3 Seattle Seahawks with the most to prove in 2024 training camp

The Seattle Seahawks have obviously undergone a massive change this offseason. Pete Carroll is out and Mike Macdonald is in. Several players have left as well, such as Bobby Wagner.

This means literally everyone in the franchise has something to prove. Macdonald and his new coaching staff need to show they are ready to lead a team to success and the preparation for that clearly begins in training camp. The new inside linebackers must show they can stay healthy enough to play at all.

Three Seahawks might have more to prove than others, though. One is the quarterback which is always a spot of "What have you done for us lately?" The other two might be at risk of falling down the depth chart.

Three Seahawks with a lot to prove in 2024 training camp

Quarterback Geno Smith

Smith is going to be QB1 heading into the 2024 season. Maybe Sam Howell pushes him a bit in training camp but that is how every position should be every season. The backups want to play too, of course, and working hard to earn playing time should mean the presumed starters have to be better as well.

The question about Smith might be how much better he is in training camp than Howell. If money becomes a factor in keeping Smith and the competition is closer than anticipated, the Seahawks could release Smith next offseason, save $25 million, and make Howell the starter, at least temporarily. Smith needs to come into training camp, prove he has learned Grubb's new offense, and act as if Week 1 is next week.

Again, Smith is going to be the starter at the beginning of the season. He needs to be a lot better than Howell in training camp to stay that way for a long time. Otherwise, if the season begins to go south, Smith could be replaced if he has not separated himself from Howell in camp.

Wide receiver Tyler Lockett

It might be easy to go with Jaxon Smith-Njigba here instead of Lockett as JSN still needs to show he is worthy of being a WR2 in the NFL. Lockett has been a WR1 before, though that mantle belongs to DK Metcalf for Seattle now. Lockett, however, is very expensive and is coming off a down season (for him) in 2023.

Under the terms of his current contract, he is likely in his final season with the team. The Seahawks are already in a bit of trouble in cap room next year and releasing Lockett would save $17 million of his $30,895,000 2025 cap hit. That is far too high for a smaller receiver who will turn 33 years old early in the 2025 season.

Lockett will need to show in training camp that he is not a half-step slower. Otherwise, Seattle might decide a chunk of his targets are going to go to JSN. Plus, new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb might design a bunch of two-receiver sets that feature Metcalf and Smith-Njigba instead of Lockett.

Cornerback Riq Woolen

Woolen somehow is ranked at 91 among the NFL Network's best 100 players of 2024 because, after a very good season in 2022, he digressed in his second year. His QBR-allowed went up by 30 points, he had fewer interceptions, and he was cringe-worthy against the run last year. At least, he appears to have bulked up quite a bit this offseason in order to hold up stronger against the run.

Seattle chose two cornerbacks in the 2024 NFL draft, Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James. The team also has veteran cornerbacks Tre Brown, Mike Jackson, and Artie Burns. Second-year player Devon Witherspoon is not going anywhere. Woolen needs to have a great camp to fend off any challengers from the multitude of cornerbacks that Seattle has for his job.

Of course, he also needs to be good once the real games begin or he could drop on the depth chart. New head coach Mike Macdonald certainly isn't going to be patient and wait for Woolen to correct his form. He is going to go with the player who fits best in his system and tackles well and Woolen needs to prove that is him.

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