Very cool. Something to listen to today on the long and extremely boring drive from Spokane to the “other” Vancouver.
Palatypus
Yes, it did seem like an unusually long offseason.
We are all a bunch of surly bears who just got out of hibernation.
Palatypus
If anyone cares, Unchenna Nwosu’s agent is Ryan Matha and Quandre Diggs agent is David Mulugheta.
drrew76
Who is Witherspoon’s agent? I couldn’t find it and just wondering if it’s an established guy or someone trying to make a name for themselves while fucking up what should be a fairly straightforward deal.
Palatypus
On a hunch, because he is from here in Florida, I googled “CAA” and “Devon Witherspoon” and found a highlight video that they made for him.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Henden Hooker, Trenton Simpson, Myles Murphy, Will Levis, Peter Skoronski, Johnathan Mingo, Jarrett Patterson, Charlie Jones, Christian Gonzalez, Jordan Battle, Jaylin Hyatt.
Ian Rapoport
@RapSheet
·
20m
Sources: #AZCardinals star Budda Baker received a raise prior to camp, getting $2.4M in bonuses and incentives this year including a $300K signing bonus. He also received a raise for next season.
It is finally here. After a very busy offseason, we finally get to see most of this roster coming together and developing on the field. There was a very healthy crowd today, and the anticipation and excitement for this rejuvenated team was palpable.
The defense typically starts out ahead of the offense early on in camp, particularly in the trenches. Today was no exception, as the pass rush spent a lot of time in the backfield while the offensive line was working on their chemistry together.
The offense was more than ready for this eventuality. The quarterbacks regularly created time with their pocket movement and found checkdowns to negate the pass rush and convert some scrimmage third downs. Colby Parkinson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Deejay Dallas all had plays of this variety.
What is impressive though, is that it was not necessarily a pre-selected gameplan. At times the quarterbacks stood tall in the pocket and took shots downfield with a great level of accuracy.
Dee Eskridge had a noticeably great day in practice, making several catches and adjusting well to the ball in the air – one of his strengths in college. Several of his catches came from Drew Lock passes.
Both Lock and Smith looked far more comfortable in the offense today than they did Day One last year. That seems obvious, as the position had huge demonstrated question marks at this time last year, what with Geno Smith still finding his role and Drew Lock making “maybe the worst throw off the worst decision I’d ever seen a professional QB make.”
Today though, they both seemed to have that essential vision quality of ‘when to dump the ball off and when to try and make a real downfield throw with pressure in your face’ nearly mastered. Geno with a baseline that we have come to expect after a good season and a full offseason as the anointed starter. He looked nicely confident in his abilities, throwing several darts today, including alertly throwing around a hard charging Derick Hall. He also had one that went right through D.K. Metcalf’s hands that was picked by Julian Love on a great play.
One note though that slightly bothered me: At one point, Geno broke the huddle and got the offense in formation and then Pete Carroll ran in and stopped things. I know it is the first day of preseason, and that seems nitpicky. But this is something that crept into the offense as the season wore on – breaking the huddle and not being ready, so either taking a delay penalty or burning a timeout. Get it worked out now please, fellas.
Drew Lock’s baseline has definitely improved though. He was particularly effective today; matching Geno play for play in running the offense and making decisions. His arm strength was evident as he made accurate downfield throws into the middle of the field with a little more than a flick of his wrist. I am no expert but it would appear his mechanics have cleaned up nicely and that ‘I’ve got a great arm so what does it matter if I’m off-balance’ mentality he has displayed at times was not showing today in the least.
I mention this specifically because the Seahawks really need to see what they have in Lock. He lost some valuable preseason reps last year due to testing positive for COVID and with Geno Smith being so durable last year, did not get any real NFL work. The possibility of Smith getting hurt and/or the specter of a DUI suspension could derail one of the NFL’s most potent offenses if Lock is not ready. It is fantastic to see him off to a good start.
The rookie that caught everyone’s attention today on offense was Jaxon Smith-Njigba. It was a relief seeing him in action today, after him missing so much of last year and the Seahawks easing him in to the process this spring.
He did not appear to have any limitations on his routine, getting a full slate of scrimmage reps and wowing the crowd with his catches in traffic, shiftiness and burst when he turned up field. His comfort level in the offense and the polish to his game were immediately evident. It appears he can act as a slot safety valve type in the early going, helping his quarterback by getting yards after the catch (something the Seahawks really could use more of this year), and as the season progresses, building a much more comprehensive route tree.
The fans are definitely ready to see him have an impact this year. Among throwback jerseys in the crowd, I spotted more Smith-Njigba #11 jerseys today than any other Seahawk except maybe Tyler Lockett.
Other offense notes:
-Charles Cross looks amazing. He has definitely slimmed down and looks far more toned than his rookie year. He looks like an oversized muscular tight end. Here’s hoping that translates to an improved game this year.
-It is hard to read much into the running backs’ performance today. It is a ‘light tackling’ practice, in that defenders can at best only wrap them up, so nearly every play is a 20-yard run. But while the passing drills stood out, the team ran just as many running plays. And I can tell you, if hulking guards Damien Lewis, Phil Haynes and Anthony Bradford get on the same page, the backs will have all kinds of opportunities to cause problems.
-Dee Eskridge had the practice day he so badly needed to get back into the Wide Receiver conversation. It is too early to predict how he fits on the roster and depth chart, but after drafting Smith-Njigba so high, it would be a great problem to have if Eskridge were to force their hands with a breakthrough camp performance.
-Kenny McIntosh stayed after practice to catch some punts.
The Defense Was Missing Pieces, but There Were Things to Like
This side of the ball was most definitely impacted by injuries and by the fact that their top draft pick has yet to sign. Add in that the offensive line is usually out of synch early on, they cannot really tackle and their coverages are not very nuanced, and it is hard to get a real picture of what this unit will look like this year from Day One of camp.
The chosen formations were interesting to note though.
With Riq Woolen starting camp on the PUP and Devon Witherspoon unsigned, the Seahawks had Mike Jackson on the right side (the opposite side from last season) and Tre Brown on the left side. Coby Bryant as usual was in the nickel spot.
Julian Love and Quandre Diggs were the safeties, and both lined up in a very typical practice alignment of both being behind the linebackers and switching off having deep coverage. Love had that terrific interception off a Metcalf drop, adjusting to the changed direction of the ball and securing it easily.
On the defensive line, the Seahawks had Mario Edwards outside as an end and then rotated him inside on passing downs. On a third and 10, they paired him with Jarran Reed inside, with Nwosu and Taylor for a good-looking front. They had Mike Morris doing that as well. At one point I spotted Cam Young lined up on the end against Charles Cross.
It does appear that the Seahawks want to give Reed some real snaps at Nose Tackle, but it is still early. Cam Young is a big, big man. They list him at 304 lbs on the website but Pete Carroll mentioned he is more 320 now, and I believe it.
The line caused all kinds of trouble for the quarterbacks today. Keep in mind, they were helped along by the offensive line still gelling. But they had several impressive moments:
Darrell Taylor lined up over Abe Lucas, and Lucas was a little slow getting set for Taylor’s speed and just barely got enough on him to keep him from wrecking the play.
Derrick Hall had that play I mentioned above. He busted through, quickly discerned it was a dump off pass and halted his rush and extended his arms to deflect the pass and only Geno’s skill got the ball past him.
