Seahawks camp day 4: Grey Zabel responds; Elijah Arroyo rises; Charles Cross’ contract situation
This is why the Seahawks made Grey Zabel their highest-draft interior offensive linemen since Hall of Famer Steve Hutchinson 24 years ago.
Friday, veteran Jarran Reed schooled the first-round draft choice with a pass-rush move. It left the rookie on the ground and Reed free to the quarterback.
But Saturday in the fourth practice of training camp, in the same one-on-one drill, Zabel looked every bit of the 18th pick in this year’s draft. Seattle’s new starting left guard stonewalled charging, 334-pound nose tackle Brandon Pili on his first rep. Then Zabel and left tackle Charles Cross used their lateral quickness and coordination in a combination stop of Leonard Williams and Derick Hall, two of the Seahawks’ top pass rushers, on their crossing stunt.
Then Pili got a rematch with Zabel. Zabel stopped him again. This time the rookie kept his hands and feet in front of Pili through the nose tackle’s entire spin move to nowhere.
Williams, the 31-year-old Pro Bowl defensive end, got his revenge on Zabel with his speed in another rep. Williams raced around the rookie from North Dakota State outside him because he beat him off the ball at the snap.
Zabel wasn’t the only starting blocker Williams beat. Williams put a quick, smooth swim move with his inside arm over Cross to easily get him past the left tackle for a would-have-been sack.
Zabel again was the starting left guard throughout 11-on-11 scrimmaging. He’s been that since the first day of his first NFL minicamp in May.
Starting O-line
The starting offensive line to begin practice Saturday was Cross and Zabel again on the left side. The center was Olu Oluwatimi early, then Jalen Sundell. The right guard initially was Christian Haynes. Then Anthony Bradford got his most work of the week with the first team at guard. The right tackle again was Abe Lucas. Coach Mike Macdonald said the coaches will continue to mix and match line combinations, centers and right guard into next week, at least. The Seahawks are scheduled to practice in full pads Monday for the first time in camp.
Macdonald had said last month he wanted to settle on five starters for the remade offensive line “sooner than later.” This week, he sounded less urgent.
“I think you got to just trust the process,” Macdonald said. “I think you start putting a timeline on it, you might be forced to make a decision that’s probably maybe premature. Or maybe you are waiting too long, maybe it declares itself before.
“I mean, you definitely have to get into next week (when the pads come on). Might have to get into preseason games, to see it live and in color.”
Seattle’s first preseason game is Aug. 7 at home against Pete Carroll’s Las Vegas Raiders. The second one is the following week, also at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. The third and final preseason game is at Green Bay Aug. 23.
Coaches are likely to settle the starters by that third preseason game but not play them in Green Bay. The starters will be full go against the Packers two days earlier, in a joint practice next to Lambeau Field in Green Bay Aug. 21.
Elijah Arroyo steps up
In his first NFL practices, the organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamps of May and June, second-round pick Elijah Arroyo dropped passes. That’s not what he was known for at the University of Miami.
Through the first four practices of his first Seahawks training camp, the rookie tight end has caught just about everything from everyone.
Saturday, six days after they released recent No.-1 tight end Noah Fant to save $8.9 million against the salary cap, Arroyo showed off his quickness and route-running in red-zone drills. Tight ends coach Mack Brown yelled his appreciation for the footwork Arroyo had getting out of his breaks to the sideline of routes into the end zone. The 6-foot-5, 254-pound rookie leaped to catch multiple passes from starting quarterback Sam Darnold for touchdowns.
He did the same on throws from backups Drew Lock and rookie third-round pick Jalen Milroe Saturday.
New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is moving Arroyo all over formations with the starting offense: as a traditional, in-line tight end, as a slot receiver between the end of the line and outside receivers, and at times outside wide as an “X” receiver.
Arroyo’s biggest challenge is improving his blocking to fit Kubiak’s intent to run the ball this season “first and foremost,” to use the phrase Darnold keeps using.
“We drafted Elijah because we thought he was going to be a great football player and a great tight end, and didn’t really have an impact of, like, what the team needed at that point,” Macdonald said. “This guy’s just a heck of a player.
“It’s his route tree. Being able to split out. Also playing in-line, which he’s working on. He’s got a lot of room to grow.
“And we’re gonna put a lot of pressure on him. We expect a lot out of him. So he’s got a great opportunity in front of him.”
Quarterbacks’ day
Darnold was sharp on Saturday throwing the ball. He was the victim of his receivers dropping passes, particularly over the middle. Jaxon Smith-Njigba dropped one there early in scrimmaging. Then Jake Bobo did the same thing.
Lock had perhaps his best day of the week. The former Denver Broncos starter Seattle brought back this spring on a two-year contract to back up Darnold rolled to his left then threw back right over the middle to Arroyo for a completion between two defenders. Lock’s arm strength is what got that dart through that traffic.
Lock’s next completion was again to Arroyo, this time on a sharp out route that beat cornerback Tyler Hall. Hall yelled and slapped his hands in frustration of the rookie tight end beating him outside like a wide receiver. Lock had a touchdown pass in an 11-on-11 scrimmage to Cody White, with White beating zone coverage across the middle and racing past everyone to the end zone.
White, signed as a free agent from Pittsburgh in the summer of 2023, continues to produce almost every time he gets an opportunity.
Lock also threw a touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Tory Horton. The fifth-round pick who missed the final months of his final college season at Colorado State last fall leaped to make a fine catch on that one, as he has often this first week of camp.
Milroe continues to throw more accurately seemingly with each practice. He’s remained running the third-team offense.
Charles Cross’ contract
The Seahawks picked up the fifth-year option on Cross’ contract for 2026 at $17.56 million guaranteed. But they are considering a longer-term deal past next year, with a better cap charge for 2026 than that $17.56 million.
Seattle’s first-round pick from 2022 said Saturday he wants to stay a Seahawk.
“I want to be in Seattle for the end of my career,” Cross said.
“Hopefully, we can get something done and it will go that way.”
Extra points
*Reed and veteran defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence got veteran rest days. They have a combined 20 seasons of NFL experience. *Once again, Sundell also got some time at guard, and Haynes some at center in scrimmaging.
*Now that coaches have moved Brady Russell back to tight end, rookie Robbie Ouzts is playing fullback for the first- and the third-team offenses. Russell at times gets back to the fullback spot he got moved to this spring, with the second offense.
*The players have a day off, mandated as once per week by the NFL collective bargaining agreement, on Sunday. The first practice in full pads is scheduled to be Monday.
This story was originally published July 26, 2025 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Seahawks camp day 4: Grey Zabel responds; Elijah Arroyo rises; Charles Cross’ contract situation."
