5 Observations From Seahawks 15th Training Camp Practice
Ramping up preparation for their second preseason contest against the Broncos this weekend, the Seahawks returned to the practice field for their final open training camp session on Wednesday.
What went down at the VMAC? Here are five quick observations from Seattle's 15th practice session:
1. Defense wins the day during 11-on-11 red zone drills.
Per usual, Seattle held multiple team scrimmage sessions working on situational football. But in this practice, the red zone period proved to be an intensely competitive one with a number of noteworthy plays.
Early in the drill, Russell Wilson dropped back to pass on a three-step drop and lofted a ball towards the end zone for DK Metcalf, who had Tre Flowers all over him. Reaching up with his big paw, the All-Pro receiver made a spectacular one-handed catch along the sideline, but he wasn't able to get his feet down for the score. On the next play, Wilson thought he had Freddie Swain open on a crossing pattern to move the chains, but a 6-foot-6 obstacle by the name of Carlos Dunlap unexpectedly dropped back into coverage and popped the receiver at the catch point causing an incompletion.
Ultimately, the defense gained the upper hand, not giving up a single score during the duration of the period. As Wilson may have alluded to after practice, the Seahawks have "a couple things to tune up" offensively and red zone execution may be at the top of the list.
2. Seattle possesses one of the NFL's purist Swiss army knives in Nick Bellore.
Though he has been a fullback and special teams ace in two seasons in Seattle, many fans often forget Bellore previously played linebacker in the NFL. In fact, he was a starter at outside linebacker for the 49ers back in 2016, racking up 83 tackles and four tackles for loss. He made the transition to offense with the Lions the following season, but as he has shown on the practice field this month, he's still got it on defense and gives the Seahawks a unique insurance option when needed.
"He's good, he's smart too," teammate Cody Barton said of Bellore. "It's fun having him in the room as well. He makes plays."
With rookie Jon Rhattigan still sidelined and Cody Barton missing practices last week, Seattle has been short-handed at the position for most of training camp. Normally wearing a blue jersey, Bellore flipped sides with a white jersey and has been seeing a handful of snaps at linebacker, snuffing out several plays in the process. Due to his knowledge of Seattle's offense, Wilson indicated after Tuesday's practice that they have had to come up with "fake calls" when he checks into the lineup defensively.
3. With multiple receivers out, Darece Roberson enjoyed a breakout practice.
While Wilson still had Metcalf to throw to, Tyler Lockett remained out with a groin injury, rookie D'Wayne Eskridge is still working his way back after being activated from the PUP list on Tuesday, and Penny Hart missed another practice with an ankle sprain, leaving the Seahawks a bit light at receiver.
Taking advantage of additional reps, Roberson stood out as a surprising standout on Wednesday, starting in 1-on-1 drills. Lined up against cornerback Will Sunderland, he took an outside release and turned on the jets to gain several steps of separation on a vertical fade. As he's done so many times in his career, Wilson launched a perfect spiral that dropped right into the speedy receiver's hands in stride for a long touchdown.
Then during team drills, while seeing action working with the second team offense, Roberson made another electric play on a pivot route, slipping away from Gavin Heslop and Tre Brown for big yardage after the catch. In the mix as a return specialist, the former Wayne State star may have earned himself more playing time in Saturday's preseason tilt against the Broncos.
4. A mountain in the middle, Al Woods keeps impressing in his third stint as a Seahawk.
Even before Seattle officially released Jarran Reed in April, Seattle already had agreed to terms with Woods to bring back the massive 330-pound defender as a replacement in the trenches. After not playing last year as a COVID-19 opt-out, the 34-year old has proven he has plenty of tread left on his tires in camp and looks poised to return to a starting role alongside Poona Ford.
During 1-on-1 lineman drills on Wednesday, Woods went up against Kyle Fuller, who remains in a competition with Ethan Pocic for the starting center job. Exhibiting outstanding power at the point of attack - you can call it old man strength or country strength - the veteran defender emulated a forklift, nearly picking up Fuller with a patented Reggie White-esque hump move and tossing him several yards into the backfield on one of the most lopsided reps you'll ever see.
As he has done all month long, Woods made an impact during team drills, registering a tackle for loss and blowing up another run play to allow Rasheem Green to stuff DeeJay Dallas in the backfield. Though it remains unclear who actually deflected the football, he and Ford also were involved in batting down a pass from Wilson, firing up the entire defense on the sidelines.
5. Aashari Crosswell continues to make plays from the free safety spot.
Throughout camp, Crosswell has evolved from an undrafted unknown into an intriguing 53-man roster candidate. Two weeks ago, he picked off Wilson and Geno Smith in the same practice, earning himself high praise from coach Pete Carroll, and he kept making big plays on Wednesday.
Benefiting from Marquise Blair's absence with a sore knee cap, Crosswell rotated in at free safety behind starter Quandre Diggs during team sessions and took advantage of extended reps. In the second 11-on-11 period, the ex-Arizona State standout high-pointed the football in coverage and swatted away a deep ball intended for Cody Thompson. On the very next play, he showed off his versatility playing near the line of scrimmage and snuffed out a jet sweep, teaming up with cornerback Gavin Heslop to stop the runner in the backfield.
Due to the talent and depth at the position Crosswell plays, making Seattle's final roster will be extremely difficult. But if he can find a way to come up with a few big plays in the final two preseason games and contributes on special teams, it's not out of the question he could be in the mix for one of the last spots.
Injury Notes: Eskridge (toe) saw a couple snaps on offense during Seattle's 11-on-11 period but largely remained a bystander as the team eases him back into action. Cornerback Damarious Randall was a full participant after missing a week with a groin injury. After practicing on Tuesday, Jamarco Jones (back) was held out on Wednesday, while Tommy Champion (groin), Cedric Ogbuehi (bicep), and Pocic (hamstring) also did not practice. Smith (concussion) was not present on the practice field for a second straight day. On defense, cornerback D.J. Reed (groin) and Rhattigan (hamstring) did not participate.
