Seahawks camp day 11: Don’t be shocked if Geno Smith watches Drew Lock play Thursday. Why?
Geno Smith’s pass was perfect.
The ball soared far ahead of where DK Metcalf was running at the time the quarterback threw it. Yet Metcalf easily sped to it. Cornerback Tre Brown stayed right with Metcalf, almost chest to chest. When they arrived at the descending ball along the sideline of the end zone, it arrived to where only the 6-foot-4 Metcalf could catch it.
After Metcalf pushed Brown away (probably illegally), Smith’s pass landed on Metcalf’s outstretched hands for the touchdown.
It was the prettiest play of the Seahawks’ 11th training-camp practice Tuesday.
It may be one of the last passes against a defense Smith throws this week.
Tuesday’s practice hinted at what the team is going to do Thursday night in Seattle’s first preseason game, against the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field.
For the first time in training camp, backup Drew Lock got plays as the quarterback for the starting offense.
That suggests Lock will start and Smith will watch Thursday night. Wednesday is a light practice typical of a day before a game, even an exhibition one.
Smith watched some of Tuesday’s scrimmaging of starters with his helmet off. When Lock threw a long ball emerging wide receiver Cody Thompson dived and caught just off the ground for about a 40-yard gain, Smith ran more than 40 yards and lowered his helmetless head toward Thompson’s helmeted one to celebrate the catch.
Last year at this time, Smith and Lock were competing for the job to replace traded Russell Wilson as Seattle’s starter. They each played and each threw 15 passes in the Seahawks’ 2022 preseason opener at Pittsburgh.
That won’t happen Thursday.
Smith is coming off winning that job, starting the first playoff game of his 10-year career, making his first Pro Bowl and setting four franchise records for passing in a season. He got a new $105 million contract this spring. He doesn’t need to play in any of the three preseason games this month.
“It’s just his own confidence. It’s the sense of where he is and what he’s doing and it’s very clear now,” coach Pete Carroll said. “When you think about it a year ago, there was one day to the next where you didn’t know what was going to happen.
“And this is just different.”
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If all goes according to Seahawks plans for Smith, Lock won’t get meaningful snaps with the starting offense again this season. He re-signed for one year and $4 million this offseason. These games against Minnesota, Dallas Aug. 19 and at Green Bay Aug. 26 are his chances to show his readiness to start, if need be once the games get real.
“Drew is battling,” Carroll said.
“He’s going to play a lot the next week. We think of his development just as crucial as Geno’s development, because he’s just a play away from being out there.
“And he’s handling it very well, even though the circumstances.”
Here comes Cody Thompson
Thompson continues to get time with the starting offense, particularly as Tyler Lockett works his way back into fuller participation. Lockett ran patterns and got passes from quarterbacks for the first time since last week. Carroll has said Lockett, 30, has been resting.
Don’t expect Lockett to play Thursday, either.
Thompson, whom Seattle initially signed in 2019, missed last season on injured reserve. He has four offensive snaps in his NFL career.
Rookie first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba already is winning the third wide receiver spot with Lockett and DK Metcalf.
Dee Eskridge missed practice Tuesday and suspended for the first six games of the season. Dareke Young remains out and may have a sports hernia, Carroll said last weekend.
All that makes Thompson the strong candidate to begin the season as the fourth wide receiver — and get a lot of time in the first half of the preseason opener Thursday.
More Smith-Njigba smooth
Smith-Njigba had another smooth practice to add to his silky spring and summer. He caught quick screen passes inside from the slot. He caught a pass over the middle while getting bumped down to the grass. He caught passes outside.
Seahawks Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen says Smith-Njigba is NFL-veteran quality already, a month before his first real game.
“He runs with crisp routes. He’s a smart player, and he gets in and out of cuts,” Woolen said. “It seems like you would watch him, and you would kind of think that he was a pro. He went to Ohio State University last year but he seems like he was on the Seahawks last year just with us.
“I like his approach to the game and I feel he’s just ready to show on the field.”
Defense updates
Woolen remained on the sideline watching the afternoon practices. The Seahawks brought him off the physically-unable-to-perform list Sunday so he can go through morning walk-through practices indoors, to get his feel back for the defense he hasn’t played in since Seattle’s playoff loss at San Francisco in January. He had arthroscopic knee surgery in May.
Tre Brown on the left and Michael Jackson on the right again were the starting cornerbacks, as they’ve been all camp.
Backup Jon Rhattigan has been getting reps with the starting defense as the middle linebacker and signal caller for a resting Bobby Wagner in scrimmages this week. That’s also the first time that’s happened this camp, suggesting Wagner will join Smith in watching Thursday’s preseason opener.
Top rookie pick Devon Witherspoon was out injured for the second consecutive practice. He was on the sidelines in sneakers and a team cap as Coby Bryant was the primary nickel defensive back and undrafted rookie Jonathan Sutherland from Penn State also got nickel snaps with the starting defense for the second straight day.
When the Seahawks went dime, Bryant and Sutherland were the fifth and sixth defensive backs — just as Bryant and Witherspoon had been until Witherspoon missed most of Monday’s practice with a wrap on his upper left leg.
Army invades
About 100 soldiers from the 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team within the 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord visited the Seahawks on military day at camp.
Immediately following the end of practice Carroll called the soldiers over from the sidelines where they’d been watching practice. The coach had the Army service members “break the team down,” lead a unison chant to end the Seahawks’ post-practice talk.
About 50 of the 100 soldiers in attendance Tuesday participated in a football skills competition on the practice field after the Seahawks’ drills ended. When one soldier launched a pass 65 yards in the QB competition, a unit mate yelled “Geno Smith needs you with him!”
Shaun Angell, the Seahawks’ director of corporate partnerships who helped arrange the soldiers’ visit through the military-affiliated USAA insurance company, said the Seahawks are sponsoring the 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team as their military unit of the year. Seattle’s rookie players, assistant coaches and staff will visit the unit’s headquarters on JBLM Sept. 26 for a command ceremony to commemorate the Seahawks’ designation.
Members of the unit will attend the Seahawks’ Salute to Service home game in November, close to Veterans’ Day.
Jody Allen at practice
For the first time this training camp, team owner Jody Allen attended Seahawks practice.
She stood on the sideline near the players, with team vice chair Bert Kolde. Carroll came over to talk to Allen. So did general manager John Schneider.
This story was originally published August 8, 2023 at 5:51 PM.
