Month: July 2024 (Page 1 of 2)

Why change continues to feel particularly fresh in Seattle

July 29, 2024 /

A few times recently I’ve thought about what it’d be like if the Seahawks hadn’t fired Pete Carroll at the end of last season.

We’d be seeing the usual footage of an energetic Carroll, including creative social media clips of him throwing a football. We’d hear the same language we’ve been hearing for well over a decade. For many this would be familiar and comforting.

For some of us though, an increasing number I would suggest, change was absolutely necessary. Vital. There’s a palpable intrigue to this team with a complete overhaul of the staff that simply wouldn’t exist if Carroll had remained.

The results were speaking for themselves. One playoff win in seven seasons. Increasingly unthreatening at home. A defense that was consistently dreadful despite massive investment. The same problems emerging year after year with the same talk of needing to fix things, without any solutions emerging.

When the band-aid was finally ripped off, probably, if we’re being honest, a few years later than it should’ve been, there seemed to be a shared relief within the offices of the VMAC. Not because people didn’t respect Carroll, simply because it was absolutely clear a fresh start was required.

This sentiment was shared by Ian Rapoport earlier today, with the words ‘welcome and necessary’ used to describe the coaching changes, per sources ‘in the building’:

I don’t know if the Seahawks will be any good this year. Frankly, I’m not concerned about it. The 2024 season will not and should not be used in any future argument about whether the decision to fire Carroll was correct. Mike Macdonald is a rookie Head Coach. His two coordinators are new to their jobs. One of them hasn’t even coached in the NFL before. They deserve time and patience to work this out.

Even if they all fail, which clearly none of us hope is the case, it still can’t form an argument that the status quo should’ve remained. The Seahawks were absolutely right to move on, regardless of what happens next.

As it happens, all of the signs so far are encouraging for the new era. Macdonald mostly cut a cheery and personable figure during initial interviews and press conferences over the summer. I’ve found his training camp interviews to be different. There’s more of an edge and he seems driven and to the point. There’s a no-nonsense vibe which I appreciate. The Seahawks have been sloppy, mistake-riddled and spent several recent seasons trying to work things out on the fly. You can just tell from listening to Macdonald that things are going to be different. He seems detail orientated. He has an almost ‘adgitated perfectionist’ look to him. I think this is what the Seahawks needed as they moved on from the Carroll era.

I like how Brady Henderson noted recently that Macdonald let some of the younger players hear about it when they disobeyed instructions to sign autographs for fans after practise. If he’s going to be pissed off about that, I suspect he’s going to be equally discontent if the defensive scheme isn’t up to par by the start of the season.

I’m also aware from speaking to people at UW that Ryan Grubb is no shrinking violet. The Seahawks needed something different and they have it with their new set of leaders.

I also get the sense, as I’ve discussed in recent articles, that John Schneider feels that the prior staff didn’t make the most of the talent on the roster. The Seahawks have reshaped their team in recent years, with the Russell Wilson trade bringing an influx of young talent to Seattle. Very few of the players have turned from ‘good’ to ‘great’ though. We can all see that the group of ‘good’ players on this roster is larger than most in the NFL. However, for the Seahawks to become a true contender, they are going to need a handful to achieve greatness. With respect to Carroll and co, I think they’d shown they weren’t going to deliver that.

When Macdonald was appointed defensive coordinator in Baltimore in 2022 he inherited a defense ranked 28th per DVOA. It helped that they added talent such as Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton — but Macdonald also elevated the play of others, found value from cheap FA acquisitions and his scheme brought about a major change in fortunes. In his first year in the job their DVOA ranking jumped to 8th. Last year, they improved to 1st.

Coincidentally, Macdonald once again inherits the 28th best defense per DVOA in Seattle. With the players on the roster, especially a now loaded defensive line and a talented collection of cornerbacks, there’s no reason why a similar jump in ranking isn’t possible. As with the Ravens, I think it’s entirely possible the Seahawks could have a top-10 defense this year. By 2025, maybe they can even challenge to be the NFL’s best?

Regardless, there’s at least the opportunity now to believe it’s possible. That wasn’t the case with Carroll. Only the most devoted fan would think he could finally fix the defense. It’d be blind faith, unfortunately.

