Observations From Seahawks Fifth Training Camp Practice: Drew Lock Finishes With a Flurry
RENTON, Wash - For the second straight afternoon, continuing a consistent theme throughout training camp thus far, a stifling defense dominated Geno Smith, Drew Lock, and the offense for most of the Seahawks' fifth practice session.
What transpired at the VMAC on Tuesday? Five quick observations from Seattle's latest training camp practice:
1. Neither quarterback lit it up, but Drew Lock wrapped up the afternoon on a strong note.
Following individual drills, Smith and Lock got off to a sluggish start for the second consecutive practice. Neither player looked sharp in the opening red zone period, failing to lead a single touchdown drive while struggling through accuracy and timing issues with receivers, particularly with DK Metcalf. Smith bounced back in his third series by rolling out to his left and hitting a diving Tyler Mabry for a touchdown and dropping off a throw to Rashaad Penny in the flats for a touchdown that was ultimately marked a yard short in a three-play sequence, while Lock connected with Ken Walker III on a swing pass for his first scoring toss of the afternoon.
Once Seattle transitioned into scripted plays around midfield during the final period, however, Lock held the advantage by leading a pair of touchdown drives with the second unit. After Smith threw an ugly interception on his first drive, Lock used his legs to extend the drive twice as a runner and then rolled out to his right to connect with Penny Hart on a nine-yard touchdown. Smith followed up with a controversial scoring drive of his own, as Marquise Goodwin didn't look to have possession of the ball in the end zone but officials ruled it a score anyway. Capping off a stellar finish, Lock then promptly worked down the field with a 15-yard completion on a dig to Hart and a touchdown to Aaron Fuller on a crossing route.
2. Whether by design or necessity, running backs continue to be a featured part of Seattle's passing game.
Even with Metcalf back on the field, the Seahawks haven't been able to connect on many downfield passes and receivers have largely been limited to effectiveness in the short-to-intermediate game. With both quarterbacks battling inconsistency and accuracy woes, running backs haven't simply been dump off options for Smith and Lock. They have been focal points in the aerial game so far, whether catching quick dump offs, running wheel or "Texas" routes out of the backfield, or lining up outside as a receiver.
In Tuesday's practice, Penny made a defender miss after catching a quick pass in the flats from Smith before bolting towards the left sideline and eventually getting knocked out of bounds by Jordyn Brooks at the one-yard line. Moments later, with three receivers on the right side flooding the middle of the field with in-breaking routes, Walker III was uncovered on a delayed swing out of the backfield and Lock lofted it to him for a walk-in touchdown, his third score as a receiver in as many practices. On top of that, DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer each caught at least one pass for significant yardage during the scrimmage session, showing off the depth and versatility in Seattle's stable of running backs.
3. Fired up to be back in pads, edge rushers put on a clinic and overwhelmed Seattle's tackles.
During the first four practices, pass rushers such as Darrell Taylor and Uchenna Nwosu were largely kept on a leash without pads, limited to upfield speed rushes and unable to bull rush or engage offensive linemen with hand fighting techniques. But with the Seahawks sporting shoulder pads, the intensity was ramped up a notch or two, allowing for a practice experience that far more closely resembled real football.
While it wasn't quite like playing on Sundays, the pass rushers won most of the battles on Tuesday. Showing up at camp noticeably stronger and faster, Taylor generated multiple quarterback pressures using his speed and power, including perfectly timing a snap to explode past right tackle Jake Curhan and race into the backfield untouched pursuing Smith in the pocket. Aside from Taylor, rookie Tyreke Smith turned heads in his second practice since being activated from the PUP list, beating left tackle Stone Forsythe around the corner three different times for immediate pressures and also powering his way into the backfield on an additional rush attempt.
4. Holding his own against Metcalf, Artie Burns continues to stake a claim to a starting job in Seattle's secondary.
Given his rare blend of size, speed, and catching ability, Metcalf ranks among the NFL's most feared weapons at the receiver position. But dating back to his first encounter against him last season as a member of the Bears, Burns hasn't backed down or been intimidated matching up with the former All-Pro. In that Week 16 contest last December, he allowed one catch for zero yards and produced a pass breakup on two targets when covering Metcalf.
Now teammates, Metcalf and Burns have built a friendly on-field rivalry and after breaking up a pair of passes in the end zone on Monday, the veteran corner had the upper had once again in Tuesday's practice. When facing off against each other in 1-on-1s, Burns played physical, legal coverage, jarring a pair of passes out of Metcalf's hands for incompletions to the frustration of the receiver. Transitioning into the team period, Metcalf looked to have a couple of steps on Burns on a vertical route. But Smith didn't put quite enough air under it on the throw and the receiver was forced to slow down, allowing Burns a chance to recover, extend his arms, and swat the pass out of Metcalf's hands for a long incompletion.
5. Thrust into action, Josh Jones keeps coming through with big plays in nickel and dime situations.
During the early stages of practice, Ryan Neal exited the field after suffering an undisclosed injury in a special teams drill. Without him available, Jones became the benefactor, taking extensive reps as a third safety in his place with the first-team defense when Seattle busted out nickel and dime sets. Capitalizing on his opportunity, he baited Smith early in the scripted play session, flying over from his safety spot to jump Tyler Lockett's post route and pick off the pass.
A former second-round pick out of North Carolina State, Jones impressed after being elevated off the practice squad late last season, producing a pass breakup in a spot start during Seattle's season finale against Arizona. Re-signed this offseason, he's quietly turned in an outstanding camp and picked off Smith in the second practice during a team scrimmage as well. Though he's still on the bubble considering the depth the Seahawks have at the position, his ability to play both safety spots and contribute on special teams gives him a fighting chance to stick around, especially if Neal winds up missing significant time.