The edges seemed very disciplined today. More than once the offense had designed rollouts to their opposite side, and Boye Mafe, Uchenna Nwosu and Vi Jones all ‘stayed home’ and protected a reverse or a play action. Mafe had a great play where he stayed in place, diagnosed the play action and then closed the gap to the quarterback. This kind of coaching will serve them very well when they play the Shanahan and McVay offenses twice each this year.
Other defensive notes:
-Darrell Taylor looks in great shape
-Devin Bush does not look like a linebacker, more like a strong safety.
-Mafe looks like a second-year player who ‘gets it.’ He will be ready for more snaps if Taylor cannot provide another dimension to his game by developing his run defense.
-The inside linebackers blitzed a lot today. Rhattigan, Bush, Wagner. If I was forced to guess I would say the Seahawks wanted as much pressure on the quarterbacks as possible to get them prepared to make decisions, while also seeing what they have there. For the record, Rhattigan got just completely swallowed up more than once.
-Edwards has a great run defense play where he busted into the backfield and would have absolutely stoned the runner for a big loss if he were allowed to tackle. It would have been one of those easy-to-remember plays if it was done at a critical time during the season.
-Riq Woolen was on the field in his jersey today and looked fine. I would think the Seahawks just want him to work out a bit under their supervision and see how his knee responds and then let him get to work with the defense.
-Bobby Wagner grabbed the mic and addressed the fans today. He said some great things from how he’s looking forward to Week One so he can ‘hit some Rams’ and that ‘he is back in the right colors.’ I know he is playing to the crowd, and saying all the right things come natural to players of his stature. But it was great to hear and it struck a sentimental and competitive cord with the fans.
Palatypus
In John Boyle’s piece the other day, he mentioned that DK wasn’t sure if he could beat Woolen in a race.
I wonder if it’s about planting and change of direction. Maybe, it’s a stability thing.
Z$
Phenomenal reporting cha, thank you so much!
Ben
Fun report!
I hope Julian Love is a Nwosu type impact. Seems like he could really help stabilize the defense. Between him and hopefully a more steady linebacker crew, Diggs should be able to play more within himself.
Speaking of which, did Devin Bush look fast or small? Or both!
One of the best training camp reports. I have been to training camp it’s not easy to observe so many details and articulate so well. Thank you, Cha.
GoHawks5151
Late to the party but had to say thanks for the great report. Awesome to hear how great Cross and Eskridge look. Really interested in Bradford and Hall. Can’t wait to see them
STTBM
Thanks for a great synopsis cha!
mtp
Best training camp report around? Comment section of SDB, standard.
pdway
ah, now this got me excited — thanks for the write-up, and can’t wait to see all these young dudes out on the field.
It would sure be something if Eskridge could turn it around this year – hope he does.
And as my kid said about JSN, ‘he’s cool looking and has a cool name’ — kinda true.
I have a feeling the time Lock spent on the bench last year will only help him mature as a QB. If he is ever called in I expect him to do well. Glad to hear Dee is looking sharp and Cross is more fit – let’s hope he translates that into better overall play.
How there isn’t a bigger deal being made of Cross’ new look is surprising to me. If there’s one thing coaches and reporters love it’s the ‘showed up in the best shape of his life’ story.
Thanks so much cha! Great info, especially Cross. I’ve been quietly hopeful for a better year since someone posted a pic of him “ripped” a couple of months back.
Z$
Just saw the video of Bump and Stacy’s interview of Charles Cross. He looks absolutely yoked, big difference in body comp from last year.
Bmseattle
Obviously, im glad to hear that he’s in great shape.
I hope he’s actually heavier, though. His main problem seemed to be an inability to anchor. He needs more “sand in his pants”.
Aaron Wilson
@AaronWilson_NFL
·
3m
#Seahawks Zach Charbonnet deal: salaries $750K (gtd), $1.062M (gtd), $1.375M, $1.687M; $2.0M signing bonus, to be paid $1.70M by Aug. 1, 2023, $300K on or beofre APril 1, 2024
Seattle Person
So 85% of the bonus?
Lawrie
Thanks for the great write up.
Did you see anything from Tyreke Smith?
Field Yates
@FieldYates
Eagles DE Derek Barnett has agreed to a restructured contract, as he was previously due a $7.5M salary ($1.5M guaranteed) with up to $1M in per-game bonuses (max value $8.5M).
He’s now due a $3.5M guaranteed salary, with $250K in per-game bonuses and up to $2.25M in incentives (max value $6M).
2:39 PM · Jul 27, 2023
Barnett takes a haircut due to only playing a single game last year after getting seriously hurt. He’s not on PUP, participating in practice in limited fashion.
Wish Dallas would take him off our hands as they’ve already got a couple safeties hurt.
509 Chris
Love the write up, thank you Curtis. A lot to be excited about. A small part of me wants to see Lock start a coupke games this year but of course I’d never route for a guy to get hurt.
I’m curious about the witherspoon holdout. Is this about trying to save cap space this year? I definitely don’t buy anything about the team having financial issues and rookie deals are so straightforward. This team always seems to find silly ways to disrespect guys and eventually piss them off. I really hope thats not happening here with that rare #5 pick.
I think the players (and the union) has been pushing for more of what they can push for their rookies under the current CBA and wage scale.
The bigger storyline has been 2nd-round players getting guaranteed salary later into the deal
Darrell Taylor only got Year 1 and 2 salaries guaranteed in 2020 as pick #48,
same with Dee Eskridge in 2021 at #56
Boye Mafe at #40 and Ken Walker at #41 got a big chunk of Year 3 guaranteed in 2022
But Zach Charbonnet at #52 this year appears to have gotten no guarantees in Year 3 if the tweet above from Aaron Wilson is accurate
So maybe the Seahawks have decided to push back a little on these rookie contracts?
As far as the bonus payment schedule goes, a good chunk of the top players are getting their entire bonus paid within a very short time of signing, like 15-30 days or so. But teams have been more inclined to bend for premium positions like QB and pass rusher (think Trevor Lawrence, the Bosa’s and Travon Walker)
Players like Derek Stingly and Ikem Ekwonu had their bonuses split into 2 chunks and the second chunk pushed way out.
I imagine the Seahawks are trying to keep that standard going and Witherspoon’s team is asking why not for CBs if it’s there for QB’s and DE’s?
509 Chris
That makes sense. Thanks for the response. I tend to agree with the players on this one. Kimd of off topic but when the running backs were weighing in on their plight last week it got me thinking they (players union) need to negotiate a way where teams can pay out the remainder of deals off the books, or not against the cap, in an instance where a player is cut for injury or has a significant drop in preformance. The players still get taken care of but clubs arent punished for rewarding great players. It would help the running back market a lot but all players would benifit. Or a preformance based bonus that doesn’t go against the cap for players earning less than 2% of the cap or something like that. Players who start every game for a few years on a rookie deal and then get hurt at tye end will have gotten paid a bit better on that initial contract.
They mostly have those things already baked into the CBA.
The Veteran Injury Benefit provides up to $2m to players who get cut with a Failed Physical designation and do not get signed by another team. It only counts $1.2m on the cutting team’s cap. Chris Carson is getting that (and for the record there was this strange tweet by Ian Rap praising the Hawks for doing right by Carson when in point of fact they were just adhering to this provision of the CBA).
The Player Performance Escalators bumps players’ Year 4 salary up in stages for accomplishments like high snap counts and Pro Bowl appearances. Same with the 5th year option for first round picks – it’s not a single number, there are tiers based on performance on the rookie contract.