A big defensive jump this year will give the Seahawks a chance to be a competitive, rejuvenated team — on the path to contention if not actually reaching it in 2024. The key to bringing it all together will be the offense, where there are more questions. Can Grubb lead a NFL scheme and execute at a high level, given he’s never done it before? Is the offensive line going to be a problem? Can Geno Smith avoid the fluctuating form which has defined the three most significant seasons of his career?

What I would say is — there was little faith Shane Waldron would be able to answer these questions. Grubb proved to be a dynamic partner to Kalen DeBoer in college, so there’s at least a spark of intrigue to see how he gets on that otherwise wouldn’t have existed.

Week one can’t get here quickly enough. I want to see how this comes together and the early signs, at least based on what we’re hearing from training camp, are encouraging.

Curtis Allen’s training camp notes: 27th July

July 28, 2024 /

This is a guest post by Curtis Allen

The impressive nature of this rookie coaching staff holding effective and efficient practice sessions continues. Already in the team’s fourth camp practice session you can see them settling into a solid routine, comfortable with what is being asked of them and executing rather well through drills and scrimmages.

The team started drills working on the new kickoff rule. They are rotating several returners, giving Tre Brown, Laviska Shenault, Dee Eskridge and Dee Williams nearly equal amounts of reps. Also, Chris McIntosh, Nehemiah Pritchett, Marcus Simms and Easop Winston were first on the field and were getting some pre-practice work in taking kicks as well.

At one point Brown and Shenault were lined up to take the kick and it was right between them. Each thought the other would get it and ran to block and the ball rolled into the end zone. Now is the time to get these kinds of issues worked out.

The front lines on kickoffs got plenty of work. They practiced the blockers retreating and then lining up to block coverage men, with specific techniques to make sure they got a hat on a hat and opened holes.

Geno Smith Still the Unchallenged Starter at Quarterback

Sam Howell is still a distant second to Geno Smith on the depth chart. He looked very good in warmups, throwing with much more accuracy and determination, just like Smith. Scrimmage was a different picture though.

Howell had several nice throws – he appears to have developed nice chemistry with Easop Winston – but was not as consistently accurate as Smith and did not handle pressure well. In a Red Zone drill Howell overthrew a receiver on one play and on another threw an interception that did not stem from a particularly good choice of target.

Meanwhile, Smith has full control of this offense. He rarely had a misfire and in four Red Zone plays scored on all four, including a beauty to Jaxon Smith-Njigba that rainbowed over two defenders (one of them Devon Witherspoon) in the corner.

Today Smith particularly targeted D.K. Metcalf quite a bit. He looked for him often and did not hesitate to throw his direction, even if he was covered (which he often was — more on that in a minute).

At this phase of the preseason, Smith has no trouble executing the offense that Ryan Grubb has put in place. The picture is obviously incomplete, with the running game largely untested and the pass rush unable to sack the quarterback. Yet Smith has shown nothing to suggest he is struggling to grasp what the coaching staff is asking of him.

Tre Brown Having a Strong Camp

The Seahawks have run out Brown and Woolen as the starters at outside Cornerback thus far and Brown has been consistently delivering excellent play. The good qualities we have occasionally seen in Brown in past seasons have been on full display — toughness and physicality despite a smaller frame and a burst and change of direction in coverage that makes him a challenge for just about any wide receiver he will face.

Brown and Metcalf have had some great battles so far and Brown is holding his own. He again forced an incompletion by hand fighting for the ball. Smith threw a great, accurate pass and Metcalf got two hands on it — but Brown never gave up on the play and pried it loose.

Granted Metcalf has had some spectacular catches in camp (including a casual one-handed touchdown on a 40-yard corner throw by Smith today) but Brown has not made a single one of them easy. He has made Metcalf work for his success – a great way to prepare for the rigours of the upcoming season.

Mike Macdonald has his Kyle Hamilton in Devon Witherspoon. Is it possible he has found his Marlon Humphrey in Brown?

Young Offensive Line Makes the Early-Season Plan Clear

This line with a new coaching system is clearly going to take time to gel and solidify as a unit. An injury to Abe Lucas (who was on the sidelines today but not suited up), uncertainty at all three interior positions and the need for Charles Cross to take a big step forward this season all point to not expecting this unit to be effective right out of the gate being the wisest path.

