Preseason

Receivers stand out in preseason opener

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at-los-angeles-logoThe knock on the slight and slender Paul Richardson leading up to the 2014 draft was the big potential for injury in the NFL.

Turns out that was a well-founded concern, because Richardson just has not been able to stay healthy. He didn’t get much action until late in his rookie year, and then he tore his ACL in a playoff game against Carolina. That and a hamstring injury burned almost his entire 2015 season, and he didn’t do much last year until Tyler Lockett was injured late.

When he has played, he has shown a knack for making great plays. He did it again in the preseason opener Sunday — diving to catch a 25-yard pass from Russell Wilson. But he also suffered a sprained shoulder on the play and will be out at least a couple of weeks.

It was a rough blow for Richardson, who had a chance to bump Jermaine Kearse as the No. 3 receiver behind Doug Baldwin and Lockett. Now, Richardson seemingly will revert to fighting off other guys for the No. 4 spot.

Kasen Williams, who has had his own injury issues, took full advantage of Richardson’s early departure. Williams caught all four passes thrown his way, gaining 119 yards. Every one of them was a tough catch — contested or diving or twisting. If he can stay healthy, Williams should make a big run against a crowded receiver field.

Here’s what we saw at each position in the Seahawks’ 48-17 win over the Chargers:

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Contracts, The roster

Chancellor signed for two years, then we’ll see

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Salary cap logoKam Chancellor is officially signed through 2020 — one of 11 Seahawks signed that far out — but it looks like the Seahawks don’t necessarily expect him to play the entire deal.

The contract really looks like a one-year extension for the 29-year-old safety, whose body is more like 34 thanks to all of the hits and surgeries over Chancellor’s seven seasons. By the time the 2020 season starts, he will be 32 — and his body might be finished.

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Injury report, Training camp

McDowell out for 2017?

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Training camp logo2Malik McDowell seems unlikely to play this season, although the injuries from his ATV accident do not seem to be career-threatening — per several reports.

Pete Carroll said McDowell suffered “multiple injuries,” including a concussion but no cracked skull, and is still only walking, not exerting himself physically. He has returned home to Michigan.

“He had a serious accident. He had multiple injuries; he had the injury to his head,” Carroll said. “It’s going to be quite a while, and we’re going to have to wait it out. He’s on NFI and he’s going to be there for a while, and we’re just going to have to see how he progresses really down the road. We’re not looking for him to get back in the immediate (future), not even for the first game of the season. … We’re going to wait it out and see how he does.”

Asked later on KJR whether McDowell will play this year, Carroll said, “It might be a lot to ask right now.”

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NFL draft, Training camp

Top picks continue to be unreliable

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Training camp logo2The Seahawks have not had much luck with their top draft picks under John Schneider, and their most recent three are continuing the tradition.

The top picks from the last three drafts are off to horrible starts this year, suffering from the results of their bad judgment, and it makes us — and surely team brass — wonder whether these guys are destined to follow in the footsteps of previous top picks.

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Contracts, The roster

Roster set through 2018, but then what?

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Training camp logo2When the Seahawks drafted four defensive backs in April, Pete Carroll said the new crew might end up being the best bunch of backups in the NFL over the next couple of years.

That’s because Carroll knew he wasn’t ready to blow up the Legion of Boom quite yet. The new deal given to Kam Chancellor this week proves that.

With Chancellor signed (through 2020), Seattle’s elite starting defense is set to remain intact for the next two seasons (unless Richard Sherman gets traded).

The Seahawks are quickly approaching a crossroads, though — the point where they will have to start moving on from some of their longtime core players if they are going to remain competitive.

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The roster, Trades, Training camp

Don’t worry about the guys who weren’t there

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Training camp logo2The Seahawks’ first day of camp was notable mostly for the guys who were not available, but there is nothing to worry about.

Tyler Lockett, one of three PUPs, failed his physical but will be back shortly. DeShawn Shead, who had a minor cleanup surgery on his ACL knee, was not expected anyway. Rookie Justin Senior is the other PUP.

Malik McDowell and C.J. Prosise were the surprising absences on Day 1, though not a big deal since neither is imperative to Seattle’s Super Bowl challenge.

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State of the team, Training camp

3 keys to the 2017 season

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Training camp logo2The Seahawks began training camp today with some pretty simple edicts: Build an offensive line, foster better depth and recreate the chemistry that helped them to Super Bowls in 2013 and 2014.

The Seahawks have been one of the best teams in the league the last five years — No. 3 in wins (56) behind New England (62) and Denver (59) — but they have been on a steady decline since winning Super Bowl XLVIII.

After winning 36 games from 2012 to 2014, the Seahawks have won 20 over the past two years. Double-digit wins are always a sign of success, but it has been a disappointment to see the Seahawks fade — from the Patriots’ 1-yard line in XLIX to bad playoff losses the last two years.

This year they have to reverse the trend. There are three keys to doing it:

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Contracts, NFL history

Sherman & Co. need to take NFL Econ 101

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Salary cap logoAs NFL players continue to grumble about how “underpaid” they are relative to the NBA (and MLB), Richard Sherman just doubled down with a challenge for players to be ready to strike when the NFL CBA expires after the 2020 season.

For a Stanford guy, Sherman is not very smart. He and these other whiners don’t even understand the economics of their own sport, they apparently can’t do simple math, and Sherman obviously has no grasp of the NFL’s labor history.

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Contracts

QB leapfrog: Wilson will make another jump in 2019

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Wilson signing contractQuarterback contracts are just a game of leapfrog, so it’s no surprise to see Derek Carr jumping over Andrew Luck as the highest-paid passer in the NFL.

It’s easy to see where the market is going — a few more guys will leap Carr before the Seahawks and Russell Wilson start talking extension in a couple of years.

At least four more deals are likely to exceed Carr’s $25 million a year, and the APY could be around $30 million by 2020.

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State of the team, The roster

How the roster looks as summer starts

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Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson plan to be clapping about their offense a lot this season (Getty Images)The Seahawks embarked on their summer vacation in high spirits — all the apparent negativity of last season and this offseason seemingly dissolved in a big pool of love and happiness. And they seem very focused.

As the Hawks conducted their minicamp last week, we heard nothing but positive things from Seattle’s top defenders. Earl Thomas is healthy again, in mind and body. Kam Chancellor has polished up his once-dented leadership armor. Richard Sherman sounded like a team player again. And Michael Bennett is physically lighter but still philosophically heavy.

The players seemed of one accord, ready to get back on the Super track. And Pete Carroll said his team is as mentally sharp as it ever has been heading into summer.

“I think we had our most compliant OTA season and really proud of that, finally,” he said, referring to penalties levied against his club for overdoing it in past years. “Old dog, new tricks, man. It was hard. But we finally figured it out. And, in doing so, we were able to up the reps that we got on guys.

“I think we’re the smartest we’ve been coming out of this camp than any of the past years. We’ve had the most situation work. We’ve had the chance to put guys in all variety of spots that they have to think and make decisions and choose how they play and fit in with us. So we just feel like we’ve made a lot of movement forward. We have a lot of stuff to get done in camp that does not fit this time of year. This is OTA football. Not real football. That will come.”

Before it does, let’s take a look at how the roster stands …

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