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It might be a pre-season game only but that was a performance to warm the hearts of all Seahawks fans ahead of the start of the 2025 season.

The 33-16 scoreline barely does Seattle’s domination justice. If it wasn’t for some sloppy kick coverage and inspired quarterback play from Gardner Minshew, this would’ve been ugly. Regardless, there was a lot to like about this game.

We have to start with the offensive line.

For years fans have craved a dominating offensive front. Seattle’s coaches and GM have often talked about running the ball well and being a violent, bullying team — only for the product on the field to make a mockery of this ambition.

What we saw against Kansas City was the real deal, explicitly so in the opening drive. It was a thing of physical beauty. Grey Zabel and Anthony Bradford dominated at guard. Abe Lucas looks like he’s back to his very best (on the first drive he had huge moments in pass-pro and driving defenders off the ball in the running game) and Jalen Sundell is coming along nicely at center. Josh Jones is proving to be a decent fill-in at left tackle for Charles Cross.

With all the caveats of this being a pre-season game and we need to see this line-up against the real thing, the way they pushed around Kansas City’s defensive front allowing for big gains in the running game was a joy to watch. It speaks to a blossoming identity being created. Sam Darnold was able to play efficient football off the back of the run.

On that one opening drive, with the starters on the field, you could allow yourself to dream of what this team could be.

If they can be this effective for stretches of the 2025 season, they’ll be incredibly difficult to play against. This was the kind of tough, hard-nosed football they’ve been desperate to find and we’ve been desperate to see. There’ll be a lot of inconsequential football played this weekend as the pre-season meanders along. This felt completely consequential. Vital, necessary, a signpost to what is possible.

In Zabel they appear to have found the thing they badly needed — a high-upside, potential cornerstone interior blocker. Bradford at right guard has always had a ton of potential (plus, as noted a few weeks ago, he’s far more athletic than people realise). If the Seahawks can tap into his upside and get him playing with consistency, this could be your guard tandem for a long time.

The way the pair played speaks to the quality of coaching they’re receiving, plus it validates Seattle’s decision not to throw money at average veterans in free agency rather than attempt to develop their own.

With Cross and Lucas at tackle — whisper it quietly but this line could be legit. Could be.

Klint Kubiak’s appointment is already paying dividends with the experienced staff he’s brought with him to make this so in the trenches. Yet the way things are operating and clicking schematically already is as much a cause for optimism as the play of the line.

The buzz coming from camp has been that Zach Charbonnet might be ready to steal the starting running back job from Ken Walker. I think we’re seeing that materialise. He’s practising, he’s playing and he’s playing well. It’s pretty clear the Seahawks rate Charbonnet highly and while he might lack Walker’s incredible physical tools — he’s a tough, physical runner who is ideally suited to this scheme. Walker provides a lot of flash and upside — but Charbonnet might be the runner this offense needs.

The way the tight ends blocked was incredibly impressive. This will be an underrated feature of the offense this year.

The one area the Seahawks are arguably a little light is at receiver — yet the young players on the roster are putting their hands up and making some plays. You need that, given the ever expanding cost of a top receiver. Last week was Tory Horton’s night, this game featured Dareke Young and Jake Bobo.

On Bobo — I have no idea if he can match Jauan Jennings’ production in San Francisco (975 yards and six touchdowns last season) but Jennings is a similar height, similar build and he ran a 4.72 at his combine (with only a 29 inch vertical). You don’t have to be a physical phenom to excel in this system.

The other big takeaway I had from this game was just how locked in the team appears to be. There’s a ‘2012’ type vibe to things — an electric sideline celebrating each other. There’s very little evidence of any ego or moodiness. There’s been no holdouts or complaining, no excuses to miss OTA’s or camp. Everyone seems to be bought in, fully, with a level of intensity all of the good teams possess.

They look like a bad-ass team and they played like it on Friday.

Look at these two screenshots showing the reaction to Brandon Pili’s safety. The defense stormed the field. The first shows Coby Bryant and Devon Witherspoon celebrating, the second with Ernest Jones and Julian Love joining Witherspoon. This is a connected team, absolutely loving every second of what is effectively a backup nose tackle making a big play in pre-season. How can you not love this?