It is not hard to see in scrimmages against the top defense. When Geno Smith has plays where he takes a shotgun snap and makes his throw within 2-2.5 seconds, it is a thing of beauty. The Seahawks have a plurality of weapons and on any given play a top weapon is going to be covered by the opposing team’s fourth-best coverage defender.

However, even in scrimmage, where defenders can rush and surround Smith but not lay a hand on him – let alone sack him – if Smith has to go to his third read and that 2.5 second window has expired, he is surrounded by defenders. In practice, he can spin out past standing defenders and run or make a throw on the run. In games, no such luck.

The obvious course of action the offense needs to take is to design their offense in the early going to be a rhythm offense. They need to instruct Smith that if his first and second reads are not there, to either scramble out of the pocket or run. He had a nice touchdown run today in a Red Zone drill, not liking any of his targets and decisively taking off through the opening in the middle of the field.

That is exactly what they need from Smith in the early going.
If there is one thing they need to take away from the Pete Carroll/Shane Waldron offense, it is to design plays to get rid of the ball as quickly as possible and do not push Smith to constantly have to overcome an offensive line that is lacking cohesiveness.

Camp Notes

– Today appeared to be a rest/lighter day for several players. Tyler Lockett, Jerome Baker, Boye Mafe, Leonard Williams and Tyrel Dodson were dressed but did not have all that many scrimmage reps. John Rhattigan and Tyrice Knight played with the top defense mostly.

– The top offense tried a trick play and it was disastrously ugly. It was a swing pass in the flat to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and he positioned the ball in his hands for a throw and hesitated twice, then threw back into the middle of the field, right into a defender’s waiting hands. No idea what anyone was thinking on that one.

– We are going to keep hearing ‘versatility’ as a watch-word under Mike Macdonald. The four main outside linebackers lined up on both sides of the line more than once. Except for Daryl Taylor. He lined up at his familiar LDE spot. However — Hall, Nwosu and Mafe freely rotated sides. Imagine the pass rushers able to line up on both sides, the interior players able to rotate into multiple different gaps and not knowing which safety is staying in the box and which is covering deep. This is a key feature of a Macdonald defense and it is being implemented in Seattle.

What I think about the Seahawks at the moment

July 26, 2024 /

Defensively, I got what I wanted

For years I’ve pined for the Seahawks to shift resources from safety and linebacker to the trenches and that’s clearly how the current team has been built.

On top of the high first round pick used on Byron Murphy, the massive investment in Leonard Williams was a statement of intent. At a time when the 49ers (Arik Armstead) and Rams (Aaron Donald) said goodbye to dynamic, long-term fixtures on their D-line, the Seahawks have doubled down on the position.

Add in the Uchenna Nwosu signing, the second round picks used on Boye Mafe, Derick Hall and Darrell Taylor, plus the re-signing of Jarran Reed and addition of Johnathan Hankins, not to mention some lower level draft investment for depth, and this looks like a D-line rich in talent and numbers.

It was encouraging to read Curtis Allen’s day-one report from training camp.

At the same time, the Seahawks didn’t splurge at linebacker — adding two players at a good age with potential to develop into productive starters. They did give Julian Love a contract extension this week but it didn’t reset the safety market. They added cost-effective players at that position and role-players.

Finally at cornerback, the Seahawks have ample talent and depth including a chess-piece top-five pick who could end up being Seattle’s answer to Kyle Hamilton. Devon Witherspoon is a different player stylistically and in terms of size — but he’s multiple in the way he can be used. They’ve drafted young talent to develop and for the most part it’s a plan that has worked for them.

With major changes to the coaching staff and a brand new scheme, this promises to be the most interesting Seahawks season in years defensively. Things are nicely set-up for Mike Macdonald’s unit to take a big jump. Admittedly, that won’t be difficult given just how bad the defense has been in recent seasons. There is cause for optimism, though, about the state of this unit.

