This is a guest post by Curtis Allen

The Quarterback Competition

It remains a tight battle with Geno Smith still getting first crack at reps with the #1 offense.

After warmups and some drills, Smith took the starting offense through some scrimmaging while Lock worked a bit with the second team on another field.

However, as the practice progressed and the team came together — Pete Carroll mixed it up a bit, rotating in some of the top WRs like Lockett and Metcalf to work with Lock and also giving him some reps with the top offensive line.

I am certain it would be shrugged off as contingency planning to make sure he could mix and match for the Saturday preseason game against the Steelers but I think it is becoming evident that Carroll really wants to see Lock playing with the top players to get a taste of what he can do with them.

That can also be seen by the drills that Carroll had the team run today. Almost all of them called for passes and good decisions by the quarterback.

They started with a red zone drill. Geno had a nice touchdown throw to Lockett (with great protection as Lockett cleared traffic) and what probably should have been another one to Metcalf if not for yet another brilliant play by Woolen to fight the ball loose (see below).

Lock was more than his equal though. He had an absolutely brilliant touch throw to Lockett for a score. Lockett was lined up to his right and streaked down the sideline. Lock lofted it perfectly into Lockett’s arms in tight coverage. A complete dime.

If that wasn’t enough, he had another touchdown to Lockett on the very next play. Although to be fair, this was the easiest touchdown throw Lock ever had. Lockett had pantsed his defender and gave Lock a wide open target for a pillow-soft toss to him for an easy score.

The passing continued in a ‘third down’ drill. The offense had all of their plays as third downs. Third and 4, third and 7, third and 10, that kind of thing. Didn’t matter if you converted, the next play was a third down with a new distance. Their job was to convert them, the defense’s job was to stop them.

Geno Smith got the first crack with the starting offense vs the starting defense. It was a mixed bag.

On one play, Metcalf was lined up to Geno’s right against Bryant. He completely smoked him and was wide open for a quick slant. Geno did not process the play fast enough and got “sacked” by the defense.

However, on the very next play, Geno hit Will Dissly in the seam for a beauty.

Later in a similar drill, Smith found Metcalf in the middle for a nice gain. He followed it up by staring Lockett down on a third and long and then overthrowing him on the sideline.

He hit Ken Walker with a nice little seam pass that he took and rocketed down the field on. He was then off target on a third and 6 crossing route to Cody Thompson.

You get the idea.

Lock sparkled with the 2’s against the 2nd string defense.

The first play was a third and 10 and Lock had his countdown clock working perfectly. As the rush collapsed the pocket, he saw the middle of the field had been vacated and bolted. He got his 10 yards and slid untouched.

He hit Colby Parkinson on a third and 4, scrambled to his right and hit Penny Hart on the sideline on a third and long and found Cade Johnson with a laser for another first down.

Later in a similar drill, Myles Adams burst through the line. He coolly sidestepped him and delivered a strike.

He was not perfect though. Shortly after, he was flushed from the pocket and when moving right, was inaccurate with a throw to a receiver. It would not have been a first down anyway. But Lock threw it at his feet and it was not pretty.

At the end of the drill Lock was “sacked” but this one appeared to me to be a great job by the defense, more than anything Lock did or did not do. The coverage was tight and the pass rush bottled him up.

I would give Lock a slight edge in scoring today’s practice. He did not make any foolish decisions (one pass looked bad but his receiver slipped and fell) and he stayed in the pocket an appropriate amount of time. That is another way to say his processing was better than Geno’s today.

But he again used his legs to make things happen and the TD throw to Lockett was a standout. I guarantee Pete Carroll will remember that one.

Notes

— Play of the day:

Always Compete‼️ @_Tariqwoolen #SeahawksCamp x @Boeing pic.twitter.com/eDYB0q8FPR

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 10, 2022

Tariq Woolen hand fighting with D.K. Metcalf. It seems like every practice Woolen is doing something impressive. On this one, Metcalf gets two hands on the ball but Woolen refuses to give up and ends up forcing the incompletion.

— Honestly, what I took from this is, this shows that Metcalf is going to get regular practice work in probably his weakest area: contested catches. Both Woolen and Cobe Bryant have demonstrated an aptitude for ball skills so far in camp. Even if they do not get on the field immediately, this can only help the team by getting Metcalf some top-flight practice in this area.

— Speaking of the young corners, I would rather not have Sidney Jones and Artie Burns both injured but this could be a blessing in disguise. It is very possible Pete Carroll will be forced to give his rookie corners all the snaps they can handle in practice and in preseason with the top defense. This could advance their development and bear unexpected fruit later in the season and next year.

— With that in mind, of note is Cobe Bryant did get some work in at nickel but also moved back out to his traditional LCB role later in practice. I appreciate widening your skillset and contributing to the team any way you can, but with the injury situation at corner, it may be most beneficial to have Bryant just focusing on LCB for now.

— Boye Mafe came out early and worked on handfighting drills for pass rushing once again. It is nice to see he is taking his role seriously and working hard to improve. Again, a couple players eventually joined him in the drills but Mafe was clearly a cut above.

— Jake Curhan started with the ones but as practice progressed Abe Lucas moved into the spot.

— Nick Bellore is not a punchline. In the linebacker drills he breezed through the agility drill and destroyed the blocking sled, turning it on its side. The other linebackers gave it a token push. Make all the “I’m in the ‘get off my lawn’ phase of my career” jokes you like. He’s here to show the kids how a professional practices.

— Jamal Adams had a seriously head-scratching moment today. Lining up in a scrimmage, he was out of position and had to be adjusted by Cody Barton to a spot to Barton’s right – not unlike where the MIKE would line up. But once he got set and the ball was hiked, he had a brilliant play. It was a run to his side and he easily knifed through traffic and if he had been allowed to fully tackle in a game situation, he would have blown up the runner for a loss. I’m not sure whether to call that a positive or a negative but the end result was good.

— Pete Carroll appears to be begging one of the young wide receivers to step up and be a punt returner. They all bobbled or mishandled at least one punt in practice today. I get why they had Freddie Swain and David Moore taking punts in previous seasons with a seeming mandate of ‘for goodness sake, just don’t cough up the ball.’

— It looked like Travis Homer pulled something in a run, maybe a hamstring or groin. He limped off and didn’t return but also did not immediately seek out the trainers.

— Ryan Neal did not practice but no longer had the boot on. The ankle injury may not be as bad as thought.