It wasn’t a defensive masterclass by any stretch and the aforementioned kick-coverage issues must be ironed out. Yet it seems very obvious this team and franchise is on the right track.

Some other quick notes on players. Brandon Pili’s play on the safety was outrageously good, Brady Russell has to have a role on this team given his special teams impact and flexibility to play full-back or tight end, I really like the way Jacardia Wright is playing and Damien Martinez had a much better night.

I am going to watch the Chiefs game on playback in the morning, rather than stay up (kick-off is at 3am here). Therefore, I will post my thoughts some time on Saturday. For now feel free to use this as an open thread to discuss the game.

As news broke that running back James Cook had signed a new contract with the Buffalo Bills, Adam Schefter tweeted a list of extensions completed by the team this off-season:

My initial reaction was to think there’s only one player on the list I’m jealous about — the name at the top. Otherwise, the Bills have signed a group of players to second contracts who are no better than the bulk of Seattle’s core.

The Bills are third favourites to win the Super Bowl, behind the Eagles and Ravens, according to ESPN Bet. Baltimore, like Buffalo, have a decent roster. Yet they’re led by their MVP candidate under center, not a loaded talent pool.

There aren’t any true super-powered blue-chip heavy teams at the moment. There’s nobody like the 49ers at their best a few years ago, for example. The Eagles are the closest and yet they’ll have to contend with being the defending Champs. Last time they were in that position they went 9-7 twice before collapsing to 4-12.

The point I’m making is this feels like quite an open NFL. There’s every chance a great quarterback like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow will break through this year as a consequence. Or Patrick Mahomes bounces back from a disappointing Super Bowl loss.

All of those players are in the AFC though. As we saw in the most recent Eagles Championship victory, it’s possible to get to the final game of the season then dominate on defense and win handsomely.

The Seahawks have a good young roster. They have key players and some, such as Leonard Williams, feel underrated nationally. Certain players have to reach a new level in 2025 but they’re capable. The defense has a chance to do special things this year in Mike Macdonald’s second season through a combination of available talent and scheme. We’ll need to see Klint Kubiak’s offense in a real game to properly judge but there’s definitely a positive vibe at the moment.

If the Seahawks can play better up front (they can hardly play worse), run the ball and get efficient play from their quarterback — they can complement a great defense nicely — much like the Shanahan-led 49ers when they were reaching Super Bowls with Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy under center.

This isn’t me making a Super Bowl prediction. A team needs to earn that kind of backing. They need to be better at home in 2025 to justify any level of post-season faith. They need to show they can be far more competent and consistent on offense. They need to stay healthy, too.

Yet I can’t shake the thought that this team is being slept on in a wide-open NFC. Unless you truly expect the Eagles to just carry on where they left off, who is the great team in the conference? The Lions have lost coaches and key players since last season and carry a ‘missed their best shot’ feel about them. Are the Commanders really that good aside from an excellent young signal caller? Are the Vikings a bit of a paper tiger, breaking in a new quarterback? How good are the Packers, actually?

The Rams and 49ers get plenty of attention but both are dealing with key injuries. Los Angeles, in particular, are riding a playoff hype train from last season that masks a matching 2024 record as the Seahawks — even when Seattle effectively played the whole season with an inept offensive structure. Matthew Stafford’s injury situation surely dents their prospects.

Much like the Lions’ emergence not that long ago, or the Commanders last year, I think the Seahawks can make some noise in 2025. I do think the O-line will be better thanks to proper guidance and scheming. I believe the running game will be more effective and complement a great defense. I sense Sam Darnold will do what he needs to do to make this team interesting.

I think the Seahawks are heading in the right direction. There’s no drama or ego either. Everyone seems to be getting on with business which is a refreshing change.

They also get to play the AFC South and NFC South this year — a bonus.

Everything feels positive and for once, maybe we can afford to wonder what is possible in 2025? It might not be a run to the Super Bowl. Playoffs? Very possible. Winning a post-season game? Ditto. Making a bit of a run? That would be an exciting shift in gears for a franchise that has had to wait a long time to get back to that kind of position.

Please check out the latest show tonight:

It’s pretty clear Seattle’s linebacker depth is a concern at the moment. Mystery surrounds Tyrice Knight’s knee injury. Ernest Jones had knee surgery this off-season and recently missed camp time due to the passing of his father.