Now let’s see the same care taken on the offensive line

You can’t fix every problem in one off-season. At least not in a year where, for the first time since 2021, the Seahawks didn’t have a treasure trove of draft picks. Their cap situation also meant they had to be selective — and they went with bringing back Williams over a big-spend on the O-line. I think that was understandable.

However, there’s no denying Seattle’s offensive front is littered with question marks. Charles Cross is facing a big year, where he has to take the next step after two so-so seasons as a previous top-10 pick. They’ll hope experience helps with Laken Tomlinson but he’s 32 now and hasn’t been anything more than average for a while. This is yet another year with another new starter at center. The right guard position is in flux with Anthony Bradford competing with rookie Christian Haynes. Then there’s right tackle — where presumably George Fant has the inside track given Abe Lucas appears some way off returning to a football field.

There’s no successful draft pick here who has developed into a top-end starter, with a guaranteed second contract on the horizon. There’s no investment on a proven veteran. It’s just a bunch of question marks. That doesn’t mean the questions won’t be answered this year — especially with new offensive leadership — but the point is, currently, we can’t feel that confident about any individual.

Neither is there any consistency. The Seahawks have got into a habit of changing their starters annually. Any O-line group requires understanding and chemistry.

Given he reportedly passed his physical, I’m in favour of taking a chance on Connor Williams. He’s stacked multiple seasons of consistent play. He’s only just turned 27. Yes, he’s coming off an injury that some feared could be career threatening. However, this feels like a bit of a shot to nothing if you’re taking a short-term, low-risk gamble to see if he can regain his best form. The upside could be a relationship is built, he thrives and you make him a long-term staple of the line. That’d be a big bonus.

Hopefully Cross takes a step forward under Scott Huff. Hopefully Haynes justifies the third rounder spent on him. Then, at least, you’d start to see a line coming together.

It still feels like a unit that requires more. Next off-season, either a big investment on a proven veteran or another high-ish draft pick is necessary. Perhaps both? They’ve pumped resource into the D-line and the O-line needs to be next on the agenda in 2025.

My fear for the Seahawks fandom this year

I can already see it happening. Those who are passionately defensive of Geno Smith are getting quite agitated and uppity about how people describe their man. Yes, there are probably those who are over the top in their negativity of Smith. I don’t think they are a serious bunch though — a handful of people on social media worth ignoring.

However, this group is often portrayed as some kind of rampaging horde. Only this week a commenter said there is an ‘anti-Geno cult’ among the fanbase during our live stream. Let’s be honest, that’s bollocks.

Without wanting to speak for the majority of the fan base, I think most people have a similar thought as I do. Smith is clearly the man for this year, given his only competition is Sam Howell. When the Seahawks traded for Howell, John Schneider announced he was coming in to be the backup. There’s never been any hint of a competition here and the reports from training camp so far highlight this even further.

At the same time, it’s fair to be unconvinced that Smith is a long-term solution. I think most fans probably believe that the Seahawks are going to need to find a ‘main man’ at some point, probably through the draft. Until that happens, expectations for a Super Bowl run will be tempered somewhat.

Statistical arguments can be made in support of Smith receiving a far more upbeat review. Yet there are also counter stats. I think that speaks to who Smith is. I wrote an article in June about Smith’s up-and-down play in his three most significant seasons. I think we’ll see more of the same this year. There will be games and possibly even runs of form where Smith plays at a high level. I also expect there will be games and runs where he struggles. That is what his career has shown us.

I also appreciate it’s going to be very difficult finding a younger replacement. In my 3000 word preview of the 2025 quarterback class published three weeks ago, I conclude that it’s hard to identify a solution in the next draft prior to the start of the new college season.

I think it’s undeniable that the Seahawks are going year-to-year at the position and have been since the Russell Wilson trade. Perhaps Smith will suitably impress to warrant a longer-term consideration via an extension? Even in his last contract signed a year ago, though, there were clear out’s for the Seahawks in 2024 and 2025.

Without wanting to go over old ground too much, it also felt obvious that they weren’t completely sold on Smith prior to the combine. The Adam Schefter ‘trade value’ report was indicative, as was the non-committal language used by Schneider, Macdonald and Grubb until Drew Lock moved on, the rookie class began to shoot up boards and it became clear Smith was the best option for Seattle this season.