(side note – this one is interesting to me because the old CBA used to pay out players each year and called it Playtime Incentives, and the pool was not on the salary cap…A player like Tre Flowers made almost double his rookie contract because he got so many snaps for the Seahawks. It would be a strange experience to make $550k spread out over 17 weeks, and then at the end of the year get handed a single check for $400k or so.)
Brodie
There is still something in place, but maybe it has changed since Folwers. Woolen and Jackson both got almost $750k last year as some type of performance bonus. Walker didn’t get anything.
Small pool with only 25 players and doesn’t include any RB that I see
1) The Witherspoon holdout is frustrating (don’t care who’s right or wrong).
2) Need Woolen, Brooks and Fant back on the field, soon.
3) Jamal Adams contract? This is pure negligence (see Barnett).
4) Reed is not a NT.
5) BBK is not the answer at LB.
Rushless pass
I’d be willing to bet BBK is strictly special teams. I’m not a gambling man and things can get wonky though
Palatypus
I am personally blaming Ozzy Osbourne for this. He is represented by CAA, and it is because of him getting “sick” in 1986 that I missed seeing Metallica open for him. Then Cliff Burton died.
it takes forever to resolve on a browser, so here is a short list of bands they represent, only including “rock” and I skipped a lot.
AC/DC (my first concert, 1984, Tacoma Dome)
Aerosmith
Against Me!
Alice CooperAlice in Chains
Ann Wilson of Heart
Ariana Grande (Rock?)
Arcade Fire
Avenged Sevenfold
Avril Livigne
Bad Religion
Bauhaus (Bella Logosi’s Dead)
Beck
Beyonce (Rock?)
Billie Joe Armstrong
Billy Corigan
Black Sabbath
Blink 182
Bloc Party
Bob Dylan
Bon Jovi
Bonnie Rait
Boston
Breaking Benjamin
Bruce Springstein
Bryan Adams
Bryan Ferry
Bullet for my Valentine
Carole King
Cat Power
Celtic Thunder
Cheap Trick
Chicago
Chris “Ludacris” Bridges
Collective Soul
Counting Crowes
Cosby, Stills & Nash
Daft Punk…
Of JUST the bands you’ve listed, I’ve seen the following ones live:
AC/DC
Aerosmith
Alice Cooper
Alice in Chains
Heart
Black Sabbath
Bob Dylan
Bonnie Rait
Boston
Bruce Springstein
Bryan Adams
Cheap Trick
Cosby, Stills & Nash
The report said $32m guaranteed. I only see $21m new money guaranteed. If they include the ‘salary to bonus’ conversion that’s about $29m and change. So not sure if this spread is accurate.
But I think that difference will get worked out for later seasons.
For now it’s reasonable to think that the Seahawks picked up $3m in 2023 cap by extending him.
So they have $16.054m of room.
When Witherspoon gets inked they’ll have about $11.13m left.
Practice Squad will cost $3-6m. So call it $5-7m of room to play with.
2024 have about $9m of room. That will get their rookie class signed and not much else. If Geno earns any incentives they’ll be over the cap.
There we go. OTC will indeed end up needing to revise their number, but I’d say the $2.9m cap gain in 2023 stands.
Aaron Wilson
@AaronWilson_NFL
#Seahawks Uchenna Nwosu deal: three years, $59 million, $32M gtd, salaries $1.6M, $9.4M, $14.48M, $11M; $15M signing bonus ($5M by Aug. 8, 2023, $5M by Sept. 15, 2023, $5M by April 1, 2024) club option $8.275M by May 15, 2024. If exercised, salaries $1.125M 2024, $14.48M 2025, $11M 2026, non-exercise fee of $8.275M, $9.5 sacks $1M base escalator 2026, 13 or more sacks base escalator 2026 of $2 million
11:19 AM · Jul 28, 2023
Ian Rapoport
@RapSheet
·
32s
Holdout is over: The #Seahawks and first-round CB Devon Witherspoon have agreed to terms on his four year, $31.86M fully guaranteed deal that includes a $20.2M signing bonus, source said. The No. 5 pick is the last first-rounder to get done.
I’m glad the drama is over, we didn’t need that. I hope he delivers for #5 and I hope we don’t mess him up asking to play safety or what not.
BK26
I’m nervous about the talk of moving him around already…
Jabroni-DC
There’s talk of trying him out at Left Guard.
PLAY BALL!!!
My expectation for this season is that it’ll be light & fun. Love having the young & hungry talent on board. Keep up the good work & maybe it’ll get serious again in the next year or two.
It bears watching. He’s worked out at nickel earlier and nothing Pete has said in the last couple days has moved off that.
I do think that Pete absolutely LOVES the fact that Jackson is showing well. Another street urchin with that dog mentality who is earning his chance not by pedigree but by grit. But does that mean it is in the team’s best interest to put their #5 overall pick at nickel and shove Bryant to the bench?
ShowMeYourHawk
I’m all for long term flexibility. Using a #5 pick as our permanent nickel would be a disappointing turn of events but if Spoon balls out there and can spot start or take snaps on the outside this season, with the plan to make him a roving piece over his career here, I’m in. If Woolen and Jackson’s preseason play dictate that they’re out outside guys and Spoon outplays Coby, I’m not shedding any tears for Bryant. That’s the “competition” we’ve been missing on the roster for a while. Bryant can still factor in as a S when needed, or lock down nickel if Spoon needs to move outside due to injury.
BK26
I’m fine with long-term. For now, get him out there and get him adjusted. He’s not the biggest. Give him his assignment and let him excel first. Don’t overload the system.
One huge problem over the years are putting too much on the defense. Making Bobby do what he physically can’t, making Adams a dlineman. Fielding an entire defense that can’t tackle. DO THE BASICS FIRST. Keep It Simple Stupid. Then add on from there. This feels too much like them still thinking that they can do no wrong defensively.
Brodie
Two nickels make a dime. The way they were running formations last year it felt like nickel was more of a base package.
With Diggs, Love and Adams, I would think the plan is to have all three (if healthy) out there as much as possible. With 3 more CB’s that are looking at a lot of time, that’s a lot of dime personnel.
3-2-6 with Wags and Bush at LB
2-3-6 with Reed/Dre’Mont and Taylor/Nwosu as OLB
Long way to go though. For now, I’m hopeful that they can figure out something that doesn’t expose the defense to getting gashed on the ground because we’re playing 6 guys who are 200lbs or less.
Bob Condotta
@bcondotta
·
3m
Devon Witherspoon mostly playing left corner today.
Bob Condotta
@bcondotta
·
53s
The problem with tweeting during practice, he’s now on the right side. So getting work at different spots.
McZ
Playing Witherspoon at nickel was practically inevitable. He was just not good outside, and none of his highlights were outside.
The problem with this are RBs and WRs being 30 lbs heavier than him.
IMO, worst case is the draft pundits overlooking the fact that his ass was covered by Sydney Brown, just as Adams flourished while Maye did the boring work.
That said, the way things were going are a major red flag.
Gaux Hawks
1) sign Kwon Alexander to a 2 year deal ($6M-8M)
2) pick up (or trade for) a solid NT after cutdowns
I like it. There is a lot to like for the player and the team.
The “$32million guaranteed” number pencils out this way:
* $15m signing bonus
* $1.6m guaranteed salary in 2023
* $1.125m guar salary in 2024 (not guar until Feb 24)
* $8.275m option bonus in 2024
* $6m guar salary in 2025 (not guar until Feb 24)
So we are not talking about iron-clad locked-in guarantees. There is some protection for the Seahawks there.
His cap number rises to $21m in 2025 and dips to $16m in 2026. But Nwosu can earn another $6m in 2026 salary by reaching some sack totals in 2023-2025, which is beneficial for both player and team.
