It has been an eventful week leading up to the big dress rehearsal game.
Among other things, we learned J.D. McKissic is out 4-6 weeks, Doug Baldwin and Rashaad Penny could be back next week, George Fant is going to compete against Germain Ifedi, and Brian Schottenheimer isn’t satisfied with the running game.
As the Seahawks head to Pete Carroll’s formative NFL stomping grounds in Minnesota for the all-telling third preseason game, the coach has a few goals.
Bobby Wagner fired a couple of warning shots at John Schneider on Wednesday — well-placed markers that should have buzzed right by each of the GM’s ears.
Wagner’s messages to Schneider: (1) Make sure you re-sign K.J. Wright and (2) get ready to pay me a lot of money next year. Wright is in the final year of his contract, and Wagner will be up for an extension next offseason, entering the final year of his deal.
There apparently have been no talks between the Seahawks and Wright to this point, which seems to indicate that Schneider is willing to let the 29-year-old star leave rather than pay top dollar next offseason. That would fit Schneider’s new MO of not paying third contracts to the team’s Super Bowl core.
We have already firmly stated we are in favor of extending Wright, a savvy, durable leader who should be good for four more years because his game is not based on speed.
Wagner made it clear he will be watching how the team handles Wright — and don’t be surprised if that affects whether he is amenable to a new deal next year.
Just as they seemed to be getting healthy, the Seahawks reportedly suffered another big injury.
With two and a half weeks remaining until roster decisions must be made, Pete Carroll and his coaches are making their midway tweaks and setting timelines for injured players. And now word comes that J.D. McKissic is out 4-6 weeks with a broken foot.
Among the other big developments Tuesday, based on Carroll’s comments: George Fant will move to right tackle to challenge Germain Ifedi; Doug Baldwin and Rashaad Penny might play next week and will definitely be ready for the opener; Amara Darboh has a new injury that could land him on IR; and Dion Jordan is probably not going to be ready for the opener in Denver.
On top of that, both kickers released Monday were picked up and the Hawks brought in another pass rusher, troubled Junior Galette, for a tryout.
Continue reading McKissic out 4-6 weeks, Fant to RT, Darboh to IR? And more updates
Philip Rivers and Melvin Ingram gave the Seahawks a great test in Game 2 of the preseason, a 24-14 win by the Chargers, and we can only hope young guys such as Tedric Thompson, Tre Flowers and Germain Ifedi will learn from it.
Meanwhile, Chris Carson again showed why he is the No. 1 tailback (unless he keeps fumbling), Jaron Brown entrenched himself as the No. 3 receiver, David Moore secured a roster spot with a couple of stellar plays, and Maurice Alexander, Dontae Johnson and Poona Ford all gave the coaches something to think about as we head into the final two weeks.
Here’s our roster projection after two games:
As the Seahawks gear up for their second preseason game (at the Chargers on Saturday), the roster already seems to be firming up — with only a handful of spots appearing open at this point.
The position with perhaps the most questions is cornerback. With Byron Maxwell and Neiko Thorpe missing over a week now, it has given others a chance to show what they have. Rookie Tre Flowers has grown daily, coaches say, Trovon Reed was a pick machine until he got nicked up, and Akeem King played very well against the Colts last week. Jeremy Boykins impressed enough that he got reps with the first defense this week, and Dontae Johnson is finally healthy enough to get into the starting mix a bit in practice.
It’s hard to see Maxwell not starting opposite Shaquill Griffin, but there’s enough talent that he or Thorpe could be in peril — especially if their injuries linger late in the month and other guys excel.
Other spots that seem up for grabs are RB4 (can C.J. Prosise get healthy?), WR5/6 (is Amara Darboh in danger?) and the back end of the offensive line.
Here are roster projections based on what we know at this point:
One week into summer camp — and a week before the first preseason game — the Seahawks have had a few injury concerns pop up but also seem to be making progress in rebuilding their team.
Injuries to Doug Baldwin and Dion Jordan, especially, have some fans fairly concerned about receiver and pass rush.
Here’s a look at developments at each position so far and our concern level (5 being very worried):
After injuries helped derail the past two seasons, Pete Carroll and John Schneider have made a big deal about having a much healthier roster this year. So it’s disappointing to see that Dion Jordan is still having injury issues — and it could mean the Seahawks really have few pass-rush options beyond this year.
Among several injury moves as camp started Thursday, the Seahawks placed Jordan on PUP. Carroll said he would be out “a few weeks,” and the PUP move means the Hawks think this could stretch into the season.
Continue reading Jordan’s injury leaves Hawks looking at other pass-rush options
As the Seahawks start the ninth training camp under Pete Carroll, the coach has retaken control of his team and is looking to build a new Super Bowl core behind new assistant coaches.
It seemingly won’t include Earl Thomas, whose holdout unfortunately presents a big distraction as Carroll attempts to reboot his team. But Carroll and John Schneider created this problem with poor roster management and now have to live with it.
That issue, along with the loss of four other key defenders, has plenty of people pegging the Seahawks as a .500 team or worse. Let’s just get it clear right here though: The very worst Seattle will do with Russell Wilson at QB is .500. We still think they are a base 8-4 team, with four games that could go either way, which puts the over/under at 10 wins.
When the Seahawks put together the best run in franchise history, winning 36 games and a Super Bowl from 2012 to 2014, they did it with about two dozen core players — a third of them named Pro Bowl players during that time.
After “resetting” the team this offseason, the Seahawks have just six players left from that Super Bowl core — and a couple of those guys might not be long for the roster.
That brings us to the No. 1 goal this year, aside from trying to contend for the Super Bowl (we put their O/U at 10 wins): John Schneider and Pete Carroll need to establish the new core for the next championship window. It all starts Thursday when they begin training camp.
“Extend (me). If you don’t want me, let’s make a trade happen. I understand it’s a bizz.” — Earl Thomas.
K.J. Wright and Earl Thomas are in the same situation, but they are handling it differently. And, in this case, neither is wrong — because John Schneider is.
Wright is taking the high road, not making a stink about his contract — a highly respectable position to take, especially since Schneider and Pete Carroll have done an about-face and made a lot of unexpected moves that have the few remaining veterans wondering about their long-term status with the team.
“Why am I not holding out? I just want to control what I can control,” Wright said at the June minicamp. “I want to get better in the offseason. I believe spring ball is the way to improve yourself. And it’s my job to make sure to build this chemistry with my defense. And I want this defense to be good. I want coach Norton to have a good first year. I’ve always believed you control what you can control, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”
Thomas, meanwhile, is trying to control his future with the leverage he has: a holdout. In this case, with Schneider and Carroll turning the roster upside-down, the safety’s request to extend him or trade him is very fair. And holding out is a legit way to exercise his dissatisfaction — even if it won’t accomplish anything beyond that.
Continue reading In this case, Thomas has the right to hold out
CHAWK TALK: Everything being said about the Seahawks 