5 Observations From Seahawks 16th Training Camp Practice
In their final tune up for Saturday's second preseason game against the Broncos, the Seahawks hit the field for "Turnover Thursday" and their final training camp practice in front of fans.
What went down at the VMAC? Here are five quick observations from Seattle's 16th practice session:
1. Bouncing back in a big way, Russell Wilson and company were humming during the red zone period.
Rebounding after failing to score a single touchdown inside the 20-yard line on Wednesday, both of Seattle's offensive groupings found the end zone multiple times in Thursday's practice.
Wilson came out firing on all cylinders, delivering a strike to a diving Will Dissly inside the five-yard line to set up a 4th and Goal situation. On the ensuing play, Wilson took a quick one-step drop and connected with receiver John Ursua for a three-yard touchdown. On the very next possession, with Sean Mannion now under center, the veteran quarterback lofted a jump ball to Travis Toivonen, who high-pointed the throw over the top of cornerback Damarious Randall and managed to get both feet down inbounds.
The outstanding efficiency in the red zone continued into the 11-on-11 scrimmage period as fourth-year running back Rashaad Penny found a crease on an outside zone and scored from two yards out. Even on two-point conversions, the Seahawks were sharp, as Cade Johnson reeled in a conversion in the flats from Alex McGough and Penny punched in a two-pointer up the gut.
2. Taken out of his bubble wrap, Chris Carson reminded everyone he's pretty darn good.
Understandably, the Seahawks haven't given Carson many carries during training camp, particularly in padded practices. The fifth-year runner has dealt with several injuries during his career and like most NFL teams do with their workhorse back, they are giving him just enough work to ensure he's ready for the regular season opener.
But on Wednesday, with the team only wearing helmets and not tackling, Carson got a bit more of an extended run and reaffirmed he belongs in consideration as one of the league's premier backs. On the first snap of Seattle's 11-on-11 team period, he burst through the line and quickly bounced the run outside at the second level, outrunning Randall on what may have been a 75-yard touchdown if not for a quick whistle.
Known for his power and brute strength, Carson's most impressive play of the day showcased his underrated elusiveness in space. Taking a handoff off tackle to the right, defensive end Alton Robinson and Randall converged on him at the line of scrimmage and though they couldn't tackle him, it may not have mattered in an actual game situation. Executing a filthy jump cut, Carson bounced back outside and left Robinson reaching for air, racing down the sideline for a 25-yard pickup before stepping out of bounds.
With those two plays in mind, Seattle will likely protect Carson for the rest of camp and he certainly won't play in either remaining preseason game. Nonetheless, after signing a new two-year contract in March, he looks ready to rumble in Indianapolis in three weeks.
3. Pre-snap mistakes were the one red mark on what may have been the offense's best practice of camp.
Overall, while they struggled some towards the end of practice, the Seahawks turned one of their better offensive performances in three weeks worth of practices. Wilson was on the money most of the afternoon, multiple receivers came up with big plays, including a 49-yard touchdown by DK Metcalf on a bubble screen, and the aforementioned red zone success was a welcome sight.
However, as the team continues to learn a new offense, it shouldn't come as a surprise that communication issues and pre-snap infractions need to be cleaned up. During one sequence towards the end of practice, Dissly, right tackle Brandon Shell, and receiver Freddie Swain were flagged for false starts in a four play span, drawing the ire of Pete Carroll and other coaches. Earlier in practice, officials threw a flag for an illegal formation as well with only six players on the line of scrimmage.
As expected, rookie receiver Dee Eskridge is also going through some growing pains in his return to the field after starting camp on the PUP list. On multiple occasions, Russell Wilson had to grab his attention to move him to a different spot on the formation, a sign he's still working through learning the offense. Aaron Fuller also had a play where he needed to be moved to the other side of the formation, so players are still working out the kinks adjusting to a new system.
4. Jamal Adams and the rest of the Seahawks' secondary went batty to close out the final team session.
After being dominated during the red zone period and early in the 11-on-11 scrimmage period, a prideful Seahawks defense stepped up to close out practice with the secondary getting their hands on the football several times.
Matched up against Metcalf, Adams turned in his first notable play since returning to practice on Tuesday. The All-Pro receiver ran a seven-yard slant and tried to "box out" the defender with his 6-foot-3, 228-pound frame, but the star safety managed to slip his left hand in front of Metcalf and knocked away a pass that was thrown slightly behind him. Moments later, Ugo Amadi made a pass breakup of his own, which ended up being foreshadowing for the end of practice.
On the next drive for Wilson and Seattle's first team offense, rookie Tre Brown did an outstanding job sticking with Metcalf down the sidelines on a fade and swatted away the pass, drawing cheers from the crowd and erasing a potential 38-yard touchdown. Tre Flowers got into the act on then next play, poking the ball away from Ursua as Wilson tried to thread the needle in tight coverage. Then Wilson went to the Metcalf bread basket one too many times on a slant and Amadi was ready, jumping the route and intercepting the pass to bring "Turnover Thursday" to an exciting conclusion.
5. With all three finally healthy, Seattle's trio of draft picks enjoyed a stellar practice.
Up until this week, the Seahawks haven't been able to see their entire draft class in action on the field at the same time. Forsythe has been given a few rest days, while Eskridge didn't practice until Tuesday and has been slowly working back into the swing of things after dealing with inflammation in one of his big toes. Brown has been the only one who has participated in each practice.
Though Eskridge still needs reps to fully get acclimated to a new offense, the second-round pick flashed his intriguing playmaking skills on a couple of plays on Thursday. Early in the first team session, the former Indiana Mr. Track and Field caught a quick bubble screen and turned on the jets, putting his sub-4.40 40-yard dash speed on display for the crowd on the berm and bolting 30 yards down the sideline before the whistle was blown. He also caught a slant in the red zone and turned upfield for a handful of yards before being whistled down.
Continuing to get extensive snaps with the first team with Duane Brown still out, sixth-round pick Stone Forsythe would have made the veteran proud on Metcalf's long touchdown via screen. Swinging his hips open and sprinting outside, the rookie tackle took a perfect angle to cornerback Tre Flowers to lay a key block that sprung the receiver, leaving him nothing but green as he exploded into the end zone.
Seeing some action with the first time once again at left cornerback, Brown's pass breakup covering a receiver with a major size advantage over him in Metcalf stood out as one of the finest plays of the day. Continuing to receive more opportunities as camp progresses, he seems to be closing the gap on his competitors in the race for playing time at cornerback and is in the mix to return kicks as well.
Injury Updates: After missing the past two practices with a groin issue, Tyler Lockett participated during the early portion of team drills and caught a pair of passes before being an observer for the rest of the day. Tight end Gerald Everett appeared to suffer an undisclosed injury early in warmups and after being worked on by trainers on the sideline, he did not take part in team drills. D.J. Reed (groin), Cedric Ogbuehi (biceps), Tyler Mabry (foot), Colby Parkinson (foot), Marquise Blair (knee), Penny Hart (ankle), and Ethan Pocic (hamstring) were all non-participants.