There is room in 2025 to convert salary to bonus and push some money to 2026 if the Seahawks need cap room.
But this deal is very similar in intent to the Geno Smith contract. You had a great year for us, here’s a chunk of money. But it protects Seattle and heavily incentivizes Nwosu to keep producing.
Here is the interesting thing to me: He had a $7.5million non-guaranteed salary in 2023. That salary does not get converted to bonus. It is actually reduced to $1.6m guaranteed.
So there is $5.9m of salary he was due that is ‘traded’ in effect for the $15m bonus and other perks like the option bonus and incentives.
In effect, this contract of $32m guaranteed / $53m total replaces his $13m cap number for this year. With his original bonus proration of $4.75m from his first contract, you could consider this a 4y $57.75m contract, which is an AAV of $14.4375m for his prime years and incentivizes him to keep producing.
This is a smart contract and a great way to keep a rising player on the roster.
Tatupu51
Tks for the info, cha!
JS and the FO are drafting really good contracts. In a couple of years after we flush out some bad contracts from the past (Adams, Disly), we will have a lot of flexibility, if our draft classes continue to work out.
I’m very optmistic for the next years.
Brodie
“$8.275m option bonus in 2024”
How is that considered guaranteed money?
If I tell my wife, I guarantee that I will take her out to dinner but only if I feel like it when Saturday night rolls around- she wouldn’t call that much of a guarantee.
One note, the $16m number OTC has for 2026 should be $18m. I sent them a note to please update.
So if Nwosu gets his sack numbers to earn that $6m extra, it will be $24m in 2026. That sounds worse than it is. By 2026 Michah Parsons, Nick Bosa and Myles Garrett will be making $30-35m AAV.
Aaron Wilson
@AaronWilson_NFL
·
3m
#Broncos hosted Shelby Harris for visit
509 Chris
Are the Broncos still running a Fangio inspired scheme?
Seattle Person
From a personal side, I think this is where he wants to be. His daughter is in high school and Harris has said he won’t displace his family from Denver. I hope he gets his wish to stay for his family.
Jeremy Fowler
@JFowlerESPN
·
2m
This is essentially the Vikings looking for creative solutions. Hunter probably prefers to be traded or released than to play on current salary, so absent a new deal, best to explore every option.
Quote Tweet
Jeremy Fowler
@JFowlerESPN
·
5m
Sources from multiple teams say the #Vikings have been open to trading Pro Bowl DE Danielle Hunter should sides fail to reach an extension.
Hunter does not want to play on $4.9M salary, and sides have not made enough progress on a deal.
If there is a “JS Special” Carlos Dunlap / Quandre Diggs type trade available I’d be all for it.
Vikings would have to each $18m dead to move on from Hunter.
How bout we make this deal completely neutral?
Trade our $24m dead problem child and give Hunter his $11m 2023 salary?
Wait a minute, I thought we were building our defense around the “dead problem child”? He is dead though isn’t he?
Gross MaToast
My favorite player ever (#33 on your program, #1 in your heart) could easily win multiple, multiple, multiple Super Bowls while leading the Vikings currently hopeless defense and I hope they’re not smart enough to trade Hunter for a once in a lifetime difference maker who only shows up to kick ass and chew gum and guess what? he’s all out of ass to kick…or gum…I don’t remember, but you get the point. I’m pretty sure he’ll never miss another minute of game time, either, so wow, what an absolute steal if the Vikings decide to win Super Bowls instead of be the Vikings. Dead problem child? Hardly. More like NOT a dead problem child. What a Viking he could be.
Olyhawksfan
I agree but only if the NFL adds a scoring rule: 6 points awarded to any player who takes a ball to their facemask.
Ian Rapoport
@RapSheet
·
1h
·
With the #Vikings agreeing to terms with Danielle Hunter on a new 1-year deal worth up to $20M, per me and @TomPelissero, Hunter isn’t going anywhere.
Hunter gets $17M fully guaranteed, plus a no franchise or transition tag provision. Deal done by @ZekeSandhu at @KlutchSports.
Myles
Am I wrong for being skeptical of Geno Smith this year? It seems implied that he’s going to massively improve from last year, but the second half of the season has me wondering if the league has already caught up to him.
Rushless pass
We upgraded our receiving core, running back room and possibly the interior of our offensive line. I think they’ve given him plenty of opportunities stay at that first half level. I also believe the second half last year doesn’t solely sit on his shoulders
Romeo A57
Myles, You mean that Geno had one great half-a-season in his decade in the league and you have some skepticism if he can play well again this year?
The Seahawks did upgrade the offense around him, but QBs don’t go from mediocre to great in their early 30s. Geno is going to limit the ceiling for this offense. They should have addressed adding a young QB with potential by now. Keeping Drew Lock as his backup was weird. Lock is a turnover machine.
Gaux Hawks
…here is to hoping a QB can go from mediocre to great in his early 30s.
Myles
Romeo A57, Totally agree! The emergence of Geno was a cute little story during a season when the Seahawks had zero expectations. He even got a nice little catch phrase and got paid a big chunk of money. Now the whole league will have studied him closely this offseason (it wasn’t like coaches were shaking in their boots when the thought of gameplanning for Geno Smith came up), so with all of that combined with being a 32-33 year old QB and high expectations, will he get better?
Most fans I know think there is zero chance he can take a step back. If the Seahawks were down 14 points in the 4th quarter, what are the chances they come back to win the game with Geno at QB? I’d say practically zero. With all the good QBs, there is a chance. But Geno just ain’t it, as much as fans desperately cling to hope that he is.
Jabroni-DC
Count me a fan of DT Leonard Taylor III of Miami. He’d be a 3-4 DE in our system. Penetrates well from the limited tape I’ve seen.
Rushless pass
Was in here a few months ago singing his praises. Guy is greased lightning out his stance
For those worried about next year’s cap space being down to $2.8M, just know that making these four cuts would create $40.4 million in additional cap space:
Brian Mone – $5.9M
Will Dissly – $7M
Jamal Adams (post June 1) – $16.5M
Quandre Diggs – $11M
If we kept Diggs, that’s still $32.2 million in cap space.
And yet they cling on to Adams annually and Dissly is one of their favourites
Gaux Hawks
Bellore is likely gone too…
Dominic
The Seahawks RB injury curse still with us. Charbonnet out indefinitely, Walker with a groin issue. Good thing we scooped Macintosh in the 7th!
Romeo A57
I just saw this news. I am really looking forward to seeing this talented group of Running Backs on the field. I hope these guys can get healthy and stay that way this year.
There was a peacock sighting at training camp today. He showed up half way through practice and none of his teammates acknowledged him. I spent most of practice trying to ascertain the health of various players on PUP. Adams was walking around just fine with no noticeable limp nor favoring the one leg. Before coming off PUP today they ran Fant through a series of agility drills. He looked good and fast but clearly winded. Mone was on the sidelines and was clearly favoring his leg. At one point he tried to jog past a drill and he barely could put weight on the repaired knee. Brooks eventually joined Adams on the sidelines he also was not favoring his leg. The one player on the sidelines that was moving very deliberately was Woolen – seems the knee still is a little tender. Other random observations – the offensive and defensive starts of the practice were McIntosh and Brown (yes, no pads). McIntosh displayed the same vision and catching ability that you see in his pre-combine highlights. Witherspoon was running with the twos for most of the day so Brown had his chances against DK/JSN and had some excellent PBUs. Love seems like he is still learning the system and is tentative. Diggs spent a lot of time pre-snap moving Love a yard here and a yard there. Cross is definitely the alpha of the OL – he just commands their respect like a ten year vet. Another great day on the shores of Lake Washington. Pro-tip: hit up the Korean BBQ on your way back from the VMAC!