— Now Tyreke Smith appears to have hurt his other hip. He did not participate in practice once again. I am grateful the NFL has adopted the rules allowing players to go on Injured Reserve and come back to play in the same season. With the depth the Seahawks have, he may be a nice choice to stash on IR for a few weeks until he gets up to speed.

This is a guest article by Curtis Allen…

The quarterback competition has been turned on its ear

If Drew Lock ends up winning the starting job, today is the day fans can point to in order to identify when it happened.

Lock was poised, confident and ran the offense well against both the #1 and #2 defenses. Three things immediately stood out to me about Lock.

First, he made good decisions and executed them effectively.

Much was made of his now-infamous opening day throw. I called it “the worst throw I’d ever seen a professional QB make.” Brock Huard called it “a throw that loses you football games.” Pete Carroll called it “as bad a throw as you can make. That’s an example of ‘we’re never doing that again.’” But he quickly added that Lock has not made a single ‘bonehead’ decision since that day.

Is that Pete with his trademark overly positive perspective? No. Lock had several chances today to make dangerous throws into tight windows and considered it but he wisely checked down and found a safer option to keep the offense on schedule and moving forward. Significant progress and something that will be critical for a team intending to focus on the run game.

Late in the first half, he had the offense in field goal range but had time for one more play. He rolled to his right but there was no really good opportunity. He wisely threw the ball out of the end zone instead of trying for the low-percentage play and the team took the field goal and went into the locker room.

At another point in the game, Uchenna Nwosu came completely free off the edge and was in Lock’s face immediately after the snap. Lock coolly sidearmed the ball around him and hit Colby Parkinson in stride for a nice gain. That was a play that a seriously good NFL quarterback makes.

He also made good decisions on when to take shots. At one point he slightly overthrew a streaking Bo Melton in the deep middle. The throw was not perfect but the decision making was sound. He had enough time and protection to take the deep shot and Melton clearly had a step on his man.

It really looks like he demonstrated a high positive response to the coaching since the opening of camp. Lock appears to have ascended closer to what Pete Carroll wants. Be a good steward of the football — be patient — but make the big throw when it is available to you.

Second, Lock used his legs.

It’s almost as if he listened to Brock Huard’s podcast this week. He said Lock would have to use his legs to elevate himself in the competition.

He most certainly did that today. He bought time in the pocket, rolled out to find receivers and also called his own number on run-pass option plays at least three or four times and gained decent yardage each time, converting at least one third down. He may have found an element to contribute that differentiates him from Geno Smith.

Third, he threw into the middle of the field effectively.

Lock found the tight ends down the seam, the wide receivers on slants and running backs on check downs. These are things that can really add a dimension to the offense that has been sorely missing.

Was Lock perfect today? No. Some of his throws lacked accuracy and his timing with his receivers was not always the best. His first handoff to Walker was fumbled (although to be fair, Pete blamed Walker). Also, a drive in the third quarter sputtered.

But overall, it was an impressive display. Lock made a statement today. He’s coming for the job.

What about Geno Smith?

He had a nice drive to open the game against the #2 defense. He found D.K. Metcalf a couple times, had a nice throw to Marquise Goodwin and audibled to Penny runs that appeared to be good choices a couple of times. He brought the offense down the field and Penny ran in for a touchdown at the goal line. Smith kept the offense on schedule and made the throws he needed to.

There wasn’t much to speak positively of after that drive though.

The next drive he could not muster much of anything.

Later, he had a throw that was completely perplexing. He scrambled to his left under pressure and lofted a ball down the sideline to Goodwin that there was simply no way he could get to, yet was in bounds and catchable. Tariq Woolen with his incredible length turned his body and nearly made an incredible diving interception. Why not just throw the ball away?

Coming out of the locker room after halftime, on the first offensive play Geno burned a timeout. The team was not ready to play.

Later they lined up for a ‘four-minute drill’. The simulation was the team had a lead with four minutes to play and the offense needed to burn the clock. After a short run, Geno threw a short checkdown ball the receiver had to fall to the ground to catch and then he got ‘sacked’ on third down. About 50 seconds burned off the clock.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a real horserace. If Lock continues at this pace, he will win the job and have preseason time to develop some chemistry with his receivers.

Tariq Woolen’s star turn

Tariq Woolen played tremendously well today. With Sidney Jones sidelined with a potential concussion, Woolen got plugged into the right cornerback spot with the #1 defense and had several impressive moments.

Woolen had a couple pass breakups, consistently tight coverage and nearly got that interception off Geno Smith with a diving attempt. He had a dogged matchup with Marquise Goodwin and got the best of him more often than not.

He looked good, patiently waiting for receivers to make their break and then reacting, trusting his speed and his ability turn his hips and run. He also seemed to have a very solid grasp of when to hand off his man in zone coverage and get to his next assignment.

I’m not sure his development timeline should necessarily be advanced just yet, but he appears to my eyes to be further along than I reckoned he would be.

Game Notes

— Penalties, penalties, penalties. False starts, delays of game, holdings, defensive offsides. Procedural penalties abounded today. Jake Curhan got at least two false starts for jumping early. Let’s hope they get these things ironed out. Soon.

— Kenneth Walker again looked fantastic. After the fumbled exchange, Walker calmed down and ran with a burst you love to see. On one run, he got to the second level and completely juked an incoming Josh Jones and gained more yards. His touchdown run was a seamless effort that he made look easy with a quick cut to the outside:

K9 doing K9 things 💯#SeahawksCamp x @boeing pic.twitter.com/aju9zKRNZq

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 6, 2022

— Dareke Young had several catches and looked comfortable in the offense.

— The edge rushers looked great today. Darrel Taylor, Boye Mafe, and Uchenna Nwosu all displayed burst off the line, power and bend. Pete Carroll’s comments yesterday about Boye Mafe being used primarily in pass rush packages are a welcome relief. In his post-draft comments, he had mentioned that Mafe had more of an aptitude for linebacker play whereas Tyreke Smith was more of a pass rusher. Thank goodness they’re focusing on Mafe as a pass rusher.

— Jacob Eason laid a claim for the Dumbest Throw of Preseason crown. Deep in his own territory, he took the snap, had a rusher in his face and from his own end zone he threw it to…I don’t know who. He just flipped the ball away but in the middle of the field, with no offensive player within 5 yards of the throw. A defender made a diving catch for an interception at the 3-yard line. Thankfully the play was nullified by a defensive penalty.

Although I’ve often spoken of a willingness to just ‘roll with what they’ve got’ at quarterback, I also have a small confession to make.

