The Seattle Seahawks hold their only mock game of 2023 training camp on Friday. This leads to Seattle's first preseason game next week on Thursday versus the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field. Basically, training camp and the preseason feel like they are flying past which means Week 1 will soon be upon us!
The team is still trying to figure out certain starting spots, of course. But there are also position groups that appear to have so much talent (i.e. the secondary) that having too much talent is obviously a good problem to have. High-quality depth is a great thing, obviously.
But while we know that Geno Smith will be the quarterback and he will be throwing to starters DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, plus linebacker Bobby Wagner is back, Seahawks training camp has brought some surprises. Here are three of them that could play a part in Friday's mock game.
Seahawks have Jarran Reed playing nose tackle
I could be very wrong on this, but the idea of Reed playing in the middle of the defensive line seems like a fantastic idea. It also seems like this was the idea Seattle had all along in bringing Reed back after he played with other teams in the last two seasons. Reed might weigh "only" 315 pounds (this is relatively light for an NFL nose guard), but he has the experience and football IQ to know how to use the size he has to be disruptive.
Reed also seems open to whatever the Seahawks want him to do. According to the Seattle Times, Reed said, "Whatever they need me to play I’m going to play it. At the end of the day it’s football and I love playing. I can play the nose, three, end. Wherever they need me to play I’m going to play to the best of my ability."
There could have been a concern that Reed expected to come back to Seattle and start on one side of the nose while fellow 2023 free agent acquisition Dre'Mont Jones started on the other side. But Reed appears just happy to still have a chance to play in the league and happy to be back in Seattle. A problem that we assumed Seattle had this offseason - nose tackle - isn't a problem at all, most likely. Fans will likely see Reed at nose guard in the mock game as well.
Seahawks Mike Jackson isn't the only cornerback standing out in training camp
We've written on this site and lots of other sites have written about just how great cornerback Michael Jackson has looked for the entire offseason and this training camp. Jackson was surprisingly good in 2022 when he started 17 games at outside corner opposite Rig Woolen. While the Seahawks defense gets a bad rap, as it mostly should, for the unit's performance last year, the pass coverage wasn't horrible.
Seattle was 13th in the NFL last season in quarterback rating allowed at 87.3. The Seahawks were also 12th in interceptions with 14, and eighth in passes defended with 81. Jackson and his mates in the secondary were not the reason that Seattle's defense was underwhelming overall last season.
But while Jackson has been good all offseason, fellow cornerback Tre Brown has also been terrific. And this is the case ever since Seattle started practicing with pads this week as well. In Brown's rookie year of 2021, he was excellent in limited time. He started three games, played in five, and had a quarterback rating allowed of just 63.3. He appeared to potentially become a long-term starter at outside corner but then he hurt his knee midway through the year and wasn't quite the same even last year.
In a practice just a couple of days ago, Brown followed Tyler Lockett downfield in one-on-one coverage and patted a well-thrown pass away, then in seven-on-seven drills a pass was thrown high to DK Metcalf who tried to catch the ball at its highest point but Brown was able to knock it down even though Brown is six inches shorter than Metcalf. Brown will likely start in the mock game as well, so another good performance gets him one step closer to cementing a roster spot.
Julian Love looks like he could easily replace Jamal Adams long-term
This is meant as no offense to the oft-injured Jamal Adams who gets paid a bunch of money but has never acted entitled in any way. Adams works hard to try to get back from his injuries and plays all-out when he finally does make it back on the field before he inevitably gets hurt again. I hope Adams never gets hurt again and I hope he plays lots of games to come for Seattle because he can make a huge impact. But that's all hope.
Julian Love, however, was very good for the New York Giants at strong safety last year. He proved to be a very tackler - he has missed just 4.5 percent of his tackle attempts in the past two seasons combined - and, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Love had a good grade of 71.5 in pass coverage and 69.8 in pass rush. He also doesn't mind stick his nose in the scrum to try to bring a running back down either.
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 2, 2023
In training camp so far, Love has intercepted Geno Smith twice. On Tuesday, he was tested deep by Smith in an attempt to hit receiver Dee Eskridge in the end zone. Love put himself in excellent position and used his physicality to take the pass away. Another great thing about Love is that while he is a solid player, he also isn't afraid to show his emotions and good defensive backs do that more times than not. Basically, he puts a bit more boom in the defense.
Love was a starter for the Giants last year and at this point, he is going to start for the Seahawks in 2023. And even if Jamal Adams were practicing in training camp, Love might be battling him for a starting spot. Adams might beat him out if Adams were healthy, but he's not and Love is. Love could be the long-term starting safety opposite Quandre Diggs for Seattle.