Tag: 530022

RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks report to 2022 training camp on Tuesday at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Here’s a closer look at a few storylines:

Biggest question: Can the Seahawks be competitive without quarterback Russell Wilson? Despite how it might have looked to casual observers when the Seahawks parted with Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner, this is a team in transition as opposed to a full-on rebuild. Shelling out big money to keep 29-year-old safety Quandre Diggs and other veteran players like running back Rashaad Penny and tight end Will Dissly says as much. Those re-signings, plus other marquee returning players (receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, safety Jamal Adams) plus two sure-fire starters they got back in the Wilson trade (tight end Noah Fant and defensive end Shelby Harris) plus a big free-agent addition (edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu) and a promising draft class that featured their first top-10 pick since 2010 (offensive tackle Charles Cross) leave the Seahawks with a solid roster … outside of quarterback.

Their defense and backfield look strong enough to keep them in games if quarterbacks Drew Lock and/or Geno Smith can be capable game managers. But can they avoid enough mistakes to play that way? And can they deliver in crunch time like Wilson so often did? If Lock doesn’t show that he’s worthy of a longer look, Seattle has the extra 2023 first-rounder from the Wilson trade to target his long-term replacement in next year’s draft.

The most compelling position battle: Will Lock’s upside or Smith’s familiarity win out? Lock and Smith are duking it out in the Seahawks’ first quarterback competition since 2012. That was the year that Wilson (an electric rookie) beat out free-agent pickup Matt Flynn (the presumed starter for much of the offseason) and incumbent Tarvaris Jackson (whom the locker room loved). The intrigue in this competition won’t come from name value but from how close it might be.

Some in the organization have anticipated that Lock’s talent (which hasn’t been his issue in three up-and-down seasons) will win out. But there’s a thought that he may have to win convincingly or else Seattle’s coaching staff will opt for the more known commodity in Smith and award anything close to a tie to the 10th-year veteran who’s backed up Wilson the last three seasons. Pete Carroll made it clear that Smith was still ahead when the offseason program ended.

The player with the most to prove: Can Adams return to his 2020 form? In his debut season in Seattle, Adams recorded a defensive-back record 9.5 sacks en route to his third straight Pro Bowl. He looked worthy of the big price the Seahawks paid to get him (a package that included two first-round picks) and to keep him (an extension that made him the NFL’s highest-paid safety). Then 2021 happened.

Adams was held without a sack and had as many forgettable plays in coverage as productive ones. He also played through injuries for the second straight year until his season ended after 12 games because of a re-torn left shoulder labrum that required another surgery. Adams’ dropoff in pass-rushing production last season was largely the result of all the attention opponents started paying to him after his record sack binge, which led Seattle to blitz him less often. He may benefit more than anyone from the scheme changes they’re implementing because he should be harder for offenses to pinpoint pre-snap. But he has to stay on the field for any of that to matter.

Fiercest fantasy relevant position battle: Can Penny last as RB1? Chris Carson‘s chances of returning from neck surgery continue to look iffy, with word still yet to emerge on whether he’s been medically cleared. There’s no question as to who would be the No. 1 option in his absence. Penny is the guy after his stellar finish to last season, when he led the NFL in rushing by a wide margin over the final five games. But you know the deal with Penny: his long injury history makes it unlikely that he’ll be there for all 17 games.

Even when he is healthy, the Seahawks will almost certainly try to manage his workload with an eye towards keeping him fresh. Second-round pick Ken Walker III figures to factor heavily into the backfield rotation one way or another. He’s a must-have handcuff for any fantasy player with Penny on their roster.

As NFL training camps swing into action, NFL Nation looks at the top storylines and offers a prediction for each team.
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What’s the deal with Metcalf’s contract situation? The Seahawks typically don’t finalize big-money extensions until the start of training camp, so they aren’t necessarily behind schedule with Metcalf. And they’ve sounded optimistic that they’ll get a deal done, but it doesn’t seem like a slam dunk given everything that’s happened since March. The receiver market exploded, leading general manager John Schneider to express sticker shock at some of the megadeals. Then Metcalf skipped mandatory minicamp with an unexcused absence, which was surprising given that he had taken part in some voluntary work.

The steep fines are a huge disincentive for training-camp holdouts, but the recent trend with Seahawks and other players in Metcalf’s position has been to “hold in,” meaning they show up to camp but don’t participate in any on-field work, thereby avoiding fines and the risk of injury. Will Metcalf do the same?

Camp prediction: Coby Bryant will be a Week 1 starter at cornerback. Seattle’s rookie corner has more than a famous name. He also has a ton of college experience (53 career games) and some serious ball skills (the best of any defender in this year’s draft, if you ask him). Those traits could make him more NFL-ready than most rookie corners drafted in the fourth round.

It also helps that the position is wide open. Sidney Jones IV looks like a favorite to start at one of the spots, but no one is entrenched. Tre Flowers won a starting job at corner as a rookie in 2018 — even as a converted safety. So Carroll isn’t afraid to trust young players at that position. For that matter, fifth-round rookie Tariq Woolen could factor into the competition along with Tre Brown and Artie Burns.