I was rooting for Drew Lock.

Not because I have any great faith in Lock. At Missouri he had tools and plus athleticism but he also flashed a decent amount of erraticism. Despite being touted as a first round pick, he dropped deep into round two. His career in Denver never really got going. Then he left.

The idea that he would come to Seattle and propel his career to a level he’s so far been unable to reach in college or the NFL was always fanciful.

I still liked the idea of giving him a shot. The one thing Lock retains is a tiny amount of unknown. A ‘what if?’ factor that Geno Smith simply does not possess.

We know what Smith is. He is a player who has proven to be thoroughly mediocre. It’s possible the Seahawks are the sole reason he remains an actual NFL player.

He’s been in Seattle since 2019, signing a series of cheap backup contracts. Since his rookie deal with the Jets, these are the contract amounts he has signed for:

2017 — $1.2m (Giants)
2018 — $1m (Chargers)
2019 — $805,000 (Seahawks)
2020 — $1.2m (Seahawks)
2021 — $1.2m (Seahawks)

Now he has agreed a deal technically worth $3.5m in terms of cap hit but with only $500,000 in dead money and a base salary of $1.26m.

Smith has thrown 32 career touchdowns and 37 interceptions. He has a career quarterback rating of 75.7.

He turns 32 this year. The ship has long sailed on any lingering potential. He is what he is. A player who, but for the Seahawks, might struggle for a backup job somewhere else. After all, in recent years he has remained on the market for a long time before eventually returning to Seattle.

There’s been a strong PR attempt to try and make more of his spell as a starter last season. Some fans have even started to drink the Kool Aid.

The truth is he was bad.

He had a brief cameo against the Rams which sparked some interest as he launched a comeback before he turned the ball over to end the game.

He did nothing in a half against Pittsburgh before Pete Carroll opted to run the ball down the throat of the Steelers. They couldn’t stop the run, paving the way for a strong second half by the offense. Yet another Smith turnover ended any hopes of a win in overtime.

Smith was absolutely woeful against the Saints — his only touchdown ‘drive’ being totally reliant on one big 84-yard play by DK Metcalf.

And then there was his only win — against the worst team in the league (Jacksonville).

The idea of watching 17 games of Geno Smith in 2022 is enough to create a migraine. It won’t be much fun. Not unless the Seahawks can recreate or better their virtually unstoppable running attack from the end of last season, making life improbably easy for Smith.

Let’s be clear — that is what they are banking on. There’s almost no chance they’ll be going into games relying on the arm of Smith. They are hoping he can manage games with the run thriving.

Ultimately he is the 2022 answer to Tarvaris Jackson. In 2011, everyone could see that Jackson simply wasn’t good enough. Yet he was respected by the team as they transitioned to the future and when Marshawn Lynch started to run effectively, the team clicked.

Based on everything that is being said, Smith is the de facto #1 without much of a competition because it appears he is the alpha in the QB room. Listening to press conferences by Lock and Smith today, it’s pretty clear Smith is the big voice in that room. He’s a better communicator.

It’s not a huge shock given his experience both in the league and with the team. Yet none of the noise from training camp so far suggests Drew Lock is doing anything to tilt the balance towards the unknown.

I would still rather find out if Lock has anything than submit the fans to a season of Smith. The writing’s on the wall though. Short of a horrible pre-season (which Smith has shown he’s capable of) combined with Lock excelling, this will be Smith’s gig.

I don’t anticipate the Seahawks bringing Jimmy Garoppolo into the equation if he’s released. I’m not even sure Garoppolo would want to bolt for the big rival up the road if he is released. The Giants would seem like a reasonable alternative bet, or the Texans, if he does depart the Niners.

Thus, the Seahawks will go into the season with not just the worst QB situation in the league — but arguably one of the worst in a decade.

Seahawks red-zone scrimmage:
Geno Smith 0-4, Homer drop, 1 quick out spiked into ground in 1s vs 1s

Drew Lock 2-4, 2 offensive false starts on his hard counts in 2s vs 2s.

No touchdowns in 10 tries from inside the 10-yard line, including the 2 false-start penalties

— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) August 1, 2022

Practice over for the day, and as noted earlier, it was a really tough day for the offense. Offense got almost nothing downfield in pass game in any team drills.

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) August 1, 2022

Performances like this today might push the Seahawks closer to Jimmy G.

The ability for this offense to function will be totally dependant on the run. All eggs have been placed in one basket. And off that, the QB’s will be expected to deliver big plays.

As I’ve said many times, I am comfortable with embracing the suck. The priority in 2022 should be to develop your young offensive line (please stop wasting time with players not named Abraham Lucas at right tackle) and your defense — while trying to retain consistency in the run.

Improve the pass rush, create more turnovers, set the table for 2023 and beyond.

The 2011 season showed what is possible and that should be the blueprint.

It’s also encouraging to hear positive reviews for players like Coby Bryant. The Seahawks need those young studs to emerge, as they did 11 years ago.

I genuinely hope the front office is taking that view of things. That they appreciate and understand the situation and acknowledge this is just a year to develop and move on from, rather than kidding themselves that they can be anything more than mediocre.

My slight fear is that Pete Carroll is incapable of viewing things that way and might actually be investing faith in Geno Smith. If that’s the case and it goes as poorly as you’d expect, what then? A repeat of the 2010 and 2011 seasons where a horrible game of musical chairs occurs at the position — involving an ageing Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst, then Jackson and Whitehurst?

Because while I and I’m sure many other fans are prepared to swallow a dose of reality for the 2022 season and spend a few months thinking about the quarterback draft class and the future — a lot of fans won’t be prepared to do that.

Back-to-back losing seasons, having traded away the star player, will not sit well with a lot of people. Especially if you’re trying to sell them a year of Geno Smith.

This isn’t a rabid fan base that will turn quickly and aggressively. Yet it is a fan base that isn’t afraid to make themselves heard on a Sunday. They’re also especially vocal on Twitter — which remains a small and noisy platform that wields more influence than it probably should.

Thus, I still think the unknown of Lock creates some intrigue and mystery (and perhaps patience?). I wish he would get more first-team reps and a proper opportunity to compete. At the moment it feels like it’s already Geno’s job.

Isn’t it at least worth seeing if Lock really is as bad as Denver thinks?

Or maybe the Seahawks already have the answer?

Finding out is more fun than watching Geno Smith, that’s why I hope pre-season games might deliver a turn in this battle. I’m fully, 100% prepared though to accept we’re going to be watching a soon-to-be 32-year-old journeyman plodder leading the Seahawks through a very difficult, ugly season of offense.

