Category Archives: Training camp

Training camp

10 days in, what are the Seahawks doing and saying?

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The first 10 days of Seahawks training camp have been full of a lot of excitement, but also not without their disappointments.

John Schneider received a big extension, Sam Darnold has taken command of the offense, a couple of rookies – Nick Emmanwori and Tory Horton — have really stood out on both sides, and the defense appears to be in midseason form.

The latter is despite the absence of Uchenna Nwosu (PUP) and Ernest Jones IV dealing with the death of his father. The biggest injury loss has been at running back, where Kenny McIntosh suffered an ACL injury.

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The roster, Training camp

Year 2 of Macdonald era starts — with playoff expectations

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Summer is still going strong in Seattle, which means there are more good times to be had before football season starts. But, for the Seahawks and the rest of the NFL, the preparation for football season starts this week.

It’s Year 2 of the Mike Macdonald era – with high expectations after his 10-win rookie season. The Hawks have a playoff-amenable schedule and an odd juxtaposition on offense and defense. The latter unit – a top-five defense — returns entirely intact, with two or three additions on top of that. The offense, meanwhile, is being rebuilt almost from the ground up – with just four definite returning starters (after Noah Fant was released this week) and a completely new staff.

It likely will take a while for the offense to jell. It starts with the line, which thankfully has a very solid left side in Charles Cross and rookie Grey Zabel but also has work to do at center and right guard. In the passing game, Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp need to get synced up. Ideally, Klint Kubiak and his familiar staff can work some magic with the running game early on, to take pressure off Darnold.

The schedule lines up for 11 or 12 wins, by our estimation. That would mean a playoff spot and a shot to do even more.  

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Contracts, Training camp

Are Hawks waiting to extend Brown or not interested at all?

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Pete Carroll, ever a nonsensical and whimsical speaker, pulled off a sneaky double entendre Sunday that made it seem like the Seahawks were entertaining an extension for Duane Brown.

But it turns out, there have been no such talks, per The Seattle Times. So now the question is: Are the Hawks just waiting to get Jamal Adams’ deal done or are they simply not interested in paying a 36-year-old Pro Bowl left tackle?

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Contracts, Training camp

Wilson is right: Hawks need to pay Brown

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“We’ve got to figure that out because we need Duane Brown.” – Russell Wilson  

It sounds like the Seahawks have made their final offer to Jamal Adams and are now just waiting for him to decide whether he wants to play for them again. So the focus shifts to Duane Brown.

The Seahawks need to heed Russell Wilson’s words and pay the star left tackle.

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The roster, Training camp

Britt or bust at center?

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Why do the Seahawks never seem to have a clue about what to do with their offensive line?

After the 2019 season ended, Pete Carroll said he wanted to keep his line together – “I don’t want to see a big change there.’’ But then, in a pandemic year, Carroll let John Schneider convince him to save money by parting with three starters and a key reserve.

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Schedule, Training camp

How will shortened prep time impact Hawks & foes early in season?

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Bobby Wagner and Pete Carroll shake hands before practice (The Seattle Times via Twitter)As states begin to reopen, the NFL and players association are discussing ways to safely bring teams back together and eventually stage games — and, while we doubt there will be minicamps in June, it seems like training camps might be able to begin on time in July.

With teams limited to virtual meetings (see the Seahawks’ tight ends) this offseason, coaches are missing out on key on-field prep time. The lack of physical work is putting everyone behind their usual timelines, and those adding new elements (e.g, coaches, quarterbacks and receivers) will find themselves even further behind once camps begin.

So, teams that have few major changes should have a jump on the rest — which could help in the first few weeks of the season.

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The roster, Training camp

Carroll on Shead: ‘I didn’t feel like he was back’ last year

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Training camp logo2When the Seahawks let DeShawn Shead become a free agent last year, rather than tolling his contract as was their right, it seemed like they were just being charitable.

Maybe they were, to some degree, but Pete Carroll also didn’t think Shead was ready to play football.

Shead suffered a torn ACL in the blowout playoff loss in Atlanta to end the 2016 season. Because of that, the Seahawks chose not to tender the restricted free agent in 2017 and instead paid him $1.2 million to rehab almost all season. He got into a couple of games at the end but still apparently was not back to 100 percent in March 2018.

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Contracts, The roster, Training camp

Camp begins with the Wright stuff

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Training camp logo2One of the few recent feel-good moves by the Seahawks was the somewhat surprising re-signing of K.J. Wright, the longest-tenured Seahawk at eight years and counting.

The wise old vet disseminated some great wisdom and leadership on the first day of camp, offering some inside optimism about Bobby Wagner’s status, plus some level-headed logic about the Earl Thomas snit and some funny introspection.

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Injury report, Training camp

Penny aside, roster is getting healthier

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Seahawks bandagesThe Seahawks have had a few big injury issues this camp — missing Dion Jordan, Doug Baldwin and Ed Dickson, among others — and now we can add Rashaad Penny to the list.

Along with a handful of guys coming off surgeries and a bunch of short-term ailments (at least seven hip flexor issues), it seems like the Hawks have had a lot of injuries. But the good thing — even in the case of Penny — is that very few of them are big deals. And the roster is getting healthier.

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The roster, Training camp

Roster projection ahead of second game

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Training camp logo2As 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:

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