Welcome to Seahawks Draft Blog, providing daily analysis on the Seattle Seahawks and the NFL Draft.
The blog started in 2008 and is now into its 16th year. I'm available for any radio or podcast invites, just reach out using the 'contact' section.
We have a great community in the comments, we just ask you keep things on topic.
Very cool. Something to listen to today on the long and extremely boring drive from Spokane to the “other” Vancouver.
Yes, it did seem like an unusually long offseason.
We are all a bunch of surly bears who just got out of hibernation.
If anyone cares, Unchenna Nwosu’s agent is Ryan Matha and Quandre Diggs agent is David Mulugheta.
Who is Witherspoon’s agent? I couldn’t find it and just wondering if it’s an established guy or someone trying to make a name for themselves while fucking up what should be a fairly straightforward deal.
On a hunch, because he is from here in Florida, I googled “CAA” and “Devon Witherspoon” and found a highlight video that they made for him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_-zv18ppAg&t=41s
OK — they’ve got 150+ clients. No reason for both sides not to have this done already.
https://www.youtube.com/@caa_football/videos
Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Henden Hooker, Trenton Simpson, Myles Murphy, Will Levis, Peter Skoronski, Johnathan Mingo, Jarrett Patterson, Charlie Jones, Christian Gonzalez, Jordan Battle, Jaylin Hyatt.
They’ve been busy.
What did Christian Gonzalez get from New England?
Notes and Observations From Day One of Camp
It is finally here. After a very busy offseason, we finally get to see most of this roster coming together and developing on the field. There was a very healthy crowd today, and the anticipation and excitement for this rejuvenated team was palpable.
The Offense Was Surprisingly Crisp
The defense typically starts out ahead of the offense early on in camp, particularly in the trenches. Today was no exception, as the pass rush spent a lot of time in the backfield while the offensive line was working on their chemistry together.
The offense was more than ready for this eventuality. The quarterbacks regularly created time with their pocket movement and found checkdowns to negate the pass rush and convert some scrimmage third downs. Colby Parkinson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Deejay Dallas all had plays of this variety.
What is impressive though, is that it was not necessarily a pre-selected gameplan. At times the quarterbacks stood tall in the pocket and took shots downfield with a great level of accuracy.
Dee Eskridge had a noticeably great day in practice, making several catches and adjusting well to the ball in the air – one of his strengths in college. Several of his catches came from Drew Lock passes.
Both Lock and Smith looked far more comfortable in the offense today than they did Day One last year. That seems obvious, as the position had huge demonstrated question marks at this time last year, what with Geno Smith still finding his role and Drew Lock making “maybe the worst throw off the worst decision I’d ever seen a professional QB make.”
Today though, they both seemed to have that essential vision quality of ‘when to dump the ball off and when to try and make a real downfield throw with pressure in your face’ nearly mastered. Geno with a baseline that we have come to expect after a good season and a full offseason as the anointed starter. He looked nicely confident in his abilities, throwing several darts today, including alertly throwing around a hard charging Derick Hall. He also had one that went right through D.K. Metcalf’s hands that was picked by Julian Love on a great play.
One note though that slightly bothered me: At one point, Geno broke the huddle and got the offense in formation and then Pete Carroll ran in and stopped things. I know it is the first day of preseason, and that seems nitpicky. But this is something that crept into the offense as the season wore on – breaking the huddle and not being ready, so either taking a delay penalty or burning a timeout. Get it worked out now please, fellas.
Drew Lock’s baseline has definitely improved though. He was particularly effective today; matching Geno play for play in running the offense and making decisions. His arm strength was evident as he made accurate downfield throws into the middle of the field with a little more than a flick of his wrist. I am no expert but it would appear his mechanics have cleaned up nicely and that ‘I’ve got a great arm so what does it matter if I’m off-balance’ mentality he has displayed at times was not showing today in the least.
I mention this specifically because the Seahawks really need to see what they have in Lock. He lost some valuable preseason reps last year due to testing positive for COVID and with Geno Smith being so durable last year, did not get any real NFL work. The possibility of Smith getting hurt and/or the specter of a DUI suspension could derail one of the NFL’s most potent offenses if Lock is not ready. It is fantastic to see him off to a good start.
The rookie that caught everyone’s attention today on offense was Jaxon Smith-Njigba. It was a relief seeing him in action today, after him missing so much of last year and the Seahawks easing him in to the process this spring.
He did not appear to have any limitations on his routine, getting a full slate of scrimmage reps and wowing the crowd with his catches in traffic, shiftiness and burst when he turned up field. His comfort level in the offense and the polish to his game were immediately evident. It appears he can act as a slot safety valve type in the early going, helping his quarterback by getting yards after the catch (something the Seahawks really could use more of this year), and as the season progresses, building a much more comprehensive route tree.
The fans are definitely ready to see him have an impact this year. Among throwback jerseys in the crowd, I spotted more Smith-Njigba #11 jerseys today than any other Seahawk except maybe Tyler Lockett.
Other offense notes:
-Charles Cross looks amazing. He has definitely slimmed down and looks far more toned than his rookie year. He looks like an oversized muscular tight end. Here’s hoping that translates to an improved game this year.
-It is hard to read much into the running backs’ performance today. It is a ‘light tackling’ practice, in that defenders can at best only wrap them up, so nearly every play is a 20-yard run. But while the passing drills stood out, the team ran just as many running plays. And I can tell you, if hulking guards Damien Lewis, Phil Haynes and Anthony Bradford get on the same page, the backs will have all kinds of opportunities to cause problems.
-Dee Eskridge had the practice day he so badly needed to get back into the Wide Receiver conversation. It is too early to predict how he fits on the roster and depth chart, but after drafting Smith-Njigba so high, it would be a great problem to have if Eskridge were to force their hands with a breakthrough camp performance.
-Kenny McIntosh stayed after practice to catch some punts.
The Defense Was Missing Pieces, but There Were Things to Like
This side of the ball was most definitely impacted by injuries and by the fact that their top draft pick has yet to sign. Add in that the offensive line is usually out of synch early on, they cannot really tackle and their coverages are not very nuanced, and it is hard to get a real picture of what this unit will look like this year from Day One of camp.
The chosen formations were interesting to note though.
With Riq Woolen starting camp on the PUP and Devon Witherspoon unsigned, the Seahawks had Mike Jackson on the right side (the opposite side from last season) and Tre Brown on the left side. Coby Bryant as usual was in the nickel spot.
Julian Love and Quandre Diggs were the safeties, and both lined up in a very typical practice alignment of both being behind the linebackers and switching off having deep coverage. Love had that terrific interception off a Metcalf drop, adjusting to the changed direction of the ball and securing it easily.
On the defensive line, the Seahawks had Mario Edwards outside as an end and then rotated him inside on passing downs. On a third and 10, they paired him with Jarran Reed inside, with Nwosu and Taylor for a good-looking front. They had Mike Morris doing that as well. At one point I spotted Cam Young lined up on the end against Charles Cross.
It does appear that the Seahawks want to give Reed some real snaps at Nose Tackle, but it is still early. Cam Young is a big, big man. They list him at 304 lbs on the website but Pete Carroll mentioned he is more 320 now, and I believe it.