RENTON, Wash. — Coby Bryant brings a lot more than a recognizable name to the Seattle Seahawks‘ secondary.

The fourth-round cornerback from Cincinnati also brings a decorated college resume and, if you ask him, the best ball skills of any defender in this year’s draft. In his fourth season as a starter, Bryant won the 2021 Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top defensive back. He finished his college career with 10 interceptions and 45 passes defensed in a whopping 53 games.

The guy has played — and learned — a ton of football.

“He just seems like he’s comfortable,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said after the first practice of rookie minicamp. “He understands it. He gets it.”

The learning was aided by regular study sessions Bryant and his defensive teammates held during the offseason. In between workouts and classes, they’d get together for what they called Football 500, where they’d dig into the Bearcats’ defensive scheme and figure out how offenses could attack them.

Cincinnati’s defense finished tied for the fourth-fewest points allowed in 2021 and the Bearcats lost in the CFP semifinals. Bryant, a team captain who sometimes led those meetings, thinks they were a factor.

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“Just taking the football IQ to the next level,” he said.

Being a student of the game will serve Bryant well as he tries to learn a new defense in time to earn a starting job as a rookie. Fourth-round picks don’t often start right away, if ever, but it’s realistic for Bryant. The Seahawks’ top two cornerback spots are open. And whereas former defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. developed a reputation inside team headquarters for a reluctance to play inexperienced players, that roadblock shouldn’t exist for Bryant and other young defenders under Clint Hurtt.

Here’s a look at how Bryant and the rest of Seattle’s draft class might fit into the team’s 2022 plans.

LT Charles Cross, first round (No. 9 overall)

The Seahawks didn’t make Cross their highest draft pick since 2010 to have him spend time on the bench. He’s a virtual lock to take over Duane Brown‘s starting spot from Week 1. But Cross still faces a learning curve coming from Mike Leach’s Air-Raid offense, which ran the ball infrequently and didn’t ask its offensive linemen to play from a three-point stance. The Seahawks had Cross as their second-rated left tackle in this year’s draft, ahead of Evan Neal, so they clearly think that transition will be manageable.

OLB Boye Mafe, second round (No. 40)

One NFL source says the Seahawks tried to trade up into the late first round for another outside linebacker, Arnold Ebiketie. The Falcons then moved up in the second round to snag Ebiketie two spots before Seattle was set to pick. But the uber-explosive Mafe looks like much more than a consolation prize. He generated first-round buzz after a seven-sack 2021 season and a strong showing at the Senior Bowl. He’s got some rawness to work through, according to scouts, but has experience with much of what the Seahawks will ask him to do in their new-look defense. Expect Mafe to factor heavily into Seattle’s edge-rushing rotation along with Darrell Taylor and Uchenna Nwosu.

Walker was Seattle’s most — and perhaps only — debatable pick this year. But while some felt this was too high for a team that’s likely a few years away from contention to take a running back, the Seahawks plan to lean heavily on the run and will probably need Walker to do a lot of the running as a rookie. There’s a big question as to whether Chris Carson will be cleared following neck surgery, and Rashaad Penny has a long injury history of his own.

Lucas faces a similar transition as Cross, having strictly played from a two-point stance in two pass-heavy college offenses. “Shoot, you would never have even known,” Carroll said after the first rookie practice. “I already had a chance to look at half of the film of some of the team work that we did. They’ve been working hard at it. They look very comfortable, and they’ll get better.” Lucas figures to start as a rookie, even if not right away. He’s got to beat out 2021 UDFA Jake Curhan, who played well while stepping in for Brandon Shell.

CB Coby Bryant, fourth round (No. 109)

Cornerback might be the Seahawks’ most wide-open position group outside of quarterback. They have Tre Brown coming off a promising but injury-shortened rookie season, brought back Sidney Jones IV on a modest deal and added Artie Burns for even less money. None of them are locked into starting roles.

CB Tariq Woolen, fifth round (No. 153)

Woolen didn’t do much during rookie camp while resting a hamstring injury. But the sight of his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame brought to mind another towering cornerback from Seattle’s recent past. Woolen bears a strong resemblance to Tre Flowers, though he’s a little bigger and faster (4.26 seconds in the 40-yard dash) with a 42-inch vertical. Woolen converted from receiver in 2019, so he’s relatively new to the position. But Flowers played safety his entire college career and won a starting job at corner as a rookie despite Norton’s predilection for veterans. So you can’t rule out Woolen playing right away.

OLB Tyreke Smith, fifth round (No. 158)

Smith might be competing for a roster spot with Alton Robinson, who was not as productive last season as he was as a rookie in 2020.

WRs Bo Melton and Dareke Young, seventh round (Nos. 229 and 233)

Seventh-round picks face an uphill battle just to make the team, let alone make an impact. Melton, Young and others will vie for what might only be one or two spots behind DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Freddie Swain and Dee Eskridge. As always, special teams will go a long way in determining the back end of the receiver corps. Melton’s experience there will give him a shot.