Things can change, of course. Maybe Smith has impressed the new staff so much that the dynamic is different now? However, until any games have been played or any performances registered, I’m going to assume that the Seahawks are mindful of the need to find a long-term answer sooner rather than later. In the meantime, they’ll look for the best ‘in the moment’ solution — whether that’s Smith, Lock, Sam Howell or some other veteran.

Let me be clear though — there’s no doubt that Smith is that man for 2024. I’ve always said he’s an ideal bridge quarterback. He can be Seattle’s answer to Alex Smith, while they seek their answer to Patrick Mahomes. That doesn’t have to be just a 2024 solution either. It could be 2025 or even 2026. The worst thing the Seahawks can do is force a draft pick, force a change at quarterback and get things badly wrong.

They do need to be looking for the next guy though — and certainly will be. I don’t think this is an unfair or negative or unreasonable assessment. Geno, like Alex, is the Smith for the here and now. I think anything more than that — such as suggesting he’s a proven franchise quarterback in his own right and an obvious starter for years to come — is fanciful. He’s not a bad player. I don’t think he’s a great player either. In the modern NFL, you typically require great at quarterback to be a serious Super Bowl threat — or you require an unrealistically loaded roster like the 49ers, managed by an offensive genius at Head Coach.

My fear is this will be the topic that divides fans. This is a fan base that absolutely loves to split off in different directions, pick teams and then go to battle on the internet. Accusations of agenda’s, ‘confirming priors’, passive aggressive insults and more are par for the course. Nothing makes me want to cook my head in the microwave more than an argument as to whether Geno Smith is a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. Mainly because it’s all subjective and frankly if someone thinks he’s the 17th best instead, I think that argument could be just as easily debated. The hand-wringing and arguing will go on regardless.

It’s not uniquely a Seahawks problem though. Welcome to the world of a team without a clear star, young, franchise quarterback. Until they find that guy, or until someone like Smith proves with results that he can lead a team to glory in the post-season, this will go on.

Schneider’s regret?

The Seahawks have re-signed Marquise Blair, their former second round pick from 2019. I really liked Blair as a prospect — he was violent, quick and my kind of player. I know people in the league who really liked him, projected him as a second round talent and it wasn’t a surprise to see the Seahawks go after him.

His time in Seattle didn’t work out, partly (mainly?) due to injury. His return was a bit of a surprise after he missed last year and was seemingly at the end of his time in the NFL. However, his return perhaps speaks to John Schneider’s mindset.

They were open to bringing back Jamal Adams, albeit to play a different position. Blair, another bust, is back. They kept Darrell Taylor at a cost of $3.13m when many wondered if he was set to move on. They’ve restructured Dre’Mont Jones’ deal, rather than part ways in camp to save money.

This is just a hunch — but I wonder if Schneider thinks, with regret, that a lot of Seattle’s big moves in recent years failed because the former staff couldn’t get the best out of them? Or that they didn’t use the players properly?

They seem keen to see what some of these guys, including the maligned Adams, can do with a different coaching staff. Frankly, I can understand it if Schneider feels this way. The Seahawks were awful on defense, didn’t make the most of an expensively assembled group and the coaching change earlier this year was warranted after years of waste.

Blair, as with Taylor and Jones, now has an opportunity to see if he can have a better season under Macdonald and co.

Curtis Allen’s training camp notes: 24th July

July 25, 2024 /

This is a guest post by Curtis Allen

A new era of Seahawk football took shape yesterday in their first-ever training camp under Mike Macdonald. It was immediately evident right from the start that Macdonald spent the spring and summer putting his personal stamp on things.

Gone is the chill good-times vibe that ran through Pete Carroll’s practices. Players seemed focused and educated on what their new Head Coach was asking of them. Drills and scrimmages were run crisply. Players hustled in and out of assignments, barely needing any encouragement from their leaders to get moving.

Sure, the signature music was there but at about 70% of the volume it used to be. It supplemented the work instead of dominating it. Coaches and players could communicate comfortably and receive instruction.

