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In response to
"(Mariners make a shrug emoji trade) MLB trade grades: Giants add depth, hope A.J. Pollock has something left in the tank"
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crash davis 😺
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(Seahawks beat reporter has been high on JSN this camp) Seahawks training camp: WRs and CBs spar, plus more notes from Day 1 in pads
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By Michael-Shawn Dugar
Jul 31, 2023
RENTON, Wash. — One reason players look forward to padded practice is that it eliminates some of the gray areas regarding which side of the ball wins a particular rep.
“It was fun for us to get to hit each other and for the defense to finally stop complaining about, ‘That’s a sack’ or, ‘That’s not a sack,'” receiver DK Metcalf said after the Seattle Seahawks’ first padded practice Monday afternoon at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. “It was fun to run into somebody and not get in trouble for it.”
Here are a handful of observations from Seattle’s fifth training camp practice. As a reminder, reporting is more limited when the sessions are closed to the general public, which was the case Monday.
1. Running backs Ken Walker III (groin) and Zach Charbonnet (shoulder) continue to be non-participants, and the latter wasn’t on the field at all Monday. Tight ends Will Dissly and Noah Gindorff also didn’t practice. Tight end Noah Fant (knee) dressed but was limited. Left guard Damien Lewis returned to practice after missing Sunday’s session due to illness.
On Monday, Seattle signed running back SaRodorick Thompson and offensive tackle Liam Ryan, then waived rookie safety Morrell Osling and rookie linebacker Cam Bright.
2. Padded practice means one-on-one action. The main attraction was receivers versus cornerbacks since Seattle used its two first-round picks on players at those spots. Because the corners have no safety help and the quarterbacks aren’t pressured, the drill is tilted heavily in the offense’s favor, but coaches are still curious to see how their corners hold up.
Tyler Lockett has excelled in this drill for years, and that was again the case Monday. He had some very good battles with third-year cornerback and fellow Tulsa native Tre Brown. Lockett started the drill by beating Brown on a slant. Brown locked up Lockett on a later rep and recorded a pass breakup against Cody Thompson, but then he ended the drill being beaten deep by rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Brown has been very competitive in practice. You can see why the coaches are giving him so many first-team reps.
Speaking of Smith-Njigba, he’s a really tough cover in that setting. He has great feet and knows how to take advantage of defenders when they’re in vulnerable positions. In addition to separating from Brown to end the drill — and leaping to catch the ball at its highest point — Smith-Njigba beat nickelback Coby Bryant off the line and made the defender lose his balance. Smith-Njigba is having a great camp.
Devon Witherspoon and Smith-Njigba had only one rep against each other, and Witherspoon was able to stick with him on an inbreaking route (the throw wasn’t great). Witherspoon lost a rep against Lockett, but there’s no shame in that considering how dominant Lockett tends to be against one-on-one coverage. Witherspoon’s rep against Lockett came as an outside corner, and his rep against Smith-Njigba came as a nickel, illustrating how much Seattle is putting on his plate already. Overall, it was an encouraging first day of one-on-ones for both the first-round picks.
Metcalf looks like a very polished route runner. He’s not winning just with speed and size. He’s physical at the top of routes and is quietly very sudden for a guy his size. Geno Smith has a lot of trust in him, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he leads the team in target share again this season (Metcalf was at a team-high 25.5 percent last season, the 13th-highest rate in the league, according to TruMedia).
3. As coach Pete Carroll said Sunday, the Seahawks have a ton of depth at cornerback, and that’s forcing them to test a bunch of different lineup combinations and see what sticks. Witherspoon is getting reps with the starters and the backups at nickel and left cornerback. Brown is seeing left cornerback snaps with the ones and the twos. Bryant is playing nickel and backup safety (which is another new position for him). And this is all without safety Jamal Adams and Pro Bowl corner Tariq Woolen.
The most intriguing lineup thus far: Quandre Diggs and Julian Love at safety, Brown and Mike Jackson as the outside cornerbacks with Bryant and Witherspoon inside. That group unlocks a lot of potential calls for defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt because of the versatility and man coverage capabilities. It also frees up linebacker Bobby Wagner to be a pass rusher. Adams and Woolen will only make that package better when they’re healthy.
4. Witherspoon was challenged quite a bit Monday. Screen passes, seam routes, slot coverage — Smith and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron threw a little of everything at the rookie. He handled it well and showed serious toughness on a rep against Metcalf in the slot and on a tight end screen to Colby Parkinson. On the latter play, Witherspoon was basically on an island against a guy seven inches taller and 60 pounds heavier, and the rookie just lowered his shoulder and brought the hammer.
What also stands out about Witherspoon is how much passion he displays. He’s fired up all the time and brings a great deal of energy to the field. He’s similar to Adams in that way.
“I love that,” Metcalf said. “(He’s) a guy that’s going to go out there and compete and is not going to back down from a challenge. Colby tried to run into him, and he bowed up and tackled him. It’s just fun to watch how competitive he is. Once we get Jamal back out there, both their energy and their fire is gonna spark the whole defense.”
5. Seattle has a third down/blitz period each day. It’s usually a handful of plays. This was the first time in camp I didn’t see a touchdown (that six-DB package is tough to deal with). Seattle’s defense was 24th in red zone efficiency last season, according to TruMedia, so Hurtt should be encouraged that his unit stifled a very talented offense on the first day in pads.
“We felt good. The energy was there,” Wagner said. “Obviously that’s a big part of the defense that we want to improve on. We think it’s a first step, coming out the first day and setting the tone like that. Then we’ve just got to build on it. There’s a lot of guys learning how to fit, learning how to use their pads and just knock that rust off. But it was a good, strong day.”
Another area Seattle wants to improve is its run defense, which was among the worst in the league last season. Only the Texans and Bears allowed more yards on the ground. Wagner explained one way the team is going about emphasizing that facet of the game and ensuring everyone understands their run fits.
“Let’s say you have an A or B gap, they’re not going to just line up and come right at you,” Wagner said. “They’re going to move a guy, they’re going to motion a guy and all those motions change your gap. You have to know what your gap is after that. Sometimes, they’ll motion to put the nickel into the fit and now the nickel has a run gap. Or they’ll move the tight end and make the outside guy have to fold back in.”
“There’s different (things) the offense does to mess with your run fit. Being mindful of that, being able to communicate that with everybody and just being on the same page, I think that’s the biggest emphasis.”
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