Grubb's offenses at the college level were clearly conducive to quarterbacks putting up big numbers, as was evident by Michael Penix Jr.'s two-year run with the Huskies that saw him finish as the Heisman Trophy runner up last season and pass for 9,544 yards and 67 touchdowns in 28 games. By Grubb's own admission, the NFL version of his offense will probably have to be more balanced than the one Penix led at Washington, but it should still be plenty explosive with Smith throwing to the likes of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Noah Fant.

"Very impressed, man," Smith said of Grubb's offense. "Obviously from the stuff he's done in college he has a great track record. And then just being a part of the system, being able to learn from him, the type of guy that he is, type of man that he is, type of coach that he is. I think there is going to be great things coming for us. Coach Grubb is doing a great job being demanding, making sure guys are studying and on point and knowing their assignments, but also giving guys some grace. It is a new system, new offense, and guys are going to mess some things up. That's not necessarily a terrible thing. We can gain from that. So Grubb is doing a great job. It's our job to make the plays come alive and make it all look good."

In the simplest terms, Smith said he's a fan of Grubb's offense because, "I feel like I'm a drop-back passer and I feel like this is a drop-back offense, an offense that's going to spread the ball around, trust the quarterbacks to make the right decisions. That's pre- and post-snap. I think that's something that I'm really good at. Just want to make sure I'm doing the right things when it comes to that."

While Smith will still be leading the way on offense, one notable change, aside from the offensive scheme and play caller, is the quarterback backing up Smith. After Drew Lock, Smith's backup the past two seasons, signed with the Giants in free agency, the Seahawks made a trade to acquire former Washington Commanders starter Sam Howell, who was available because the Commanders planned to use the No. 2 overall pick on a quarterback.

Howell, who started all 17 games last season, attempting a league-high 612 pass attempts in a pass-happy Washington offense, gives the Seahawks a young—he turns 24 in September—quarterback who already has significant experience and plenty of upside. And while he knows his role in the short term, Howell also knows it's his job to be ready and to push Smith so they both can be at their best.

"I think in this league to be able to play, you got to compete," Howell said "And that's what I'm willing to do no matter what the situation is, no matter who the starter is, if I'm the starter, I'm coming to compete every single day and I think Geno has been great. I've learned a lot from Geno and he's a great player. I have a lot of respect for him and everything he's been through in his career, just the way he's always battled and bounced back. So I'm excited to be here with Geno and learn from him and just compete with him and we battle every single day. We want to make each other better and at the end of the day we're on the same team and whoever's out there, we're going to support each other and try to help this team win."

And like Smith, Howell is excited about playing in this offense.

"We have so many great players," Howell said. "Coach Grubb knows how to utilize his talent and he's shown that already. It's going to be a lot of fun to be a quarterback in this offense.

"I just love how he can mix up tempo and really keep defenses on their heels. That's not something you see a whole lot in the NFL… How aggressive he is and how much he wants to push the ball down the field. That's kind of similar to what I've done in the past and it's definitely the offense I want to play in."

And just as Smith and Howell are excited about the potential of Seattle's offense under Grubb's leadership, Seattle's new offensive coordinator is excited about working with those two.

"They're awesome," Grubb said. "They're freaking awesome. They are. I think that they're both really, really hard workers. They're very diligent, intelligent and I know that it means a lot to them and I think that their leadership in the room and how they react and work together says a lot about the kind of guys that they are. That they understand the team concept and they're both fighting to get better every day. And I couldn't be more happy with number one, where they're at. And then the type of guys that management has brought into this place have done a really good job."