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Seahawks’ WR DK Metcalf is signing a three-year, $72 million extension that includes $58.2 million guaranteed, per source. Deal includes $30 million signing bonus, the highest ever for a WR. Metcalf will be a free agent again at 27 years old.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 28, 2022

It was vital the Seahawks agreed terms for Metcalf.

As we’ve discussed previously, there was no justification for this dragging on deep into training camp. There were plenty of precedent setting deals to use as a framework, including similarly productive players drafted in the same range (A.J. Brown) and other top performers.

One way or another, the two sides had to come together. Financially it made sense for Metcalf, playing on a wildly outdated rookie deal. For the Seahawks, they committed to the player when they didn’t trade him pre-draft.

On paper it looks like a shorter deal so that Metcalf can reach the market again quicker than some of his peers with a bigger up-front commitment of $30m guaranteed. I am in no way shape or form a cap ‘expert’. If anything, I’d describe myself as the opposite of that. However, on first glance it looks like a good compromise for both parties and a contract that makes a lot of sense.

We’ll wait to see the finer details but this looks like a win-win situation.

I can’t wait to watch Will Levis throwing him the ball in 2023.

Meanwhile, here are some training camp observations from Curtis Allen after day one:

What I saw of the players with injury questions

Tyreke Smith opened camp on the PUP list. Pete Carroll said after practice that he ran well today in a separate workout and could be off the list soon.

That follows with what I saw today. His reason for being on the PUP appears to be of the less-concerning variety. He tailed the defensive end/pass rusher group through all their drills without his helmet on but seemed loose and even danced a little to the music playing.

Tre Brown appeared but seemed less-active to me than Smith. Carroll also said he should be off the PUP soon but just based on my viewing, Smith is closer to being ready to practice.

D’Wayne Eskridge took some punts but did not participate in the scrimmage. Carroll said he had some hamstring tightness.

Quandre Diggs looks fantastic. He did not wear any kind of leg or knee brace and was a full participant in warmups and drills and played in the scrimmage. At one point he did a backpedal drill and looked very comfortable really giving it a go. It appears he has recovered very well. Now it is the mental aspect of re-trusting his legs and making his reads.

Rashaad Penny – not injured but always an injury concern – looked great. He has always been a really good-looking athlete, so I am stating the obvious. But I did not see any hesitation or lack of burst in his first day out. He ran hard, ran through the line (a light-tackling type scrimmage to be fair) and when he cleared the crowd he accelerated all the way to the end zone multiple times. At one point Diggs gave chase and could not catch him.

Rookie Report

The Seahawks had a great draft class this year and it shows. All of these guys have a ‘wow’ factor just by the way they look physically and the way they carry themselves in warmups and practices.

Cross and Lucas just stand out, even when warming up in the OL group next to gigantic human beings Greg Eiland and Stone Forsythe. They are built differently, have a different fluidity and confidence about them. They get into their stances with a more athletic posture than the others do. That’s the best way I can put it.

They did not come out and stone pass rushers or flatten anyone in the scrimmages but remember, it is the first day of camp and they did not wear pads. The future looks bright at the tackle position.

Kenneth Walker also has an uncommon build. Standing next to similarly sized players like Josh Johnson and Darwin Thompson, you see the difference immediately. They’re all listed about the same on the roster sheet but Walker has tree trunks for thighs and broad shoulders to carry a load.

He looked great in the scrimmages. He trusted his reads and hit the hole without hesitation at times. In other reps, he showed what we saw in his college tape: take the snap and a step, hesitated to let a block clear up and then accelerated strongly. He also ran to daylight as soon as he got through the DL and had DB’s chasing him down the field. A welcome sign after being lightly chastised by Pete Carroll for not being in the best of shape in minicamp.

Boye Mafe also looked the part of a pass rusher. He did warmups with the LBs but shifted to drills with the DEs — a welcome sight. Even watching him do low-key hand-fighting drills with a coach was enjoyable. At one point they did a drill requiring players to bend around a blocker and Mafe did it seamlessly and fluidly without losing much speed. Players like Aaron Donkor and Vi Jones struggled to do the same drill even half as well.

The rookie star of the day without a doubt in my mind was Cobe Bryant. He just has “it” – a great package of size, speed, skill and confidence. In drills he was lining up off the WR a good three yards. He has that quality where he trusts his instincts and doesn’t panic as a WR is coming at him with 3 full steps and is about to make his break. He is positioned well, trusts his ability and reacts well. In the scrimmage, Drew Lock threw a pretty nice deep ball to a streaking Bo Melton but Bryant was right there step for step to knock it away at the last moment. Textbook.

I am not going to anoint him a starter at LCB based on one practice. But he is not going to just give the job away without a fight. Particularly if he keeps stacking practices like today’s.

Tariq Woolen is a tantalizing prospect. You know about the size, the arm length, the speed. What surprised me was the fluidity with which he moved in drills. He had better hips and footwork than I realized. The rawness might come from his lack of time reading coverages and building instinct so he can react in a timely manner.

I also liked that he didn’t mind getting physical with a WR on a run play in scrimmage. Add a little snarl to that size and speed and the Seahawks may have found a gem.

Best thing I saw today: The pass rush

Again, this was not a padded practice but the pass rush provided all kinds of trouble for the offense in the scrimmage whenever they tried to call a passing play.

Interior lineman Shelby Harris and Quentin Jefferson were a big problem for the centers and guards – Harris at one point ran a swim move so well it was like he was covered in Vaseline and accelerated to the QB. Jefferson likewise had the pocket moving back into the QBs lap.

Uchenna Nwosu came screaming off the edge and was right in Geno Smith’s face and deflected his pass. He got an attaboy fist bump from Pete Carroll for that effort.

If it had been permissible to sack the QB today, the pass rush would have gotten 4 or 5 sacks in about 15-17 pass rushing reps.

Let’s not dwell too much on what that means for the offensive line. Just bask in the glory of the Seahawks fielding a real pass rush.

The quarterback battle

It looks like Geno Smith is still in the lead, as Pete Carroll reaffirmed in his press conference.

He got more scrimmage reps with the #1’s than Drew Lock did.

They ran the ball a lot in the scrimmages so there were not very many opportunities to really see what the QBs can do. They had maybe 15-20 total passes between the three QB’s and the pass rush was right in their face frequently, so it is hard to judge.

But I’m going to do a little bit of that anyway.