Behind the starting pair, there isn’t a great deal. They signed Michael Dowell a week ago, a former practise squad player who was previously undrafted. Today they added Alphonzo Tuputala, an undrafted rookie from Washington.

We saw last year how important the position is within Mike Macdonald’s system. Would an aggressive move to improve the position be worth considering? Especially if Knight is a question mark?

Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd came into the league carrying a lot of expectation as a former first round pick. His play has been a bit up-and-down at times. He recorded a very solid 76.7 PFF grade for 2024 but Jacksonville turned down the fifth-year option on his contract.

This year they hired Anthony Campanile to be their defensive coordinator, Green Bay’s former linebackers coach. It might mean he wants to keep as many players together in that group or he could back himself to develop others, given that’s his area of expertise.

The Jaguars used a fourth round pick on Jack Kiser this year. They also have Foyesade Oluokun on the roster, plus Chad Muma and Ventrell Miller.

Lloyd is known for quality run defense rather than coverage ability and that might be what the Seahawks want, given the highly athletic talents they have elsewhere on their defense.

If the Jaguars don’t see themselves paying to keep Lloyd — and if they feel they have sufficient depth — would they consider doing a deal? The Seahawks would get a player who turns 27 in September and would provide greater depth and experience. They were willing to ‘rent’ Jones Jr a year ago, giving the Titans a fourth round pick for 10 games. Would a similar price get a deal done here? With the same potential to see if you want to retain Lloyd at the end of the season?

The Seahawks might be inclined to keep hold of their picks. They only have six next year, with no chance of any comp picks in 2026. There’s always a way to add more down the line so it’ll likely depend on Knight’s health and their belief in backups Patrick O’Connell and Drake Thomas. They also have the option to use Nick Emmanwori creatively to work around any issue at linebacker.

Even so, Lloyd could be a name to keep an eye on if they want to try and make a deal. The Seahawks are in a place where being active and aggressive makes sense.

Although the game ended in a tie, it felt like a win overall. Seattle’s primary backups all excelled against Las Vegas’ starters. The offensive line played well and the Seahawks had success at the line of scrimmage. Rookies shone and gave cause for optimism about the 2025 class. All-in-all, this was a good night.

You have to start by talking about Tory Horton. Reports from training camp suggest he’s been making plays pretty much every day. To come into a game and continue that form is a great sign. His touchdown featured a nifty move at the goal-line, he looks quick and sharp and made for the NFL.

I gave him a round 2/3 grade on my horizontal board accounting for injury. The fact he lasted until round five was surprising. The Seahawks got a steal provided he can continue building on this promising start. Right now, they look like they’ve played a blinder making this pick. Horton feels like he could quickly take on WR3 duties this season. Have they found the next Puca Nacua-value receiver?

Other rookies played well too. The whole starting offensive line played well in the first half and Grey Zabel appears as advertised. Elijah Arroyo showed little flashes of what he’s capable of, as did Nick Emmanwori. Then there’s Robbie Ouzts. It’s pretty difficult to get excited about a full back (apologies to all full backs). However, Ouztz was superb. His seal-block off the edge for George Holani’s touchdown was perfectly executed. He also showed off his pass-catching skills from a tight end background with his catch and run.

A modern day full back is so rare he needs to possess Kyle Juszczyk potential. It’s one pre-season game and Juszczyk is not a typical player for his position. That said, Ouzts looked good enough to think he can make things work in the NFL.

It was a decent first look at Klint Kubiak’s offense and some of the concepts he will use. The blocking schemes they used showed evidence of things coming together and again, while it’s only one game, this was encouraging for a team that has struggled up front in recent years.

Holani had a good pre-season a year ago and he shone again. The Seahawks need a RB3 and he made his case strongly. Jacardia Wright also ran with a purpose and looks interesting. It’ll be interesting to see this battle with Damien Martinez. Meanwhile, defensively Tyreke Smith and Mike Morris flashed enough to feel good about the depth they could potentially provide in the front seven.

I got a good chuckle at the Peacock being called ‘big #33’ in the game too.

I will re-watch it in more detail tonight but this felt like a good start to the 2025 season.

