Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks (Photo by JC Winker, via Flickr)
The Seattle Seahawks have a rebuilt roster heading into the 2022 season. There are some questions that need answers before the season kicks off. NFL training camps are in full swing around the NFL, and the preseason is right around the corner. We’ll break down which Seahawks camp battles fans will want to keep their eyes on.
Seattle’s running backs, safeties, and top two receivers are among the best in the league. The offensive line could surprise some people too. Unfortunately, several positions, right tackle, cornerback, and the rest of receiving room, are in doubt.
Not to mention the Seahawks’ quarterback situation is the worst in the league, and they may end up looking elsewhere for a quarterback. The Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons are ecstatic they’re not Seattle right now.
With that said, let’s see who are the favorites to win out in training camp.
After appearing to improve their pass blocking in 2020, the Seattle Seahawks offensive line fell back to below-average in 2021. However, their run blocking was excellent. Per Pro-Football-Reference, the Seahawks were fifth in the league in yards before contact.
Seattle looks to be rolling with the same guards as last season, Damien Lewis and Gabe Jackson, plus free agent center Austin Blythe on the interior. This year’s first round pick, Charles Cross, will man left tackle, while right tackle is up for grabs. The battle appears to be between rookie Abraham Lucas and last year’s backup tackles, Jake Curhan and Stone Forsythe.
Lucas is a physically talented tackle who excelled in run blocking during college but at times struggled in pass protection. Curhan, an undrafted free agent, started five games last season but gave up four sacks during that time. As for Forsythe, he rarely saw the field in 2021, but Pete Carroll seems to be high on his versatility.
Whoever wins out must show improvement as a pass blocker as Seattle’s quarterback options struggle under pressure.
The battle nobody wanted or asked for – a clash of disappointments. Drew Lock is in the red corner, Geno Smith in the blue corner. They’re standing across the ring, pointing at each other like the Spider-Man meme.
Both quarterbacks boasted big arms and above-average athleticism coming out of college. In the NFL, they’ve teased fans with incredible games and jaw-dropping plays. The problem is that in between those ‘wow’ moments, they make far too many boneheaded plays that take their teams out of the game. Neither QB has completed over 60% of their career passe, and their respective quarterback ratings sit below 80.
In 2021, Geno Smith looked like the better quarterback by far. He completed nearly 70% of his passes with five touchdowns, one interception, and a 103 quarterback rating. D.K. Metcalf arguably had his best stretch of games with Geno under center.
Lock, meanwhile, was the definition of average. Two touchdowns, two interceptions, a quarterback rating of 80.4, and only completed 60.4% of his passes. Frankly, Denver asked him to do too much. So far, he’s thrown 40-plus passes in a game seven times. During those games, he averaged a 67.4 quarterback rating.
The argument to make Lock the Seahawks starter is that with Seattle’s elite rushing game, he doesn’t have to do as much, which might be precisely what he needs. He may excel in a more minor role
Smith is the favorite to win the training camp battle, and rightfully so. He looked better last season and is already familiar with the Seahawks offense.
Losing D.J. Reed in free agency signified that Seattle was looking to rebuild almost as much as the Russell Wilson trade and releasing Bobby Wagner. While there will be a pronounced dropoff at linebacker and quarterback, Pete Carroll’s presence ensures that won’t be an issue at corner.
The Sidney Jones reclamation project was successful last season, and he’ll likely be one of the two starters. Everywhere else is up for grabs, and Seattle has a plethora of options. Free agent acquisition Artie Burns played well for the Chicago Bears last season, but that doesn’t guarantee him a starting spot.
Burns will compete with rookies Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen. Tre Brown also looked good at times but was inconsistent during his rookie season.
Bryant excelled in an impressive Cincinnati Bearcats defense. He and Ahmad Gardner led a unit that was 2nd in pass yards against (behind only the Washington Huskies) and 4th in points against. Sauce Gardner stole the headlines, but Bryant showed off his impressive ball-hawking ability – stealing nine interceptions and breaking up 35 passes in college.
Woolen has 12s wondering if he’s the next Richard Sherman. A former wide receiver, Woolen stands at 6’4″, and is an incredible athlete, boasting a 4.26 40-yard dash. With only two years of experience at corner, he is a raw prospect. But if anyone can get the most out of him, it’s Carroll.
Justin Coleman, Marquise Blair, and Ugo Amadi have the most experience playing in the slot, but none of them have an inside edge on the job. There is a chance that Seattle experiments playing Jones, Burns, Bryant, or Brown on the inside to see if any of them have the fast twitch required to play the slot.
D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett give the Seattle Seahawks one of the top receiving duos in the league, but it gets thin after that. Freddie Swain was the number three receiver last season and has good athleticism, but most of his production came from defenses forgetting he exists.
Seattle’s 2021 2nd-round pick, Dee Eskridge, missed a large portion of the early season with a concussion, but even after returning in Week 9, he failed to impress.
Seventh round pick Bo Melton is better than his college numbers show. In four years at Rutgers, he played with seven different starting quarterbacks so finding a rythem was challenging. Melton has blazing speed and even if he doesn’t play much receiver this year he will contribute on special teams.
Marquise Goodwin looked okay with Chicago last season and might be able to carve out a career as a safety blanket.
The Seahawks’ other 2022 seventh rounder, Dareke Young, is an impressive physical specimen, but there are questions as to whether or not he’s too raw to make an NFL roster at this time.
Penny Hart is also in the mix.
The Seattle Seahawks’ training battles at receiver will be interesting to watch because if either of the top two guys goes down, they’ll be in trouble. Expect to see a number of two tight-end sets from Seattle now that they have Noah Fant and Will Dissly. This will limit how often they have to play their third receiver.
What position battles are you looking forward to during Seattle Seahawks training camp? Let us know in the comments section below.