Geno Smith looked like Geno Smith. When he has a snap and throw for a small gain, he’s fine. He hit Bo Melton right between the numbers on a quick slant (Melton dropped it but Geno did his job). He found Colby Parkinson leaking out to the weak side and he was able to turn upfield and gain 5 or 6 yards. He hit Noah Fant also inside for a nice gain.

When he is called on to handle a rush and make decisions, that is where things get tricky. His processing speed still does not seem NFL starting QB caliber and he rushed some throws. That said, he did have a dandy of a play where he moved to his right to escape pressure and found Tyler Lockett doing the scramble drill like only he can for a big gainer over Sydney Jones.

Drew Lock. I’m not sure what to say. He had some impressive throws in warmup drills. The ball zips out of his hands and pops to the receiver. He did have the nicely placed deep ball to Melton that Bryant batted away I noted above but that was about it for the scrimmage.

He did not get many reps with the #1’s, and based on today’s scrimmage I did not see a single thing that made me think that was an error in judgement on the leadership’s part.

He looks like he lacks confidence to me. Geno may not be a superstar but he warms up and practices with purpose and gives off a vibe that he is here to win the job. Lock looks unsure of himself and carried himself somewhere between disinterested and unconcerned, assuming he’s going to win the job because of his skillset (I’ll admit it was hard to get a read on him).

Today in the scrimmage he had maybe the worst throw off the worst decision I’d ever seen a professional QB make. He took the snap, moved left to evade some pressure and as approached the left sideline, had a choice to accelerate upfield and gain a few yards with his legs or throw it.

He chose both. After he crossed the line of scrimmage, he launched a wobbly duck across the field to a teammate who was streaking down the far-right sideline – a cardinal QB sin to be sure – and to make matters worse, he was adequately covered. It had the look and feel of a guy just reasoning ‘what the heck, might as well try something crazy to dazzle them at the end of scrimmage.’ The ball fell to the ground and the horn mercifully blew after that awful display, ending the scrimmage.

It was one bad day for Lock. I’m not condemning him forever based on it. But when Pete Carroll keeps going back to the well that Geno knows the offense and therefore has the pole position on the starting job, at this point I totally get it.

Random observations

— I could be totally wrong but it appears the Seahawks have asked the DT’s to slim down a bit. Al Woods and Quentin Jefferson look lighter to me. Mone again displaying effort to turn his back and chase runners down. Maybe this is part of moving to a 3-4, having interior players that are quicker?

— Cody Barton at MIKE and Jordyn Brooks at WILL in scrimmages

— Eskridge, Fuller and Swain fielded punts among others

— The tight ends lined up as halfbacks next to the QB in shotgun and/or were used in motion more than once. That was good to see some creativity there.

— Pete Carroll talked about this maybe being the fastest Seahawks team he’s coached. I get it. Adding Walker, Woolen, Marquise Goodwin, even Abe Lucas and his sub-5.00 40 to Metcalf, Eskridge, Penny and Lockett does seem enticing.

— The crowd there was a fraction of the fans that showed up last year. I understand completely that the star power has taken a hit this offseason but still, I was shocked at the low attendance.

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Into the darkness…

It’s easy to forget this — but quite a lot of Seahawks fans don’t remember life before Russell Wilson.

This includes some of the more, shall we say, ‘vocal’ members of Seahawks twitter.

Whether it’s due to your age or the rapid improvement of the team a decade ago carrying you along for the ride — there are quite a lot of people on the internet who haven’t experienced what might happen in 2022.

A really bad season.

For others, it might just be so long ago that we’ve forgotten what it’s really like.

I remember watching the film ‘Lost in Translation’. I saw it about a year after it came out. I was at University at the time. I thought it was great.

Re-watching it as an actual adult years later — it was nothing like I recalled. It was 102 minutes of absolute torture. I understood why a younger version of myself would give this arty-farty bilge the benefit of the doubt. Yet as a grown-up I just wanted to tell the two main characters (played by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson) to f-off.

Thankfully I’ve seen the light. I watched Top Gun Maverick in the cinema for a third time this weekend — a confession I’m prepared to make. I fear it might be the last great classic cinema experience.

The whole point of this digression is to point out that the 2022 season might create a similar feeling to that second viewing of Sofia Coppola’s pretentious borefest.

More than anyone I’ve been extolling the decision to have a clean break and ‘take some lumps’ this year. I think that short-term misery will present a quicker path to a return to success (through higher draft picks) than muddling along in no-man’s land.

That doesn’t mean ‘tanking’. People often lurch to deliberately losing for the #1 pick. It’s not about that. It’s critical the Seahawks try to build while they go through this process, as they did in 2011. I just think that can be achieved without spending resource on a minor quarterback improvement — which would’ve been the case with Baker Mayfield and will be with Jimmy Garoppolo — in order to win eight or nine games instead of five, six or seven.

The end result is no Super Bowl appearance either way.

Yet even as I promote this scenario, I accept it could be painful to witness. The 2011 season ended well as the team gained momentum through its defense and running game. But there were some awful moments too. Mainly because the quarterback play was horrific.

To be frank, this 2022 season could be worse. This time we don’t know if a Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas combo will emerge — or that any of these running backs can emulate Marshawn Lynch’s impact.

My memory of 2011 is also potentially clouded by what happened next — the successful addition of a brilliant franchise quarterback. Admittedly, it won’t be easy to do that again.

Thus, experiencing this coming season 11 years on might be a bit like that second viewing of ‘Lost in Translation’. It might not be as good as I remembered.

I’m sure some of the reaction to a bad season could be backlash to those who spoke positively about going through this. Having made the 2011 comparison to the current Seahawks and spent time saying what a jolly good idea this all is — it may be that I’m hoisted by my own petard if the losses begin to stack.

If/when we get to the point that things go bad — people need to get their act together and take it on the chin. I am prepared to do that but we’ll see how the noisy internet fanbase handles it — especially those who only know the Wilson era Seahawks.

This year needs to be about setting up the future. It needs to be about positioning to acquire a young quarterback of the future in 2023 while developing and shaping a better defense, O-line and running game to create the ideal environment from which to insert a young signal caller.

That is all we should demand or ask for.

As camp gets underway, that’s a message that probably bears repeating.

But it also could be difficult to watch. Some games could be really ugly. There might be little hope or enjoyment as the winter rolls in.

Still, it could be worse. You could be watching Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson playing two bored, rich people in Japan.