As for this:

(EDITORS NOTE: Image contains profanity.) Geno Smith #7 of the Las Vegas Raiders gives the finger to fans as he takes the field during an NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on August 07, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images) pic.twitter.com/7UrUigRlI2

— Steph Chambers (@StephChambers76) August 8, 2025

I think Pete Carroll’s face says it all. This section of Lumen Field is notorious for giving a not-so-welcoming greeting to opponents. Yet surely the role of a franchise quarterback, especially one as seasoned and as well compensated as Geno Smith, is to rise above it.

It’s not a great image and frankly, it’s another reason why I’m glad the Seahawks have moved on.

This week, Annabelle Hasselbeck joins the show for the first time. Please check it out, leave a like and subscribe to the channel!

ESPN’s peerless reporter Brady Henderson had some interesting things to say on Mitch Unfiltered this week. I wanted to run through a few of them but I’d recommend checking out the whole segment for details on training camp so far.

The Seahawks tried to sign Von Miller

It’s felt for a while that the Seahawks are one rusher short until Uchenna Nwosu returns. Miller, who is now 36-years-old, opted instead to join the Commanders. It speaks to the Seahawks seeking perhaps more than just a low-level Trevis Gipson-type trade from a year ago to boost their pass rush.

They might try to sign Jadeveon Clowney

Brady has mentioned this one a few times now. I wondered if bridges had been burned in Seattle following Clowney’s protracted contract stand-off in 2020 which pretty much derailed the Seahawks’ plans for that year for the pass rush. Also, Mike Macdonald worked with Clowney in Baltimore and yet so far hasn’t rushed to create a reunion. If Brady’s mentioning it though, there’s something in it. We’ll see if Clowney heads to the PNW for a second go-through. He had 9.5 sacks in Macdonald’s defense in 2023.

The Seahawks won’t trade for Micah Parsons

Brady was pretty emphatic here, noting Seattle’s focus on character and preference to avoid drama. Parsons is clearly an elite pass rusher and for that reason, the chances of Dallas actually trading him are remote. If he is moved, though, it appears you can all but rule out the Seahawks as a suitor.

Don’t rule out Terry McLaurin though

This wasn’t so much a confirmation of interest as it was a note to McLaurin’s character. He is very much the type of person they are looking for. He’s one of the more respected veteran players in the league. So in that sense, he’s a fit. Whether it equates to them actually negotiating a trade, however, is a different matter. I suspect he’ll end up re-signing in Washington and, as with Parsons, this is all just an aggressive negotiating tactic. We’ll see.

Zach Charbonnet is going to get plenty of work

He’s been a blog favourite for a long time, dating back to his initial breakout season at UCLA. Last season when he was able to start rather than act in relief for Ken Walker, Charbonnet showed what he can do. With Walker hurt again, Charbonnet is impressing the coaches according to Brady — so much so that Klint Kubiak singled him out during a recent interview on Seattle Sports. I’ve said for a while that letting Charbonnet be the lead back might be the best way to go. He lacks Walker’s extreme physical upside but you know what you’re going to get from him — toughness, explosion and reliability. Ideally they create a great one-two punch like the Lions but so far, that hasn’t materialised.

Tomorrow don’t forget to join us for the Seahawks Collective live stream at 5pm PT — and please subscribe to the channel!

Before getting into Curtis’ notes, a heads up that at 3pm PT Rob, Adam & Robbie will be doing a live stream:

This is an article by Curtis Allen…

Yesterday’s Fan Fest was another great exercise by the team.  Whereas last year’s event was more of an extended practice session, this year saw the team scrimmaging more and getting closer to the ‘Mock Game’ format that Pete Carroll employed in his last few seasons.

After warming up and doing some position drills, the team scrimmaged in set spots on the field.  Typically, the starters on both sides would run a few plays, then the backups and then the third unit.  Then they would run drills, such as a Red Zone drill with just the Quarterback, receivers and defensive backs.  Then toggle back to scrimmages at another area of the field.

It was a thorough exercise and followed a lengthy padded practices yesterday.  It appears the intent is to get the starters a healthy dose of work as things ramp up to more game action.  Mike Macdonald confirmed that we will not see the starters play against the Raiders in the first preseason game.

