Seahawks’ Geno Smith remains out, pending test. Signs are QB may return this coming week
Geno Smith is not back. He still needs tests.
But he’s coming back soon.
That was the word from Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald Saturday after his Pro Bowl quarterback missed his fourth consecutive practice because of knee and hip injuries.
“I think he’s good,” Macdonald said after Sam Howell ran the starting offense in the team’s annual fan fest practice at its game stadium, Lumen Field, a spice-up day of training camp. “We’re still going through that process. But it looks optimistic.”
Asked if Smith will be returning to the practice field in the coming days, Macdonald said: “I think there’s a good chance we will see him (this coming) week.”
The coach said he believed Smith, 33, was scheduled for another test of his leg Saturday.
Imaging tests Thursday showed no major damage. A league source told The News Tribune Friday the Seahawks do not believe Smith will be out a significant amount of time.
The Seahawks have a players’ day off Sunday. So Smith will have at least five days off, or more, since a defensive teammate accidentally contacted him at the end of a play in a scrimmage Tuesday and caused him to fall to the ground .
Seattle plays its first preseason game next Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Los Angeles Chargers. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is continuing to install his new system daily.
The last four days, its been with Howell and P.J. Walker, not Smith.
Why Seahawks traded for Sam Howell
Howell had a similar day Saturday to his previous three practices running the starting offense.
The Washington Commanders’ starter last season, who led the NFL in passes attempted (612) and interceptions (21) while going 4-13, looked sharp for stretches. And he again had spates of ineffectiveness.
In scrimmaging, Howell looked best in a 2-minute drill. He completed consecutive darts over the middle, the second deeper than the first, to fifth-year wide receiver Cody White to get the offense past midfield. Howell nearly had a third completion to White, a big gain into the red zone, on that drive but the throw to the right sideline went just wide off the diving, twisting White’s hands.
Howell looked worst on a three-and-out drive earlier in the scrimmage. He threw a pass into the arm of a defensive lineman on first down. Then he lawn-darted a short throw outside intended for DK Metcalf into the Lumen Field turf. The ball skidded ahead then past Metcalf’s feet. On third down, Howell’s throw over the middle intended for Metcalf got tipped at the line by defensive lineman Leonard Williams and fell incomplete in the middle of the field.
In assessing Howell’s practices replacing Smith as QB1, Macdonald revealed why the Seahawks traded for him. It has to do with Howell’s fortitude as much as his throwing.
“We’ve gone against Sam before,” Macdonald, the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator until January, said. “And you feel the competitor with Sam. I think that’s a big reason why he’s here.
“The best of Sam, I believe, is not going to show in a setting like this because, you can’t touch him now. But this guy’s been through it, and has come out of it unscathed.
“And I just have a lot of respect for him.”
Testy practice, tempers flaring
Smith missed one of the testiest fan-fest practices at Lumen Field during a Seahawks training camp in memory.
The chippiness began early. Offensive tackle Stone Forsythe kept driving outside linebacker Derick Hall past the end of a one-on-one pass-rush rep. Hall responded by pushing Forsythe in the back. Then all the offensive and defensive linemen converged on them before coaches quelled the uprising.
There was more pushing and shoving during 11-on-11 scrimmaging.
Then wide receiver Dee Eskridge caught a pass and ran into Marquise Blair. The safety trying to revive his career in his second Seahawks go-round following injuries picked up the smaller Eskridge and slammed him into the turf. The crowd of a few thousands fans roared. Safety Coby Bryant came running in from nearby and began swinging. Starting defensive players ran off the sideline. Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon put his helmet back on as he ran into the fray.
Coaches and the NFL game officials visiting camp broke up that fracas.
Macdonald is trying to instill toughness and directness in his new team. He didn’t exactly condemn the chippiness Saturday.
He was asked if he appreciated teammates coming to defend each other on the field.
“Yes,” Macdonald said, chuckling, “within reason. I think today is an opportunity to say, hey, you know, we want to push the envelope we want to, like you said, we want to be on the line. But we also want to be smart within the situation as well. We want to take care of one another.
“There’s a balance. We’re trying to sharpen each other. However, you know, they are teammates at the end of the day.
“But things are gonna happen.”
DK Metcalf vs Devon Witherspoon
The highlight of each practice this training camp has been Metcalf going one on one against the team’s top cornerbacks.
Saturday, Witherspoon and Metcalf brought their daily show to Lumen Field for the fans.
During a one-on-one drill, before scrimmaging, Metcalf put a double move on Witherspoon and turned him around on an inside route. Witherspoon lost his balance and fell trying to change direction with the 6-foot-4, 238-pound Metcalf. Metcalf caught Howell’s pass uncontested, then sprinted right to left away from Witherspoon and ran 40 or so yards for a touchdown. When he crossed the goal line, he tapped Witherspoon on the helmet in mutual appreciation.
In 11-on-11, 2022 Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen reached over and across Metcalf as Howell’s pass arrived for a deft pass break up.
During a 2-minute drill, Metcalf tried to turn around Witherspoon again. This time Witherspoon spun with him and stayed on Metcalf’s back hip as Howell’s throw to the back right of the end zone arrived. The pass went beyond Metcalf’s reach, incomplete. Witherspoon triumphantly joined the side judge in signaling the incompletion, waving his arms horizontally.
More Bobo
Another day, another brilliant catch by fan favorite Jake Bobo.
The undrafted rookie star of last year’s Seahawks training camp dived and caught with the edge of his fingers a catch in the end zone from Walker. Rookie cornerback D.J. James looked surprised Bobo snared it for the touchdown.
Macdonald wasn’t.
“Yeah, I don’t see him drop footballs,” Macdonald said. “It seems like he comes down with a bunch of them.”
The coach said Bobo’s work on special teams is as important to the team as at wide receiver.
Rookie Tyrice Knight’s chance
Jerome Baker missed practice for the second consecutive day.
That meant rookie fourth-round draft choice Tyrice Knight was again the starting weakside inside linebacker next to signal caller Tyrel Dodson.
Macdonald indicated it may stay that way for a bit. He said Baker, who missed offseason practice in the spring following wrist surgery, “has a little bit of a hammy right now. So we are working through that. I’m not sure how long it’s going to be.”
Inside Mike Macdonald
More proof of how exacting, direct and detail-minded the 37-year-old Macdonald is:
The NFL’s youngest head coach called the defense’s plays through his headset to Dodson during scrimmaging. He was standing on the defense’s sideline—but 25 yards from the players, even with the offensive huddle to its far left.
A pass went to the opposite side of the field. James, the rookie sixth-round pick, scooped up a fumble and ran into the end zone for a defensive touchdown.
Instead of lauding and celebrating that, Macdonald was peeved at a blown coverage he had noticed that had allowed a curl route on the opposite side of the play, the side where he was standing, to be wide open. As the defense celebrated the score, Macdonald pointed to the middle of the field where the left-alone receiver had been.
He confronts issues. In the moment, not later.
“We are going to go through things,” Macdonald said after practice, “not around them.”
This story was originally published August 3, 2024 at 4:13 PM.