D.K. Metcalf’s contract situation

There was a slight glimmer of hope that the Seahawks’ top brass had an epiphany moment after the Wilson trade. Pete Carroll, for example, admitted they’d been ‘arrogant’ about the way they’d played defense over the last few years.

It was a welcome statement that suggested they were learning some lessons and moving on from some of the hubris that has dogged this team in recent years.

Yet since that press conference after the Wilson deal, they’ve since gone back to talking about ‘their way of doing things’ and have largely stuck to their guns.

In free agency they spent an absolute fortune to get not a lot in return. It means they’ve dramatically reduced their available cap space for 2023 already — as highlighted in this article. A lot of people are going to repeat over the next few months that the Seahawks have a lot of money to spend in 2023. They don’t. Not anymore.

They’ve also handled the Metcalf contract situation about as poorly as they could’ve done — allowing multiple top players to get deals done, driving up the market, following Christian Kirk’s league-changing contract in Jacksonville.

Short of Metcalf being unreasonable, which I suppose is at least possible, it’s unclear why they didn’t just agree to match or slightly better A.J. Brown’s contract with the Eagles right after the draft.

Now they go into another training camp with a contract question mark hanging over the franchise. It made a complete dog’s dinner of a situation with Jamal Adams a year ago — leaving the player undercooked, the defense ill-prepared and it was a media distraction for far too long.

They’re walking into the same thing again.

If they didn’t want to pay Metcalf a kings ransom they should’ve traded him — as the Titans did with A.J. Brown and as the Ravens did with Marquise Brown. By not dealing him, they indirectly committed to him. Now they need to do so financially by getting this done before camp begins.

They talk about their track-record of signing players as a positive but they’ve often paid too much, too late and created avoidable drama.

This needs to be sorted now.

I wouldn’t expect Jimmy G in Seattle

If the Seahawks were going to bring in another quarterback to compete in camp, you would imagine they would’ve been in the building by now.

You have to be able to lead. You have to be able to build relationships. You need to be the focal point.

It’s virtually impossible to insert a player into a position like that during a camp.

This is going to be a Geno Smith vs Drew Lock battle. A lot of fans won’t like it. I think it’s the right thing to do and I hope Lock wins the job. I want to see if there’s something there instead of watching a season of mediocre play from Smith. Yet Lock will have to grab the starting gig in camp and rightly so.

However — I’ll say it again. The key this season is to developing your young O-liners, creating a defense that actually functions properly and getting the running game going. Do that and regardless of wins or losses — it’ll be a successful season.

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This is a guest post from Curtis Allen…

What does the offense look like without Russell Wilson?

The long-brewing divorce is officially complete and the Seahawks and Russ have gone their separate ways. Now everybody gets to experience the next phase: Living with the decision to move on.

One of the biggest storylines in the NFL this year will be covering how the Seahawks cope with trading their franchise quarterback.

Gone is the NFL’s most gorgeous deep ball, the Houdini-like ability to escape free rushers and the ironclad belief that the Seahawks can recover from three quarters of poor play with a dazzling fourth quarter flourish.

Also gone are the drive-killing sacks, the inability to use the middle of the field and the constant fake plastic happy denials that there are philosophical problems behind closed doors.

How do the Seahawks adjust? It is far more than just plugging in a quarterback as they did last year when Russ got hurt. If they are really intent on moving on, the coaching staff will need to truly adjust to the skills of the quarterbacks and players on the roster.

Do not get fooled by what you see in the preseason. They have hidden their offensive intentions well in recent preseason games.

Or even in Week One. The Seahawks have developed a habit of coming out of the gate extremely well the last two years, and then slowly sliding back to a blandly obvious strategy on offense as the season wore on.

Will the absence of Russell Wilson force them to rely more on the running game? To use the tight ends more and employ more short passing and fly sweep type options that work well with a reformed offensive line?

Being forced into these postures might actually be a good thing, a true ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ moment for the team. As well, with the team free of a quarterback with very strong views about how the offense is run, it might actually help them move away from their ‘all or nothing’ identity on offense (see question 3 below).

Time will tell.

Can the Seahawks finally solve the Tight End riddle?

For years the Seahawks have invested in the tight end position, only to get very little in return. The players they have spent most of their money on at the position are more suited to being pass-catchers than effective blockers in the run game. And yet, their production in traditional counting stats like targets, catches and touchdowns as a team has not paid off to a commensurate degree:

-In 2020 they were 8th highest in the NFL in cap spending on the tight end position and that yielded team production of about the 20th best in the NFL.

-2021 saw their spending drop – they were 26th in cap spending on tight ends (well, actually 17th if you count the void-year money they gave Gerald Everett that hits the 2022 cap) and once again as a team found themselves at about 20th in the NFL in production.

The cost/benefit ratio has for too long been stuck on the wrong side of the ledger. The Seahawks desperately need to get more bang for the buck from this position group. Particularly when you consider how much they have on the books in 2022 and the coming years:

-For 2022 their cap spending is about 12th with the bulk of the offseason activity completed.

-At this moment their 2023 cap spending at the position is very aggressive: they stand at 6th highest in the NFL.

-2024 spending is currently 12th with Will Dissly as the only tight end under contract

Has the lack of tight end use all these years been specifically due to Russell Wilson and his tendency to not regularly throw over the middle? Could a big glaring issue have that direct of a solution, simply changing quarterbacks?

We are about to find out.

With their investments the Seahawks are loaded with possibilities to utilize the position to ignite their offense. A regular “12 personnel” grouping with two tight ends, two wide receivers and a running back could open up some very interesting options. It certainly would disguise their run/pass intentions pre-snap very well, and they could also use that to their advantage in personnel matchups, keeping tired defenders on the field and exploiting mismatches on nearly every single play.

How about a red zone package with all three tight ends, a running back and a wide receiver?

They could have a Two Twin Towers-type package, with 6’4” players Dissly, Metcalf and Fant and the 6’7” Colby Parkinson ready to out-position, outreach and out-jump defenders.

Lining up Metcalf in the slot in this formation would be particularly advantageous. Imagine them breaking the huddle and lining up Colby Parkinson and Noah Fant wide, Will Dissly inline and Metcalf in the slot and watch the linebackers flail their arms at each other while trying to adjust, and they end up putting a short safety or a slower linebacker on DK. In the past, nearly every single time the Seahawks have put Metcalf in the slot, something good has happened.

Or how about instead of Metcalf, bringing in Eskridge and have him fly sweep to either take the run or draw defenders and get the inline TE to leak to the opposite side to get him all alone? Or send two of them towards the end zone and have the quarterback pick one to throw a jump ball to?