Macdonald mostly kept the starters together.  Darnold, Charbonnet, Smith-Njigba, Kupp, Barner, Arroyo and an offensive line of Jones-Zabel-Oluwatimi-Lucas were all present for just about every starter snap.  At Right Guard, Bradford started and got about 60% of the snaps then moved to the second unit as Jalen Sundell got 40% with the starters.  Tory Horton got a share of work with them and Robbie Ouzts came in for some plays.

The offense maintained its momentum from yesterday’s practice.  The Offensive Line is starting to look more complementary and they did not allow the very talented Defensive Line to dictate the line of scrimmage.  This was not a dominating performance by any means – at times they struggled to establish the run – but far closer to the ‘adequate/not terrible’ goal most of us had set in our minds for this upcoming season.

Like yesterday, this was a day where both sides had fantastic plays but the offense came out ahead.  Tight coverage by Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen and Nick Emmanwori yielded some errant throws and batted balls.  But Darnold also had some great precision throws for completions that were just better than the defensive backs’ efforts.

The run game was very active and similarly an even match with a slight favor to the offense.  Zach Charbonnet had several impressive runs.  And not necessarily big gains but he demonstrated a knowledge of the system and what is developing in front of him.  On one nice run he patiently waited for Grey Zabel to clear his path and then darted through the hole.  Another, Ouzts lined up and was the lead blocker who pretty well hammered Jamie Sheriff and cleared the way.

The tackles looked very good.  Josh Jones and Abe Lucas were able pass protectors and more than willing in the running game.  Mike Jerrell took most of the reps at Left Tackle with the backups and looked good as well.

That is not to say the Defensive Line had nothing to say about the situation.  More than once, Charbonnet had the ball handed to him and had nowhere to go as they had gotten through and disrupted the offense’s intentions.  Demarcus Lawrence was playing like we envisioned – bringing some toughness to the edge position and being a factor in the running game.  He regularly either got into the backfield or set the edge and forced the runner inside where teammates were waiting to tackle him.  The offense tried a jet sweep and Lawrence immediately sniffed it out and made the play for no gain.

On the whole, I would say the offense is well ahead of where they were at this point last year.  Not only are most of the position battles on the Offensive Line coming into focus – I would say Oluwatimi has the center job mostly secured and Bradford is the lead horse at Right Guard with Sundell making a push – the smoothness and chemistry with which the whole unit operates is much more pronounced.

Let’s talk a little about the running game.  Ever since Klint Kubiak and his assistants were brought in, we have been hearing and talking quite a bit about getting back to the running game.

I wanted to point out that this offense in 2024 had a very pass-centric attack.  Their 37/63 run/pass split was one of the NFL’s most extremely unbalanced offenses.  That may lead us to think that the offensive needle is going to shift wildly back the other way, with the running game taking the brunt of play calls.

That is not so.  Klint Kubiak’s offenses have been right about the middle of the league in terms of run/pass splits.  Last year in New Orleans, they had a 43/57 split.  In 2021 in Minnesota they had a 41/59.

They regularly passed the ball, it was just far more balanced and the defense was able to rest.

There are going to be games where they pound the rock.  But understand, these elements of the offense are going to work together and Kubiak will have no issue game planning for Sam Darnold to have a bigger role throwing the ball to his talented group of receivers as he sees the need.

Another feature of this offense that could be a great under-the-radar asset is they do not give the ball away easily.  The Saints were tied for 11th in the NFL in giveaways last year with rookies Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener playing half the season at Quarterback.  In Minnesota with Kirk Cousins running the offense, they were the #1 in team in the NFL with fewest giveaways.

Combine a balanced offense that does not cough up the ball with a defense with Top-five potential and the Seahawks are going to be one tough out week after week.

Ken Walker was sidelined yesterday and today with what Mike Macdonald described as foot soreness.  Just some maintenance to keep him from further injuring himself.  This once again throws into sharp relief the idea that Walker struggles to stay healthy.  I think I am ready to endorse the idea that Rob has expressed that Charbonnet should be the starter and Walker should be the guy who can come in and break things open after Charbonnet tenderizes the defense a bit with some tough running.

Other Notes

— Jalen Milroe probably had his best day.  He did not have a ‘catastrophically bad’ play in this session.  He threw behind the receiver on a Red Zone crosser, and floated a pass to Ouzts in the flat that set him up for a good smack when he should have put more zip on the ball.  But that’s about it.  He had several gorgeous deep throws, finding Tyrone Broden often.  He also found Plumlee on a deep post route that fell right into his waiting hands.  They did let him run the ball on some designed plays, and watching him run is something to behold.