With this more regimented practice session, I would guess the team as a whole got about 15-20% more reps and drills in the same amount of time as previous team practices under Carroll. Quite good for a triumvirate of a first-time Head Coach and his two Coordinators, don’t you think? It would appear that a blueprint has been well laid by Macdonald and supplemented and enhanced by Leslie Frazier.

This also recommends a certain comfort and confidence in the leadership group. In past years, Carroll would be struggling to explain poor execution by his players weeks into the season. Clint Hurtt’s declarations down the stretch last year that the defense needed to ‘refocus on the fundamentals of tackling’ now stand out in stark contrast to what we are witnessing in practice with this new regime.

I know it is just one practice, but it sure felt like a page has been turned with this franchise.

The Quarterbacks

Watching the game’s most important position is always a highlight of training camp. Quarterbacks get a lot of opportunity to show their skills, what with very little actual pass rush and physical play from the defensive backs allowed early on.

Right from the start, there was an obvious difference between Geno Smith and Sam Howell. Two years ago, I wrote that “Geno warms up and practices with purpose and gives off a vibe that he is here to win the job.”

That is still true. Even in no-offensive-line drills, Smith is throwing crisp, on-target passes. Howell seems a step behind — not repping like he is facing a defense and just getting the ball to the receiver in a non-game type situation. Accuracy I wouldn’t say is an issue for Howell, but he was not nearly as good as Smith.

In the scrimmages, Smith proved superior to Howell, mainly due to taking more shots downfield and completing more than missing. Both checked down – quite a lot if we are being honest – but Howell more so than Smith. Check downs are fine as a side dish but an offense needs the protein of pushing the ball downfield and Smith had a decided advantage today.

Howell has not done nearly enough at this point to show he is going to put up a legitimate challenge for the starting job.

Something that Smith seems to have practiced in and developed more is looking off defenders. More than once, he had his vision locked to one side of the field, then switched focus to the other side and made a nice throw. Those types of actions are very hard to defend. If he can translate this skill to live games, watch out. At one point, Smith had Kenneth Walker flanking him in shotgun and had Lockett, DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Noah Fant running routes. A quarterback who can avoid locking in on targets will be graciously rewarded due to all the weapons he has.

That said, Smith still has a long way to go in order to master this offense. He mixed some brilliant throws (an absolute dime to Tyler Lockett with about six inches of space to work with was the best throw of the day by far) with some of his frustrating tendencies – being indecisive, holding onto the ball too long, then rushing the throw and making an incompletion.

One particular bugaboo that Smith and the offense have long struggled with reared its ugly head again today. During a scrimmage, there was a pause and one of the coaches was talking to Smith. They then lined up and immediately got flagged for a false start. On the next play, now behind the sticks, Smith threw a poor pass that fluttered and fell at Metcalf’s feet. That would have killed a drive in real life.

Let me remind you – it is the first day of camp. Things like this happen all the time. But it bears watching, as the offense has consistently struggled to get out of their own way at times when the games count.

Other Offensive Notes

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is looking like he is going to pick up right where he left off. The Seahawks had him primarily in the slot in scrimmages, frequently bunched with Metcalf. He had two excellent catches that attacked the middle of the field.

Metcalf and Tre Brown had a real battle today that was great to watch. Each won an impressive round – Metcalf with a great contested catch in the end zone with Brown draped all over him. Later, Brown stripping the ball out of Metcalf’s hands to either force an incompletion or a fumble.

The Right Tackle spot was a rotation between George Fant and McLendon Curtis. Coach Macdonald’s comments after practice indicated they like Curtis at Right Tackle ‘from a roster standpoint.’ That does not bode well for Abe Lucas’ recovery timetable.

Olu Oluwatimi got most of the reps as the Center with the top line. He seemed to handle it well, most snaps were shotgun which he delivered fine.

Charles Cross still looks thin to me. From my vantage point, when the linemen first came out, I thought a Tight End had gotten lost from his group and had wandered over to the linemen until I saw his number. Entering a critical year, he will need every bit of that quick-feet athleticism to take the next step. It does not look like he is going to ever make his mark as a physical presence.

Ryan Grubb and the offense are not going to show us much of their play concepts on day one of training camp. A lot of the scrimmage plays were fairly bland. One play I found very interesting though: On about the five-yard line, the Seahawks bunched three receivers to the right. The defense was trying to get all lined up, as they were caught off guard. It opened up the middle of the field for a slant and Cody White ran it well but could not secure an easy score off a Howell throw.