Their spending creates a lot of options there. The only limit is their creativity.

Tight ends are known for moving the chains and giving the offense options. The Seahawk crew will need to live up to that description if they are to improve the offensive output as a whole and support their defense better this year…

Can the offense hold their end of the bargain up?

As noted in the piece on the defense, the offense ran the fewest number of plays in the NFL last year. 954 plays adjusted for a 16-game schedule puts them in historic company.

In the last 20 years, only 4 teams ran fewer offensive plays than the Seahawks.

Put another way, of the 640 team-seasons in the past 20 years, the 2021 Seattle Seahawk Offense placed 636th in number of offensive plays ran.

The team recorded 83 punts, good for second most in the NFL.

Why was how poor the 2021 offense was not gain more attention nationally? Answer: They were 4th in the NFL in Explosive Play Rate, generating 109 explosive plays, balanced nicely between 56 passes and 53 rushes. That contributed to a ‘feast or famine’ outcome for the offense last year and kept them from being a complete and utter disaster.

There are several obvious reasons for the poor performance by the offense. Russell Wilson getting hurt and struggling to recover, Geno Smith being Geno Smith, Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny missing large stretches of games to injury, and some curious game-planning and in-game decisions that they struggled to justify.

The offense’s inability to regularly sustain drives put an enormous burden on the defense, one that they struggled to bear at times.

Just one example: Week 16 against Chicago.

The Bears have put together a 15-play 71-yard drive that consumes over 8 minutes of game time. The defense stiffens in the red zone and the Bears decide to go for it on fourth down instead of taking the points. The defense stops them at the 2-yard line and they turn the ball over on downs.

Allowing a monster drive like that is nothing to be proud of on the defensive side. But still, the defense justifiably exits the field celebrating. There is now a golden opportunity to swing the momentum back to the Seahawks.

The offense fails miserably. They three-and-out, netting zero yards and Michael Dickson has to punt from his own end zone. The defense gets about 2 minutes of rest plus a TV timeout for the quarter end. That is not enough. Chicago scores a touchdown six plays later to tie the game.

In the second half, the Bears take the kickoff, get one first down and are forced to punt due to a tackle for loss by Darrell Taylor and a Rasheem Green sack. The Seahawks have nullified the kickoff advantage, get the ball and have a 17-7 lead. Time to step on the accelerator and put this game on ice.

The offense three-and-outs, again conceding all the momentum. The defense wearily returns to the field and concedes a 10-play 82-yard drive for a touchdown.

Predictably, at the end of the game, an exhausted defense cannot make a 7-point lead hold up at the Chicago 20-yard line with 2:56 to play. They concede a game-winning 80-yard touchdown drive and two-point conversion for a disastrous loss.

The 2021 Seahawk defense was nothing to write home about. But they were tasked with carrying this team without enough support from the offense far too many times, and it hurt the team badly.

There are many times in the NFL where an offense’s primary mandate is not necessarily to score, but to protect a lead. The defense had an unusually heavy burden placed upon them last year by the offense. The Seahawks cannot afford a repeat of that performance in 2022.

The defense features a new coaching staff, a change to more of a 3-4 look and will be integrating several young players into the mix. Coming right out of the gate and getting very little support from the offense might be a bridge too far and dig this team into a hole it cannot get out of.

The offense must provide more sustainable drives this year. One way they can do that is by regularly running the ball well…

What will the running game look like?

Having a thriving running game might be the single biggest factor to get this team moving in the right direction. It reduces pressure on the quarterbacks, gives the reshuffled offensive line some great forward momentum and enables the defense to stay fresh.

The stars might have aligned in a way to make that happen – there is an intriguing scheduling opportunity for the running game to take a nice step forward in 2022.

Last year, the Seahawks played 9 of their 17 games against the top rushing defenses. That is some tough sledding.

This year, they are only scheduled to play six games against the 2021 top rushing defenses, and two of them are against a team the Seahawks seem to be able to handle regularly (San Francisco).

Furthermore, ten of their games are against teams that were in the bottom half of the league in defending the run last year. There may be a positive progression coming in their running attack this year simply from which opponents they are scheduled to play.

Rashaad Penny ate poor rushing defenses for lunch down the stretch in 2021. Four of the team’s last five games saw Penny running at a blistering pace, earning a nice $5 million contract for 2022 that for all intents and purposes, is fully guaranteed.

So the opportunity is there. But as is the custom, the position group will have major injury and use questions entering the season.

Chris Carson has suffered a devastating neck injury. He has had treatment and can work out, but Pete Carroll has said the team will not know anything about whether he can play until he gets into camp and starts getting some physical practices to gauge the injury’s reaction to live tackling. From everything we are hearing, it seems unwise to count on Carson ever playing again. They might have to cut him with an injury settlement.

No one needs to be told how precarious Rashaad Penny’s health is. After recovering in 2020 from a major knee injury, last year saw him go on Injured Reserve for a stretch and be unavailable with lower-body strains and pulls for other stretches.

Slightly lost in the relief and excitement of Penny’s incredible finish to the season last year was the fact that he had a grand total of 78 rushing yards through Week 13. Eighteen of those yards were in one incredible burst Week 11 against the Cardinals, only to be followed by a visit to the blue tent and being shut down for the day. At that point, nobody could foresee anything but the Seahawks letting Penny walk in free agency and chalking up his Seahawks career as a top draft pick that could not deliver on his promise. He justifiably changed that conversation dramatically, but still…13 weeks of barely any contribution is concerning.

There is also a secondary concern about Penny that is rarely talked about. Does he have the motivation and desire to achieve greatness? His amazing burst last year was frequently chalked up by the team to Adrian Peterson arriving on campus and setting a tone for him. What did Peterson do that other teammates and the coaching staff could not in three seasons? Peterson is not in the building this year. Can somebody else light that kind of fire under him this year? Could he motivate himself to achieve that same level of greatness?

Given the state of their top two running backs, the Seahawks wisely selected Kenneth Walker III early in the second round and appear to be thrilled with the pick thus far.

They also have Deejay Dallas and Travis Homer returning to the roster.

So what does this all look like?

It would appear the most optimistic option with Carson is to be eased into the season, maybe placing him on the PUP list or Injured Reserve and re-evaluating his progress at regular intervals. That means Penny is the obvious first option, with Walker getting some carries and Dallas and Homer returning to their depth and special teams roles.

Can Penny actually put a full season of good play together? Between his injuries and his desire, it seems a very low percentage play to count on him being able to do so.

