Seahawks news: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Olu Oluwatimi, Mike Holmgren, and Ben Burr-Kirven
By Lee Vowell
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Seahawks bring back Ben Burr-Kirven
Burr-Kirven, wearing number 48 instead of his old number of 55, was on the practice field for Seattle on Thursday. The team isn't yet going through any drills that require players to tackle on another, so Burr-Kirven was basically just going through the same conditioning drills that other players were. Two years ago, Burr-Kirven hurt his knee and due to surgeries to repair the problem, he hasn't played since.
Burr-Kirven is a glue guy, though. He's never going to be a Pro Bowler, most likely, but he would do anything asked of him to the best of his abilities. He was best on special teams and if he makes the 2023 roster, that is likely where he will end up. He can also provide depth at inside linebacker behind Bobby Wagner and Devin Bush.
Seahawks have center Olu Oluwatimi take all the first-team reps
OK, so Wednesday, the first day of training camp, was clearly a bit misleading. On that day, veteran Evan Brown, who Seattle signed as a free agent this offseason, took the first-team reps while fifth-round 2023 draft pick Olu Oluwatimi watched. One could have surmised, incorrectly as it turns out, that the Seahawks were going to move forward with Brown as the starter at center to begin training camp and the preseason.
But now we don't really know who will start at center still, and likely neither do the Seahawks. Both Brown and Oluwatimi have the strength to play, but Oluwatimi might be the better fit long-term as he was fantastic in college and has some athleticism as well as intelligence. The only question about him being the starter is how quickly he picks up the offensive line readjustments.