We are now almost a full week into Seattle Seahawks 2023 training camp. The team just started practicing in pads on Monday so basically what we've seen so far are drills. We might learn more about certain players once tackling begins.
For instance, we think rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be awesome this year based on what he has done in training camp. But he hasn't yet been hit by a defensive back trying to earn a job. When that happens, will it change how good Smith-Njigba performs?
But even though the team only started putting on the pads recently, we have a good idea about some players. So who has stood out and who hasn't through the first week of training camp? Here are some winners and losers.
Winner No. 1 - Seattle Seahawks cornerback Michael Jackson
Beware, Devon Witherspoon. Your contract dispute for a couple of days only caused you to miss neede reps at cornerback. The starting outside corner job was not gifted upon you being drafted number five overall in the 2023 NFL draft. Mike Jackson is not going to take a backseat to anyone. He was good in 2022 opposite Tariq Woolen and his livelihood is on the line even more than yours by Seattle choosing you.
That said, Jackson has only received high praise from head coach Pete Carroll this offseason. According to Carroll, Jackson had the "best camp" of anyone during minicamp in June. To be clear, Carroll didn't say Jackson had one of the best, but the best camp. Carroll is normally a positive guy, of course, but he also usually measures his words a bit more.
By most accounts, Jackson hasn't suddenly started more poorly in training camp. If anything, he is even better than he was in minicamp. He also has a year of playing at a good level so he has the confidence that brings. Witherspoon's agent also hopefully knows his guy isn't just the answer to all the Seahawks' dreams. In fact, Mike Jackson might be that. He's not overly costly in terms of cap space and might end up being a starter.
Loser No. 1 - Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet
I guess I could extend the "loser" part of this to a greater post about the Seattle runing back room, but I have a player that follows that's a winner in training camp so far. Still, and through no fault of Charbonnet's, lots of 12s are going to want him to be great in 2023 simply because the Seahawks took him so high in the 2023 NFL draft. Charbonnet was taken in the second round when Seattle could have taken a nose guard or another position of higher need. After all, Seattle already had Kenneth Walker III to be RB1 this year.
But Charbonnet is now missing practices and missing valuable reps for a rookie with a banged-up shoulder. Pete Carroll could give no timeline on Charbonnet's return and didn't really go into detail on what the actual issue was with the running back's shoulder. Shoulders, like knees, could be long-term problems if the player isn't nearly fully recovered prior to returnng.
Seattle already feels a bit jinxed when it comes to running backs getting hurt. Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson were very productive when they were healthy but then were lost for far too many games because of being hurt. 12s might have a bit of PTSD in thinking Walker and Charbonnet, both of whom are already hurt in training camp, might be the new Penny and Carson.
Hopefully, Charbonnet will be fine well before Week 1, but since he's never played in the NFL< we can't be sure. But a 12 can still wish for the best.
Winner No. 2 - Seattle Seahawks Jaxon Smith-Njigba
OK, so I referenced Smith-Njigba back on page one of this article. The reason is that he looks like a complete freak of a receiver. While his 40 time wasn't Tyreke Hill-like before Seattle chose him in the draft, he somehow looks Jerry Rice-like in that he appears to be faster and quicker in pads than he is without them. Smith-Njigba is an extremely smooth route-runner and even when the hitting starts in camp and preseason, he will probably find a way of slithering through defensive backs.
The rave reviews about Smith-Njigba aren't just from silly people like me either. DK Metcalf said last week that the Ohio State product is "going to be special." This has been echoed by Tyler Lockett and Geno Smith and others. Smith-Njigba looks like a player who has been in the league for five years, not a rookie.
Smith-Njigba also doesn't appear held back by the hamstring injury that he struggled with in his last year in college. He only played in three games for Ohio State last year. But he runs now as if he has never been injured. As long as he remains healthy, he appears to be the kind of receiver that could be a WR1 or WR2 on most teams, so he could have an explosive season as an WR3 in Seattle this year.
But maybe that's what we should expect from a first-round pick and the first receiver taken in this offseason's draft. That said, Smith-Njigba already looks better than most expected and that is a very good thing.
Loser No. 2 - Seattle Seahawks Jamal Adams
Jamal Adams isn't a loser as a person or a teammate. He is well-respected by his fellow players and seems to be a good guy off the field. The problem is he is off the field far too much. Adams was injured in Week 1 of 2022, of course, but that was over 10 months ago and he still doesn't seem that close to returning. Pete Carroll has no timeline for his return.
And Adams is basically just an extra player at this point. Seattle will have Quandre Diggs at free safety and likely Julian Love to begin the season at strong safety. Seattle didn't sign Love to a two-year deal this offseason as a mistake. One could surmise that the team doesn't expect Adams to be back soon and even when he does return likely never expects him to be fully healthy for an extended time.
What happens if the Seahawks defense is playing much better than in recent years at the beginning of 2023 with Love starting at one of the safety spots? Love was good for the New York Giants last year so he's already proven he can be a better-than-average NFL safety. Would Seattle potentially mess up any established chemistry by replacing Love with Adams.
Or maybe Seattle tries to fit Adams in as a hybrid linebacker/safety in hopes he is a boon to its pass rush. We wouldn't know if that works until the regular season has already started. How comfortable would Seattle be experimenting during real games? The hope is that Adams comes back before Week 1, obviously, but that seems like a stretch.
Winner No. 3 - Seattle Seahawks running back Kenny McIntosh
So a running back that is healthy and is getting a bunch of reps is rookie Kenny McIntosh out of Georgia. The danger for the other running backs on the roster is that McIntosh isn't just a third-down back. He can run between the tackles but he can also catch the ball with ease. It could be that McIntosh is the latest seventh-round running back steal for the Seahawks just as Chris Carson was.
And Pete Carroll has noticed what McIntosh can do too. According to Michael-Shawn Dugar of the Athletic, Carroll said when asked about some of the highlights of camp so far, "Kenny Mac, he has probably been one of the highlights. When everybody was here he was one of the highlighted players. … He’s in great shape and he’s just razor sharp and he’s been explosive and innovative with his running and his cuts. Caught the ball well. He’s done really well."
This is exactly the kind of thing McIntosh did at Georgia and he was excellent. Why should the NFL be any different for him? Even if Chabonnet and Walker come back healthy soon, McIntosh should still get reps in real games.
Now we just have to hope no one else gets dinged up for Seattle. Once pads come on and hitting commences, more injuries will happen. But maybe Seattle will get lucky this season.