So there is uncertainty about the running game. But let’s focus on the aspects that the team can control for a moment. There are two significant areas that the team can address.

First, how do they integrate Walker into the offense? He is a high draft pick on a rookie contract with incredible ability. He needs NFL reps as soon as possible and, in many ways, seems as ready as any rookie to get some at this point.

Can Pete Carroll work with Walker’s integration into the NFL game and while giving him regular meaningful snaps? Or will we hear week after week after week that Walker is ‘fighting and competing in practice’ but come Sunday is nowhere to be found?

A scenario could easily be envisioned where Penny is hurt and Carroll turns to comfort-backs Dallas and Homer for most of the snaps, reasoning that they can pick up blitzes and help out the young tackles with blown blocks and missed assignments, and let their electric draft pick cool his heels on the sidelines, while the running game only nets 3 yards per rush and the offense fails to pick up any momentum.

Can the Seahawks step out of their comfort zone just a little and marry their investment of a high draft pick with actual playing time and live with any NFL growing pains, with a view to setting up the offense for success in 2023? Will they?

And second, can they rely on their running game in strategic planning? Penny’s excellent stretch last year featured a speed bump – Week 15 in Los Angeles. They only gave Penny 11 carries and he netted only 39 yards for them in a ten-point loss. Deejay Dallas also got 8 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown. Nineteen carries are not enough to establish an effective running game.

We have outlined what the Seahawks need to do in order to be effective against the Rams. Running the ball keeps that explosive offense on the sidelines and gives the quarterbacks cover against their dangerous pass rush. Nineteen carries will not cut it.

Will the Seahawks – with more uncertainty than ever at the quarterback position – be able to actively use their assets in the running game in an effective way? Can they get creative in the run game and be able to be more sustainably effective than they have in recent seasons?

This is a bigger issue than a black and white “run vs pass” debate over style of play. If they run well, third downs are easier to convert. The offense stays on the field and the pass catchers get more targets. It is very possible that due to a more effective running game, players like D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and the tight ends can actually get more targets than they have in recent seasons, since the offence is generating more first downs, and from first downs more plays.

Can the Seahawks develop this offensive line for 2023 and beyond?

A best-case scenario is the Seahawks enter 2023 with about 4/5 of their offensive line coming off a confidence-building season and are ready to really solidify the offense for years to come. They only would need a top-flight center that can be acquired either through the draft or in free agency.

While it is laudable to want success as a team in 2022, every move they make this year on the offensive line should be done with a strong focus toward 2023 and beyond.

The Seahawks had a smashing draft this year, coming away with bookend tackles whose profiles read like players that could have 10-year careers for the team as cornerstones. Can they live up to their promise? Can Shane Waldron, Andy Dickerson and Pete Carroll develop these players during the live fire exercise of real NFL games and keep their confidence intact?

Both Cross and Lucas have great pass blocking bona fides, but their run blocking skills are a bit of a question mark – Cross far more than Lucas due to the offense he ran in college.

Pete Carroll shrugged off Charles Cross’ lack of NFL-style run blocking experience at Mississippi State in Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense:

He can run block too. He can really move his feet and he can get off the ball and do the cutoff blocks from the backside and the frontside stuff. He can get on the second level and stay on his feet and be agile about all of that. He’s an excellent prospect to be a left tackle.

When you think left tackle, you think pass protection. That’s really the first thought. He had as much work as you can in Mike’s system. He is stout enough, and he runs really well.

The running game will be something we’ll focus…he’s worked on three-point stance in high school. It won’t be a big transition for him, he’s too athletic. We don’t have any concern about that. It’s just gonna be the process of getting him ready and adapting him to our game.

With a new quarterback, a high draft pick at running back and a stated desire to really emphasize the running game, it is absolutely worth monitoring Cross’ adaptation to this particular aspect of the NFL game.

Abraham Lucas on the other side was graded a brilliant 91 by PFF for his pass blocking – the best in the PAC-12 last season:

Abraham Lucas' 91.0 Pass-Blocking Grade led all Pac-12 Tackles in 2021 😤@WSUCougarFB pic.twitter.com/JV1icuAYCZ

— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 31, 2022

He has seen far more snaps in the running game than Cross (do not let anyone tell you Washington State still runs the Air Raid offense – they ran the ball 44% of the time the last two seasons). PFF had him graded at a 68.3 in run blocking. Not spectacular but also not awful. For a gauge, Brandon Shell typically graded out at 70-73 in run blocking for the Seahawks. That is not to say Lucas will step in Week One and be a 68 graded run blocker, but barring a massive struggle to adapt, there is plenty to work with and the Seahawks are happy they were able to land him in the third round.

What about Damien Lewis? He also tracked to be a long-term offensive line cornerstone type player right out of the gate. Then, for reasons passing understanding, the Seahawks moved him from Right Guard to Left Guard in order to accommodate Gabe Jackson in Lewis’ second NFL season. He struggled to adapt and Jackson did nothing to make that decision seem wise or necessary, clocking an overall 63.6 PFF grade last year at Right Guard.

Will Lewis stay at Left Guard this year? Or will the Seahawks restore him to the right side and either bench Jackson, move on from him or put him in the mix for the Left Guard spot?

This is a critical season for Lewis. What seemed like a slam-dunk “we’re set at Right Guard for the next 10 years” career track now carries as many question marks as answers. Can he earn that level of confidence at Left Guard? Or has that move stunted his development too much?

What about Phil Haynes? Is he the offensive line’s version of Rashaad Penny – talented and frequently injured but ready to make his mark on the NFL? The Seahawks tendered him this offseason at $2.5 million, but none of that is guaranteed.

Would they negotiate him down to about half that on 53-man roster cutdown day like they did with David Moore a couple years ago? You could argue the Seahawks have shown an extreme amount of good faith in keeping him around. Can he reward that faith with a starting spot and some effective play on the interior this year? Does he still fit what the Seahawks want in an interior lineman?

Do Jake Curhan and Stone Forsythe have a future at a starting spot on this line? Or should they start working on their versatility to solidify roles as injury fill in swing type players?

The offensive line’s development in 2022 is absolutely critical. The likelihood they will be starting a new quarterback in 2023 is high. If they can offer him a rising young line to ease his transition – look out. He will have time to throw to Metcalf, Lockett, Eskridge, Dissly, Fant and Parkinson, and Walker to regularly hand the ball to. By the midpoint of 2023, this would be an offense that no one wants to line up against.

Check it out…