Observations From Seahawks First Mandatory Minicamp Practice
Kicking off the final step of their offseason program before training camp, the Seahawks held the first of three mandatory minicamp practices on Tuesday with several familiar faces back in uniform.
What went down at the VMAC in the first session? Here are five observations from Tuesday's practice.
1. Star safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs return (well, sort of) and should be ready to roll for training camp.
While neither player will take any reps on the field over the next three days, Adams and Diggs hit their latest recovery milestone towards returning to the lineup on Tuesday. Coming off of shoulder/finger and ankle surgeries respectively, Adams and Diggs could be seen chatting with general manager John Schneider, coaches, and teammates while sporting hats on the sidelines and doing some coaching of their own with younger players.
Going under the knife for a second straight offseason, Adams had a torn labrum repaired and also told reporters two of his fingers were fused together after dealing with persistent issues dislocating them. Now several months removed from both procedures, he indicated he can "do everything" football-wise and would be ready to practice when training camp opens. As for Diggs, he's on a similar trajectory nearing the end of his 4-6 month recovery timeline after fracturing his fibula in the season finale against the Cardinals back in January and will be back for the start of the season. That's great news for Clint Hurtt's defense.
In additional injury news, cornerback Tre Brown and safety Marquise Blair were back on the field as spectators as they continue their own respective rehabs. Brown underwent surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his knee, while Blair suffered a fractured kneecap that required surgery. It remains unclear whether or not they will be ready to practice when camp opens next month.
2. The quarterback competition takes a small step forward with Geno Smith and Drew Lock splitting first-team reps.
Slinging the pigskin all over the field, Smith and Lock both performed well during 7-on-7 drills while mixing up reps with first and second-team receivers. Turning in another solid practice, Smith completed 12 out of 15 passes, with his most notable tosses going to Cody Thompson on a back shoulder fade for a 20-yard pickup and Tyler Lockett on a 15-yard speed out. As for Lock, he completed eight out of 11 passes during the drill and threw the lone touchdown of the day finding Aaron Fuller on a dig route for six points. Neither player threw an interception, though there were a few close calls. Jacob Eason also got a decent number of reps, finishing three for seven and narrowly missing on a potential touchdown to tight end Colby Parkinson.
Without any actual 11-on-11 team drills taking place in the third phase of the offseason program, as offensive coordinator Shane Waldron stated last week, the starting quarterback job isn't going to be decided anytime soon and these practices matter more in terms of evaluating how both players command the scheme. But as minicamp and OTAs wind down and camp approaches, the two signal callers look to be pretty even in the early stages of the competition.
3. The offensive line gets its first significant shakeup of the offseason program with two rookies on the first-team.
It's only June 7, so the starting lineup along the offensive line should be taken with a grain of salt. With that said, Tuesday's practice was notable because third-round pick Abraham Lucas took all of the first-team reps at right tackle opposite of fellow rookie Charles Cross after being behind incumbent starter Jake Curhan in the first two weeks of OTAs. Behind him, Stone Forsythe took all of the reps with Curhan sliding inside to right guard, where the team currently lacks depth with starter Gabe Jackson not participating by choice.
One minicamp practice won't dictate who starts in September, particularly in controlled, non-contact sessions without blocking, but it's clear the Seahawks will be giving Lucas every opportunity to prove he can wrestle the job away from Curhan. Expect this to be the first of several shuffled lineups interchanging the two players on the right side over the next few months before eventually naming a starter in late August.
4. Taking a ton of reps, Marquise Goodwin continues to make a strong impression with his new team on the outside.
Airing on the side of caution, the Seahawks had three receivers - Dee Eskridge as well as rookies Bo Melton and Dareke Young - sidelined without a helmet due to undisclosed injuries on Tuesday. With fewer players to rotate, Goodwin saw a ton of snaps with the second-team offense behind Tyler Lockett and Freddie Swain. Though he didn't make any long receptions on the afternoon, he snagged a couple of quick slants and an out route during 7-on-7 and his track speed is evident working in and out of his breaks.
As things stand, Goodwin lies squarely on the bubble at arguably the deepest position on Seattle's roster. Once DK Metcalf returns alongside Lockett, Eskridge, and Swain, there may be six or seven players legitimately battling for one or two spots. But his route running savvy, football IQ, positional versatility, and still-elite burst have been on display since arriving before the start of OTAs and he's only helped his odds of sticking around over the past couple of weeks.
5. The defensive line finally looks whole with a cast of characters returning to the mix.
Unlike the secondary where Adams, Diggs, Brown, and Blair weren't expected to do much during Seattle's offseason program, defensive tackles Al Woods, Quinton Jefferson, and Shelby Harris took part in Tuesday's practice. While little can actually be evaluated without 11-on-11 or scrimmages with contact, was the first chance to get a glimpse where players may fit in schematically in a new-look 3-4 defense, with Harris and Jefferson playing 3-technique and 4i-technique and Woods rotating in as a head up nose tackle in positional drills.
Time will tell how the rotation shakes out and the real competition for snaps will begin in August when the pads come on, but the front line looks dramatically different with big bodies like Woods, Jefferson, and Harris holding serve in the middle. Coupling those players with the likes of Bryan Mone and L.J. Collier, Hurtt should have immense flexibility on early downs and pass rushing situations.