The line caused all kinds of trouble for the quarterbacks today. Keep in mind, they were helped along by the offensive line still gelling. But they had several impressive moments:
Darrell Taylor lined up over Abe Lucas, and Lucas was a little slow getting set for Taylor’s speed and just barely got enough on him to keep him from wrecking the play.
Derrick Hall had that play I mentioned above. He busted through, quickly discerned it was a dump off pass and halted his rush and extended his arms to deflect the pass and only Geno’s skill got the ball past him.
The edges seemed very disciplined today. More than once the offense had designed rollouts to their opposite side, and Boye Mafe, Uchenna Nwosu and Vi Jones all ‘stayed home’ and protected a reverse or a play action. Mafe had a great play where he stayed in place, diagnosed the play action and then closed the gap to the quarterback. This kind of coaching will serve them very well when they play the Shanahan and McVay offenses twice each this year.
Other defensive notes:
-Darrell Taylor looks in great shape
-Devin Bush does not look like a linebacker, more like a strong safety.
-Mafe looks like a second-year player who ‘gets it.’ He will be ready for more snaps if Taylor cannot provide another dimension to his game by developing his run defense.
-The inside linebackers blitzed a lot today. Rhattigan, Bush, Wagner. If I was forced to guess I would say the Seahawks wanted as much pressure on the quarterbacks as possible to get them prepared to make decisions, while also seeing what they have there. For the record, Rhattigan got just completely swallowed up more than once.
-Edwards has a great run defense play where he busted into the backfield and would have absolutely stoned the runner for a big loss if he were allowed to tackle. It would have been one of those easy-to-remember plays if it was done at a critical time during the season.
-Riq Woolen was on the field in his jersey today and looked fine. I would think the Seahawks just want him to work out a bit under their supervision and see how his knee responds and then let him get to work with the defense.
-Bobby Wagner grabbed the mic and addressed the fans today. He said some great things from how he’s looking forward to Week One so he can ‘hit some Rams’ and that ‘he is back in the right colors.’ I know he is playing to the crowd, and saying all the right things come natural to players of his stature. But it was great to hear and it struck a sentimental and competitive cord with the fans.
In John Boyle’s piece the other day, he mentioned that DK wasn’t sure if he could beat Woolen in a race.
I wonder if it’s about planting and change of direction. Maybe, it’s a stability thing.
Phenomenal reporting cha, thank you so much!
Fun report!
I hope Julian Love is a Nwosu type impact. Seems like he could really help stabilize the defense. Between him and hopefully a more steady linebacker crew, Diggs should be able to play more within himself.
Speaking of which, did Devin Bush look fast or small? Or both!
Hard to say he looked fast in these scrimmages. Need to see more.
Maybe he looked small because of that giant zero on his jersey.
Fantastic work cha
Excellent reporting! Thanks!
Thanks so much for this.
Thank you cha, really nice to get to read these.
One of the best training camp reports. I have been to training camp it’s not easy to observe so many details and articulate so well. Thank you, Cha.
Late to the party but had to say thanks for the great report. Awesome to hear how great Cross and Eskridge look. Really interested in Bradford and Hall. Can’t wait to see them
Thanks for a great synopsis cha!
Best training camp report around? Comment section of SDB, standard.
ah, now this got me excited — thanks for the write-up, and can’t wait to see all these young dudes out on the field.
It would sure be something if Eskridge could turn it around this year – hope he does.
And as my kid said about JSN, ‘he’s cool looking and has a cool name’ — kinda true.
Fantastic report Curtis! So much to digest.
I have a feeling the time Lock spent on the bench last year will only help him mature as a QB. If he is ever called in I expect him to do well. Glad to hear Dee is looking sharp and Cross is more fit – let’s hope he translates that into better overall play.
How there isn’t a bigger deal being made of Cross’ new look is surprising to me. If there’s one thing coaches and reporters love it’s the ‘showed up in the best shape of his life’ story.
Thanks so much cha! Great info, especially Cross. I’ve been quietly hopeful for a better year since someone posted a pic of him “ripped” a couple of months back.
Just saw the video of Bump and Stacy’s interview of Charles Cross. He looks absolutely yoked, big difference in body comp from last year.
Obviously, im glad to hear that he’s in great shape.
I hope he’s actually heavier, though. His main problem seemed to be an inability to anchor. He needs more “sand in his pants”.
So 85% of the bonus?
Thanks for the great write up.
Did you see anything from Tyreke Smith?
I did focus on him for a few snaps. Lined up at OLB and looked decent but nothing jumped out at me.
Joe Burrow coming up lame and being carted off. Oh no.
https://twitter.com/CalebNoeTV/status/1684655893491662849?s=20
I saw that. I hope it’s just the calf.
Never, never want to see these things.
Barnett takes a haircut due to only playing a single game last year after getting seriously hurt. He’s not on PUP, participating in practice in limited fashion.
Not sure what the Seahawks are waiting for…
“Prez” doesn’t like this statement by you.
Wish Dallas would take him off our hands as they’ve already got a couple safeties hurt.
Love the write up, thank you Curtis. A lot to be excited about. A small part of me wants to see Lock start a coupke games this year but of course I’d never route for a guy to get hurt.
I’m curious about the witherspoon holdout. Is this about trying to save cap space this year? I definitely don’t buy anything about the team having financial issues and rookie deals are so straightforward. This team always seems to find silly ways to disrespect guys and eventually piss them off. I really hope thats not happening here with that rare #5 pick.
I think the players (and the union) has been pushing for more of what they can push for their rookies under the current CBA and wage scale.
The bigger storyline has been 2nd-round players getting guaranteed salary later into the deal
Darrell Taylor only got Year 1 and 2 salaries guaranteed in 2020 as pick #48,
same with Dee Eskridge in 2021 at #56
Boye Mafe at #40 and Ken Walker at #41 got a big chunk of Year 3 guaranteed in 2022
But Zach Charbonnet at #52 this year appears to have gotten no guarantees in Year 3 if the tweet above from Aaron Wilson is accurate
So maybe the Seahawks have decided to push back a little on these rookie contracts?
As far as the bonus payment schedule goes, a good chunk of the top players are getting their entire bonus paid within a very short time of signing, like 15-30 days or so. But teams have been more inclined to bend for premium positions like QB and pass rusher (think Trevor Lawrence, the Bosa’s and Travon Walker)
Players like Derek Stingly and Ikem Ekwonu had their bonuses split into 2 chunks and the second chunk pushed way out.
I imagine the Seahawks are trying to keep that standard going and Witherspoon’s team is asking why not for CBs if it’s there for QB’s and DE’s?
That makes sense. Thanks for the response. I tend to agree with the players on this one. Kimd of off topic but when the running backs were weighing in on their plight last week it got me thinking they (players union) need to negotiate a way where teams can pay out the remainder of deals off the books, or not against the cap, in an instance where a player is cut for injury or has a significant drop in preformance. The players still get taken care of but clubs arent punished for rewarding great players. It would help the running back market a lot but all players would benifit. Or a preformance based bonus that doesn’t go against the cap for players earning less than 2% of the cap or something like that. Players who start every game for a few years on a rookie deal and then get hurt at tye end will have gotten paid a bit better on that initial contract.
They mostly have those things already baked into the CBA.
The Veteran Injury Benefit provides up to $2m to players who get cut with a Failed Physical designation and do not get signed by another team. It only counts $1.2m on the cutting team’s cap. Chris Carson is getting that (and for the record there was this strange tweet by Ian Rap praising the Hawks for doing right by Carson when in point of fact they were just adhering to this provision of the CBA).