— It looks like Tory Horton will be involved in the return game.  He took punts and kickoffs again in practice.  With his impressive performances in camp this week, it feels like he has a spot reserved for him if he keeps his effort up.  I could see him being a primary return man in his rookie year and having some snaps with the offense to keep the defense guessing.

— Before we get too excited about the offense, remember that this defense has been running some basic schemes.  There are some new wrinkles showing up – one snap saw Leonard Williams on the left edge next to Jarran Reed, and Woolen and Witherspoon continued to swap sides – but Mike Macdonald and Aden Durde have yet to go full mad scientist and unleash some crazy combinations on the offense.  Success at this moment in time is a function of the offense getting in rhythm and gelling.  They will most certainly have struggles at times running the ball and picking up game-level blitzes, stunts and the like.  For me, their progress to this point is earning my patience.

— Jacardia Wright showed some burst and speed with the third string offense with some good runs today.  He looked like a player they might think about adding to the Practice Squad.

— AJ Barner has been a low-key effective member of the offense this offseason.  In a Red Zone drill he had Emmanwori draped over him and caught the ball.  They hand fought as he came down to get his feet in bounds and Barner won that play by hanging onto the ball and ripping through Emmanwori’s attempts to knock it out of his hands.

— Mike Macdonald noted that Christian Haynes has a pectoral injury, which is why he did not get any scrimmage reps yesterday and today.  Talk about an injury coming at the worst possible time.  Haynes had been trying to get a foothold in either the Center or Right Guard position.  That said, if they feel comfortable with him at center, he might have secured a roster spot.  If Jalen Sundell wins the Right Guard job, there is that chance that both Oluwatimi and Sundell will get hurt in a game.  So, they may lean towards Haynes as valuable depth.

This is a guest article by Curtis Allen…

Today was a high-octane practice day for the Seahawks.  Mike Macdonald had the team do their full drill work and then had an extended period of scrimmaging.  It was the longest practice we have seen this season and it felt like a page had been turned.  Drills and short bursts of scrimmages are fine, but today it was time for something closer to live game work.

Both the offense and defense produced some great fireworks.

On defense, Nick Emmanwori and Devon Witherspoon picked off Sam Darnold. Witherspoon’s was the result of great technical work in the end zone while tracking the ball.  Emmanwori’s came on a deep throw to Elijah Arroyo that both players managed to get a hand on but Emmanwori kept his balance while Arroyo fell.

But overall, this contest was not equal.  Not today.

The Offense Found a New Gear

While individual defenders like Witherspoon and Emmanwori had their moments, the offense won the day.  It was refreshing to see.  It felt like a dam had broken.  That all that work the staff had put in this offseason really started to pay off.  All those moments of coaches stopping drills and reps to re-teach the fundamentals finally hit that point where technique was instinctual and not thought out.

It started with Darnold.  Yes, he threw two interceptions.  It could be argued that neither were mistakes — just that the defenders made a better play.

He looked the most in-synch, confident and commanding that I have seen so far in camp.  He only had a couple of plays where he hesitated and was indecisive.  The rest was calm, crisp and found that Zen-like balance between taking shots and settling for what the defense gave him.

Dump offs, deep slants and out routes were all handled with precision.  Darnold attacked the middle of the field mercilessly.  All three Quarterbacks did actually but Darnold had the best handle on his game today.

There was never a Quarterback controversy this offseason.  But it should be said, Darnold put even more distance between himself and Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe today.

Why?

Two reasons.  First, the Seahawks dove deeper into the playback.  We were treated to some formations and nuances we had not seen yet in camp.  They ran some jet sweep type plays that required precision timing and flawless execution.  And Darnold and the offense handled them so well, even this great defense at times was struggling to locate the ball before the runner hit the edges.

Another example – they had Zach Charbonnet and Robbie Ouzts in a power formation with Ouzts lining up just to Darnold’s right to point the way for Charbonnet.  Darnold play actioned to Charbonnet to his right, quickly reversed course and found Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the flat to his left.

Another design they ran got Tyrice Knight isolated on Cooper Kupp and Kupp got behind him. Darnold dropped a pass in perfectly and Kupp ran for days.