Defensive Notes

Jarran Reed and Johnathan Hankins are going to be trouble on the interior. Reed got his paw up and batted a pass and nearly intercepted it. Hankins was moving bodies inside. When you consider the Seahawks have other players like Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy who can also disrupt from the interior, that is really saying something.

Dre Jones spent the whole practice session lined up as a Defensive End in three-point stance. I could have missed it but not once did I see him line up where the OLB’s do. That may come later. But it bears monitoring.

On the first scrimmage series with the starting defense, Tariq Woolen and Tre Brown lined up on opposite sides of the field. On the second series, they flipped. Versatility is a key word we have been hearing from Macdonald this offseason. It appears they are trying to get all the cornerbacks some time on each side in order to expose them to the idea.

Derick Hall flattened Garret Greenfield at one point. Hall seemed far more energetic and engaged than he did as a rookie in camp. A great sign.

The three primary inside linebackers, Tyrell Dodson, Jarome Baker and Tyrice Knight all looked very competent and healthy. Dodson and Baker were just activated off the PUP list but took just about every rep they could and showed no physical challenges doing so. Knight looked fast.

Boye Mafe and Devon Witherspoon did not have a big play today but both just have the ‘it factor’ when they practice. Nothing will rattle them. They have a good grasp of what their assignments are and they know what they can do. Witherspoon was working as a nickel in a zone and his receiver was about to be handed off to the next zone defender so he gave him a little shove that knocked him off his route just enough and made Geno hesitate enough to disrupt the play. Little things like that.

Reaction: Seahawks sign Julian Love to a three-year extension

July 24, 2024 /

Julian Love had a cap-hit for 2024 of $8.1m, the last year of his short-term initial contract in Seattle. Adam Schefter’s tweet is likely a typical ‘agent-fed’ release — note the term ‘worth up to’ before the number of $36m.

It probably won’t be $12m a year.

We’ll need to see the actual numbers because a $12m annual salary feels like a lot. He was PFF’s 22nd ranked safety last year with a 72.8 grade. It’s not bad but wouldn’t justify being the ninth highest paid player at his position if $12m a year ends up being the number.

That said, there could be some savviness to doing a deal now. The Seahawks clearly like Love and talked him up a lot when they signed him a year ago. He had a relatively decent first season when the rest of the defense went up in smoke. They perhaps anticipate him playing even better in Mike Macdonald’s scheme, a system that included two top-20 ranked safeties in Baltimore in 2023.

If he does have a great year, he would be even more expensive as a free agent to keep in the next off-season. Obviously the gamble is that there’s no guarantee he’ll continue to improve but sometimes you have to use foresight to get value.

It’s also worth noting that $12m a year, if it proves to be that type of deal, only puts him on a par with Grant Delpit and Jalen Thompson, while being slightly ahead of Amani Hooker and Justin Reid’s salaries. If the Seahawks really rate Love, you can make a case for saying he’s due what they’re earning.

Unsurprisingly, our very own Curtis Allen pitched a contract extension for Love in this ballpark in February.

This could also reduce his cap-hit this year, adding to Seattle’s $8.5m in effective cap space. That’s important if they want to sign Connor Williams, who passed a physical with the team today. Williams — who is coming off a very serious knee injury — was PFF’s #2 ranked center last season (86.5) before his season ended in week 14. He had a 78.2 grade in 2022 and has been consistently one of the better interior linemen in the NFL when healthy.

The Seahawks might’ve tied up a defender they like to a deal that’ll provide value down the line, while creating some room to upgrade their offensive line. That has to be the hope, anyway. Drew Rosenhaus represents both Love and Williams — and he was at training camp today.

You also wonder if this could be just the start for the Seahawks. Currently they are scheduled to be $20.4m over the cap for 2025. That’s without adding Love’s deal into the equation. An extension for D.K. Metcalf or Geno Smith, for example, would be costly but it could also create cap space this year or next. If they see either player as part of their longer-term thinking, it’s an option.

If you missed our new training camp live stream earlier, check it out here:

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