The Player Performance Escalators bumps players’ Year 4 salary up in stages for accomplishments like high snap counts and Pro Bowl appearances. Same with the 5th year option for first round picks – it’s not a single number, there are tiers based on performance on the rookie contract.
(side note – this one is interesting to me because the old CBA used to pay out players each year and called it Playtime Incentives, and the pool was not on the salary cap…A player like Tre Flowers made almost double his rookie contract because he got so many snaps for the Seahawks. It would be a strange experience to make $550k spread out over 17 weeks, and then at the end of the year get handed a single check for $400k or so.)
There is still something in place, but maybe it has changed since Folwers. Woolen and Jackson both got almost $750k last year as some type of performance bonus. Walker didn’t get anything.
Small pool with only 25 players and doesn’t include any RB that I see
https://nflcommunications.com/Pages/2022-Performance-Based-Pay-Distributions-Announced.aspx
Oh I missed that. Great catch Brodie!
1) The Witherspoon holdout is frustrating (don’t care who’s right or wrong).
2) Need Woolen, Brooks and Fant back on the field, soon.
3) Jamal Adams contract? This is pure negligence (see Barnett).
4) Reed is not a NT.
5) BBK is not the answer at LB.
I’d be willing to bet BBK is strictly special teams. I’m not a gambling man and things can get wonky though
I am personally blaming Ozzy Osbourne for this. He is represented by CAA, and it is because of him getting “sick” in 1986 that I missed seeing Metallica open for him. Then Cliff Burton died.
it takes forever to resolve on a browser, so here is a short list of bands they represent, only including “rock” and I skipped a lot.
AC/DC (my first concert, 1984, Tacoma Dome)
Aerosmith
Against Me!
Alice CooperAlice in Chains
Ann Wilson of Heart
Ariana Grande (Rock?)
Arcade Fire
Avenged Sevenfold
Avril Livigne
Bad Religion
Bauhaus (Bella Logosi’s Dead)
Beck
Beyonce (Rock?)
Billie Joe Armstrong
Billy Corigan
Black Sabbath
Blink 182
Bloc Party
Bob Dylan
Bon Jovi
Bonnie Rait
Boston
Breaking Benjamin
Bruce Springstein
Bryan Adams
Bryan Ferry
Bullet for my Valentine
Carole King
Cat Power
Celtic Thunder
Cheap Trick
Chicago
Chris “Ludacris” Bridges
Collective Soul
Counting Crowes
Cosby, Stills & Nash
Daft Punk…
https://www.caa.com/entertainmenttalent/touring/search#all
Of JUST the bands you’ve listed, I’ve seen the following ones live:
AC/DC
Aerosmith
Alice Cooper
Alice in Chains
Heart
Black Sabbath
Bob Dylan
Bonnie Rait
Boston
Bruce Springstein
Bryan Adams
Cheap Trick
Cosby, Stills & Nash
And Ozzy numerous times both with Sabbath and solo (including with Randy on the Blizzard tour)
And I only went up to yhe beginning of D.
The actors/comedians talent list is equally impressive.
Cha, what position was Vi Jones playing? What about Jon Sutherland? Thanks !
Vi worked off ball LB and mixed some edge.
Sutherland I didn’t see, sorry. 90 players, 15 coaches and another 30 support staff all running around, it’s hard to focus at times.
Thanks!
JSN
https://twitter.com/Seahawks/status/1684703982005202952
Dang!!! Helluva snag.
Great stuff Cha!
That IS impressive. Looks like at least our second first rounder is going to contribute this year.
Thanks cha.
That was a Dougy catch…
100% drafting him in fantasy
OTC posted Nwosu’s extension but I think some revision is coming.
https://overthecap.com/player/uchenna-nwosu/6933
The report said $32m guaranteed. I only see $21m new money guaranteed. If they include the ‘salary to bonus’ conversion that’s about $29m and change. So not sure if this spread is accurate.
But I think that difference will get worked out for later seasons.
For now it’s reasonable to think that the Seahawks picked up $3m in 2023 cap by extending him.
So they have $16.054m of room.
When Witherspoon gets inked they’ll have about $11.13m left.
Practice Squad will cost $3-6m. So call it $5-7m of room to play with.
2024 have about $9m of room. That will get their rookie class signed and not much else. If Geno earns any incentives they’ll be over the cap.
+ $10M-12M for cutting Adams and Bellore
There we go. OTC will indeed end up needing to revise their number, but I’d say the $2.9m cap gain in 2023 stands.
Better late than never.
I’m glad the drama is over, we didn’t need that. I hope he delivers for #5 and I hope we don’t mess him up asking to play safety or what not.
I’m nervous about the talk of moving him around already…
There’s talk of trying him out at Left Guard.
PLAY BALL!!!
My expectation for this season is that it’ll be light & fun. Love having the young & hungry talent on board. Keep up the good work & maybe it’ll get serious again in the next year or two.
It bears watching. He’s worked out at nickel earlier and nothing Pete has said in the last couple days has moved off that.
I do think that Pete absolutely LOVES the fact that Jackson is showing well. Another street urchin with that dog mentality who is earning his chance not by pedigree but by grit. But does that mean it is in the team’s best interest to put their #5 overall pick at nickel and shove Bryant to the bench?
I’m all for long term flexibility. Using a #5 pick as our permanent nickel would be a disappointing turn of events but if Spoon balls out there and can spot start or take snaps on the outside this season, with the plan to make him a roving piece over his career here, I’m in. If Woolen and Jackson’s preseason play dictate that they’re out outside guys and Spoon outplays Coby, I’m not shedding any tears for Bryant. That’s the “competition” we’ve been missing on the roster for a while. Bryant can still factor in as a S when needed, or lock down nickel if Spoon needs to move outside due to injury.
I’m fine with long-term. For now, get him out there and get him adjusted. He’s not the biggest. Give him his assignment and let him excel first. Don’t overload the system.
One huge problem over the years are putting too much on the defense. Making Bobby do what he physically can’t, making Adams a dlineman. Fielding an entire defense that can’t tackle. DO THE BASICS FIRST. Keep It Simple Stupid. Then add on from there. This feels too much like them still thinking that they can do no wrong defensively.
Two nickels make a dime. The way they were running formations last year it felt like nickel was more of a base package.
With Diggs, Love and Adams, I would think the plan is to have all three (if healthy) out there as much as possible. With 3 more CB’s that are looking at a lot of time, that’s a lot of dime personnel.
3-2-6 with Wags and Bush at LB
2-3-6 with Reed/Dre’Mont and Taylor/Nwosu as OLB
Long way to go though. For now, I’m hopeful that they can figure out something that doesn’t expose the defense to getting gashed on the ground because we’re playing 6 guys who are 200lbs or less.
FWIW
Playing Witherspoon at nickel was practically inevitable. He was just not good outside, and none of his highlights were outside.
The problem with this are RBs and WRs being 30 lbs heavier than him.
IMO, worst case is the draft pundits overlooking the fact that his ass was covered by Sydney Brown, just as Adams flourished while Maye did the boring work.
That said, the way things were going are a major red flag.
1) sign Kwon Alexander to a 2 year deal ($6M-8M)
2) pick up (or trade for) a solid NT after cutdowns
The Uchenna Nwosu extension.
I like it. There is a lot to like for the player and the team.
The “$32million guaranteed” number pencils out this way:
* $15m signing bonus
* $1.6m guaranteed salary in 2023
* $1.125m guar salary in 2024 (not guar until Feb 24)
* $8.275m option bonus in 2024
* $6m guar salary in 2025 (not guar until Feb 24)
So we are not talking about iron-clad locked-in guarantees. There is some protection for the Seahawks there.