At one point Smith-Njigba had gotten behind Riq Woolen and Darnold made a perfect throw.  From the angle I was watching at, I could see Darnold could not clearly track Smith-Njigba because Woolen was blocking his sightline.  And yet he dropped the ball right into the bucket, trusting his receiver to be there and he was.  It was poetry in motion.

The second reason is consistency.  After mixing and matching the Offensive Line all mad scientist-like in this camp, the top unit had the same five for almost the entire session today:  Josh Jones, Grey Zabel, Olu Oluwatimi, Anthony Bradford and Abe Lucas.

This was easily the line’s best day.  Darnold still had to make quick decisions but there was no ‘jailbreak’ on a majority of the reps like there has been in the past.  Boye Mafe had a relatively quiet session going against Lucas and even Jones impressed when asked to block Derick Hall among others.

On one rep, Darnold had time to let Barner get deeper into his seam route and hit him right in stride.  Just a dagger in the middle of that talented defense.  He was distributing the ball all over the field.  Kupp, Smith-Njigba and Arroyo all had routes and catches that were crisp and athletic.

Thus far in camp, we had seen glimpses and pieces of this offense.  In drills and light scrimmages without pads or any real physical play, you could only take small bits and piece them together to get an unfinished picture of what this offense truly looks like.  Because they kept the unit together and gave them time to work out a fuller playbook, we got a much better sense of how this offense is going to function in the regular season.

Rhythm, confidence and consistency are going to be key words in this offense all year.  When they have it, they will complement the defense splendidly.

There was one player who had not played much with the top unit who got some opportunities to do that today.  He made the most of it.

Tory Horton’s Big Day

Nobody boosted their stock more than Tory Horton today.  He worked with the top offense and the backup offense and showed off his skills.

Just look at this Paul Richardson-like catch over Josh Jobe in the corner of the end zone.

The angle of the video does not do it justice.  I hope the Seahawks have a couple more shots they provide.  Horton tracked the ball, kept Jobe away from his body and then elevated and reached behind Jobe an outstanding catch.  All while getting his feet in bounds.

It was a throw you know is dead before the ball even gets there.  You are already thinking ‘nice thought, Jobe defended it well and it’ll bounce off his back and let’s get set up for the next play.’  And then Horton goes and does that.

Earlier in practice, Drew Lock hit Horton for another touchdown on a deep slant route that was at least 35 yards.

Horton’s day mirrored the offense’s:  We’d seen hints and glimpses, but today is the day things took a big step forward.

In a tough battle for the #5 (and maybe #6) Wide Receiver spot, Horton made a claim today.

Other Notes

— Kenneth Walker was there but did not practice.  We do not know what the reason.

— Christian Haynes did not have any reps that I saw.  None.  He dressed, warmed up and did some drills and then stood on the sideline with his Guardian cap helmet on just about the whole day.  The beat reporters wrote that he had a rough day at center yesterday.

— Milroe is fascinating to watch.  He had a couple of really solid, NFL-starting-Quarterback-grade throws.  The very next rep he had an awful interception.  Horrible.  He was scanning the field and decided to dump the ball off.  But he jumped and threw, causing him to overthrow his target right into the arms of a defender.  It was a jaw-droppingly poor decision.  Later he hit Tyrone Broden with a gorgeous, arching beauty for a long touchdown.  Then he airmailed a ball on a deep slant with poor technique.  He then ended the practice day with a 50-yard bomb from flat feet in a busy pocket to Steven Sims in the end zone.

— When Milroe gets in space, or lets his talent take over on a deep throw, it is a sight to behold.  But standing in the pocket, throwing short passes with precision, keeping his feet under him and making good decisions – in other words, 75% of a Quarterback’s NFL workload – are still challenges.  So, while it is a blast to watch the pyrotechnic plays, he still has a lot of work in front of him to develop.

— Ernest Jones was back today which was great to see.  But still no Shaquille Griffin yet.

— Charles Cross was on the field with his hand wrapped up.

— It is fair to wonder if the team has turned a corner and made some decisions on the Offensive Line, what with Olu and Bradford getting the bulk of the reps today with the ones. Football Fest will reveal more to us.  I will be there and have a write up on it shortly afterwards.