The Seattle Seahawks had the day off from training camp yesterday, but things will definitely begin to ramp up on Thursday. The team is now practicing in pads and has a mock game at Lumen Field on Friday. Next week will be Seattle's first preseason game of 2023.
Basically, while the team is just now in pads, we have learned a lot about what Seattle might be thinking heading into the regular season. Some players are standing out as expected, while some others appear even better than thought. And there are several starting spots still up for grabs.
Seattle is dealing with running back injuries already, though. That's been a jinxed position group in recent seasons and 2023 seems no different. But here are some observations from training camp one week before preseason game 1 against the Minnesota Vikings on August 10th.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the real deal
There could have been doubts about Smith-Njigba even after Seattle chose him number 20 overall in the 2023 NFL draft. He didn't play much at all in his final season in college due to a hamstring injury and teams might have been scared off that he might be a constant injury risk. But Seattle chose him because he can help the team now, but he likely will also be the replacement for Tyler Lockett one day soon, too.
Thankfully, Smith-Njigba has not just looked like a solid pick from what he has done in training camp, he appears to be one of the better players on the team. He glides smoothly in the secondary, he makes nearly every possible catch look easy, and he seems even faster and slightly bigger than thought. He doesn't look like a WR3, though. He seems much more like a WR2, at least.
If Smith-Njigba translates his training camp production (and that from his 2021 season at Ohio State) into the real games of 2023, he is going to transform the offense and allow DK Metcalf to likely have a huge season. Seattle's 2022 offense was good, but with Smith-Njigba the unit should be among the ten best in the league this season.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is throwing a lot of interceptions
Last preseason, Geno Smith was partly given the starting quarterback job because the Seahawks coaching staff could trust him to know the offense but also not turn the ball over a lot. In 2022 training camp, Smith proved he knew where to go with the ball and what the play-calls were so he would be under control of the offense. But he also didn't force too many passes in camp.
This training camp has been very different. Maybe Smith knows there is no quarterback battle happening and feels free to take a lot more chances in this training camp. Or maybe Seattle's secondary is just much better than it has been. Let's hope that last bit is the case for many reasons as it would mean Smith is stretching his arm and testing the offense and the secondary will be a beast for opponents in 2023.
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 2, 2023
The concern, though, is that Smith was fantastic in the first half of last year but in the second half, including the playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers, Smith 8 interceptions in his final eight games. Not horrible, but Smith threw only 4 picks in the first 10 games of last year. Was he regressing more to how he would normally play or was he having to force things more late in the season due to having an injured running back room and a poor defense?
Whatever the reason, Smith's training camp trend of throwing interceptions needs to slow by quite a bit. Seattle's offense still has a few growing pains to work through, like the gelling of the offensive line and Smith-Njigba getting acclimated. If Smith turns the ball over too much, he will slow the growth of the offense.
Seahawks are trying very hard to find the right DB mix
In fact, I should change the heading to not "trying very hard" but instead being extremely meticulous. And while every team should be very picky about who they start, the Seahawks have another issue and it's a good problem to have. Seattle simply appears to have almost too much talent in its secondary right now and not enough places to play all their good players.
In fact, Coby Bryant, who played nickel in 2022, has recently gotten workouts at safety. Bryant is capable of playing strong safety, at least, but he is also being pushed out of his job a bit because fifth-overall pick in the 2023 draft Devon Witherspoon has been getting a bunch of reps in the slot because he's being pushed out of a presumed starting outside corner spot by Michael Jackson.
But if Bryant gets reps at safety, where do Julian Love and Quandre Diggs go? We can assume the Seahawks have two definite starters in the secondary: Diggs at free safety and Tariq Woolen at one outside corner spot. We might be able to assume that Witherspoon is going to start somewhere, but where? And I'm not even mentioning Jamal Adams who would start if he was healthy, but who knows when he might be?
If I had to guess right now (and trust me, I will likely be wrong), I would say the starters are Woolen and Jackson on the outside, Witherspoon in the slot, while Diggs and Love play on the back end. But no matter how it works out, the Seahawks should have a capable starter with a lot of good depth.
Seahawks are missing RBs but that's allowed others to shine
About those injured Seahawks running backs. Currently RB1 (Kenneth Walker III) and presumed RB2 (Zach Charbonnet) aren't practicing and there's no real timetable for their return. Maybe if there were real games in the next week or two, Walker could play? But that's just a guess. Charbonnet is dealing with a shoulder problem and could be out for some time.
The frustrating part for 12s (and the Seattle organization) is that Seahawks running backs have a history of getting hurt in the season for several consecutive years now. Dealing with the top two running backs being injured and missing valuable reps in training camp is something new and somehow worse. Their injuries don't bode well for having a healthy running back group for most of the season.
The positive out of this bit of mess, though, is that Walker and Charbonnet being out has allowed Seattle to take a long look at seventh-round 2023 pick, Kenny McIntosh. McIntosh was a three-down back in college at Georgia and a good one. He knows how to block in pass protection well and having played in the SEC faced a lot of future NFL players over his years. He's as ready as a rookie running back could be. McIntosh has been a standout in training camp so far.
DeeJay Dallas is also a solid backup and likely would be the starter in Week 1 if Walker and Charbonnet are still out. The hope is that Walker and Charbonnet are both back before the start of the season, at least Walker. Even if they are, the Seahawks have learned they've got some excellent depth at running back.