His cap number rises to $21m in 2025 and dips to $16m in 2026. But Nwosu can earn another $6m in 2026 salary by reaching some sack totals in 2023-2025, which is beneficial for both player and team.
There is room in 2025 to convert salary to bonus and push some money to 2026 if the Seahawks need cap room.
But this deal is very similar in intent to the Geno Smith contract. You had a great year for us, here’s a chunk of money. But it protects Seattle and heavily incentivizes Nwosu to keep producing.
Here is the interesting thing to me: He had a $7.5million non-guaranteed salary in 2023. That salary does not get converted to bonus. It is actually reduced to $1.6m guaranteed.
So there is $5.9m of salary he was due that is ‘traded’ in effect for the $15m bonus and other perks like the option bonus and incentives.
In effect, this contract of $32m guaranteed / $53m total replaces his $13m cap number for this year. With his original bonus proration of $4.75m from his first contract, you could consider this a 4y $57.75m contract, which is an AAV of $14.4375m for his prime years and incentivizes him to keep producing.
This is a smart contract and a great way to keep a rising player on the roster.
Tks for the info, cha!
JS and the FO are drafting really good contracts. In a couple of years after we flush out some bad contracts from the past (Adams, Disly), we will have a lot of flexibility, if our draft classes continue to work out.
I’m very optmistic for the next years.
“$8.275m option bonus in 2024”
How is that considered guaranteed money?
If I tell my wife, I guarantee that I will take her out to dinner but only if I feel like it when Saturday night rolls around- she wouldn’t call that much of a guarantee.
These agents with their smoke and mirrors.
Yeah. It’s basically an “option” in legal terms only. It is a way to push some salary cap down the road AND spread the hit over future years.
Ahhh, gotcha. I thought ‘team option’ meant being able to cut w/o consequence.
Thanks
One note, the $16m number OTC has for 2026 should be $18m. I sent them a note to please update.
So if Nwosu gets his sack numbers to earn that $6m extra, it will be $24m in 2026. That sounds worse than it is. By 2026 Michah Parsons, Nick Bosa and Myles Garrett will be making $30-35m AAV.
Glad to have Witherspoon in the fold. This is a win, win for both the Seahawks and Witherspoon.
https://www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/news/seattle-seahawks-devon-witherspoon-signs-rookie-contract-details-holdout-training-camp
Are the Broncos still running a Fangio inspired scheme?
From a personal side, I think this is where he wants to be. His daughter is in high school and Harris has said he won’t displace his family from Denver. I hope he gets his wish to stay for his family.
This is Denver pulling a Quentin Jefferson.
If there is a “JS Special” Carlos Dunlap / Quandre Diggs type trade available I’d be all for it.
Vikings would have to each $18m dead to move on from Hunter.
How bout we make this deal completely neutral?
Trade our $24m dead problem child and give Hunter his $11m 2023 salary?
Wait a minute, I thought we were building our defense around the “dead problem child”? He is dead though isn’t he?
My favorite player ever (#33 on your program, #1 in your heart) could easily win multiple, multiple, multiple Super Bowls while leading the Vikings currently hopeless defense and I hope they’re not smart enough to trade Hunter for a once in a lifetime difference maker who only shows up to kick ass and chew gum and guess what? he’s all out of ass to kick…or gum…I don’t remember, but you get the point. I’m pretty sure he’ll never miss another minute of game time, either, so wow, what an absolute steal if the Vikings decide to win Super Bowls instead of be the Vikings. Dead problem child? Hardly. More like NOT a dead problem child. What a Viking he could be.
I agree but only if the NFL adds a scoring rule: 6 points awarded to any player who takes a ball to their facemask.
“Another amazing doink play by 33!”
Ok never mind
Am I wrong for being skeptical of Geno Smith this year? It seems implied that he’s going to massively improve from last year, but the second half of the season has me wondering if the league has already caught up to him.
We upgraded our receiving core, running back room and possibly the interior of our offensive line. I think they’ve given him plenty of opportunities stay at that first half level. I also believe the second half last year doesn’t solely sit on his shoulders
Myles, You mean that Geno had one great half-a-season in his decade in the league and you have some skepticism if he can play well again this year?
The Seahawks did upgrade the offense around him, but QBs don’t go from mediocre to great in their early 30s. Geno is going to limit the ceiling for this offense. They should have addressed adding a young QB with potential by now. Keeping Drew Lock as his backup was weird. Lock is a turnover machine.
…here is to hoping a QB can go from mediocre to great in his early 30s.
Romeo A57, Totally agree! The emergence of Geno was a cute little story during a season when the Seahawks had zero expectations. He even got a nice little catch phrase and got paid a big chunk of money. Now the whole league will have studied him closely this offseason (it wasn’t like coaches were shaking in their boots when the thought of gameplanning for Geno Smith came up), so with all of that combined with being a 32-33 year old QB and high expectations, will he get better?
Most fans I know think there is zero chance he can take a step back. If the Seahawks were down 14 points in the 4th quarter, what are the chances they come back to win the game with Geno at QB? I’d say practically zero. With all the good QBs, there is a chance. But Geno just ain’t it, as much as fans desperately cling to hope that he is.
Count me a fan of DT Leonard Taylor III of Miami. He’d be a 3-4 DE in our system. Penetrates well from the limited tape I’ve seen.
Was in here a few months ago singing his praises. Guy is greased lightning out his stance
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/calijah-kancey-carted-off-with-calf-injury
Damn. Hope it’s not too serious.
For those worried about next year’s cap space being down to $2.8M, just know that making these four cuts would create $40.4 million in additional cap space:
Brian Mone – $5.9M
Will Dissly – $7M
Jamal Adams (post June 1) – $16.5M
Quandre Diggs – $11M
If we kept Diggs, that’s still $32.2 million in cap space.
And yet they cling on to Adams annually and Dissly is one of their favourites
Bellore is likely gone too…
The Seahawks RB injury curse still with us. Charbonnet out indefinitely, Walker with a groin issue. Good thing we scooped Macintosh in the 7th!
I just saw this news. I am really looking forward to seeing this talented group of Running Backs on the field. I hope these guys can get healthy and stay that way this year.
Taulapapa signing as ‘insurance’?
There was a peacock sighting at training camp today. He showed up half way through practice and none of his teammates acknowledged him. I spent most of practice trying to ascertain the health of various players on PUP. Adams was walking around just fine with no noticeable limp nor favoring the one leg. Before coming off PUP today they ran Fant through a series of agility drills. He looked good and fast but clearly winded. Mone was on the sidelines and was clearly favoring his leg. At one point he tried to jog past a drill and he barely could put weight on the repaired knee. Brooks eventually joined Adams on the sidelines he also was not favoring his leg. The one player on the sidelines that was moving very deliberately was Woolen – seems the knee still is a little tender. Other random observations – the offensive and defensive starts of the practice were McIntosh and Brown (yes, no pads). McIntosh displayed the same vision and catching ability that you see in his pre-combine highlights. Witherspoon was running with the twos for most of the day so Brown had his chances against DK/JSN and had some excellent PBUs. Love seems like he is still learning the system and is tentative. Diggs spent a lot of time pre-snap moving Love a yard here and a yard there. Cross is definitely the alpha of the OL – he just commands their respect like a ten year vet. Another great day on the shores of Lake Washington. Pro-tip: hit up the Korean BBQ on your way back from the VMAC!