Seahawks Training Camp Observations: Devon Witherspoon Challenged By Star WRs
Following four fast-paced non-contact practices, the Seattle Seahawks took their next step towards real football by conducting their first padded session of training camp, allowing players to block and wrap up ball carriers for the first time this summer.
Due to the practice being closed to the public, reporters cannot provide specifics on formations, offensive/defense alignments, snap counts, and other details for competitive reasons.
With that being said, here's a look at five observations that can be reported from Seattle's fifth training camp practice at the VMAC:
1. Continuing to increase his workload, Devon Witherspoon had a mixed day at the office against DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and company.
Gradually working his way into more reps after holding out the first two practices on training camp, even a top-five pick as talented as Witherspoon will have to deal with rookie growing pains from time to time. This is especially true given the elite talent he will be squared up against daily and as the savvy veteran wideout has done to the best corners in the league for years, Lockett gave him a rude welcome in one-on-ones.
Initially releasing outside, Lockett sprinted 10 yards before quickly settling on a curl route and though he gave up the catch, Witherspoon appeared to be in good position to corral him. Unfortunately, the shifty receiver took a quick step inside before spinning back towards the sideline, leaving the rookie grabbing for air and sprinting down the sideline for a long gain.
While Witherspoon surrendered a pair of catches to Lockett and Metcalf, however, he did turn in several impressive reps throughout practice. Among those, he came up from his zone drop to pop tight end Colby Parkinson after a quick catch, showing off his physicality and toughness. He also won both of his matchups against fellow rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba in one-on-ones, playing tight coverage against him on in-breaking routes, while also denying Dee Eskridge a touchdown in the red zone period.
2. In a departure from the past four practices, Seattle's red zone offense was non-existent, getting shut out with the pads on.
Throughout camp so far, with the defense limited by heavy restrictions, Geno Smith and the Seahawks have been firing on all cylinders during red zone periods, scoring touchdowns in bunches. But with the playing field leveled with the return of pads on Monday, that trend took a 180 degree reversal, as the team failed to score once on two series against a fast, physical defense.
Right out of the gate, Smith's first pass attempt was swatted to the ground by Darrell Taylor, who has been a menace getting his long arms up into passing lanes so far in camp. One play later, Metcalf managed to create separation against cornerback Mike Jackson and looked to have an easy touchdown, but wasn't able to get his feet down inbounds as the throw led him to far towards the sideline, erasing the best scoring opportunity in the session.
From there, Julian Love blew up a screen and Witherspoon stuck to the speedy Eskridge's hip to force an incompletion in the end zone. Seattle's offense only ran one play inside the 10-yard line during the drill and will look to rebound when the team practices again on Tuesday.
3. Kenny McIntosh keeps making the most of his opportunity with Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet still out.
With coach Pete Carroll calling him "one of the highlights" of camp so far, McIntosh continued to put everyone on notice during Monday's practice. During individual drills, he demonstrated excellent contact balance running through the gauntlet and exhibited top-notch technique, hand placement, and pop in pass protection drills, drawing praise from position coach Chad Morton.
Once Seattle shifted into team drills, McIntosh got popped a couple of times, including getting smacked by Dre'Mont Jones for a tackle for loss. But he ripped off one of the longest runs of the practice midway through the scrimmage period, getting downhill in a hurry to explode through a crease and making a linebacker miss before eventually getting wrapped up 30 yards downfield.
For now, McIntosh looks set to receive a ton of reps with Walker and Charbonnet out indefinitely, presenting more chances for him to carve out an immediate role in the backfield even after one or both backs return to action healthy. He also could be in the mix for returning kicks and punts after handling those duties at Georgia previously.
4. With the non-contact leashes off, edge rushers made an impact all afternoon with Boye Mafe leading the way.
Finally able to cut it loose to an extent with shoulder pads on, Seattle's intriguing stable of edge rushers made their presence felt, starting with one-on-ones against the offensive line. In particular, Mafe flashed during this drill, using a blend of speed and power to generate two impressive pressures.
Those solid reps wound up being a precursor for Mafe's day, as the second-year defender created havoc during a dominant red zone session, generating two quick pressures, including one leading to an early blown whistle. He later added another pressure in a separate team period, consistently finding his way into the backfield and demonstrating improved burst and bend turning the corners as a speed rusher.
Away from Mafe, Uchenna Nwosu and rookie Derick Hall also found their way to Smith and Drew Lock once apiece, while Taylor had a few promising rushes that forced the quarterbacks to vacate the pocket. Overall, it was a productive day for the group and as Metcalf joked after practice, he enjoyed not having to hear the defense complain about would-be sacks as they did the first four practices.
5. Physicality ruled the day with Seattle's first-team defense yielding few successful runs and setting the tone in the trenches.
While Bobby Wagner wasn't quite ready to say it was the most physical opening padded practice of his time in Seattle, the defense came out aggressive and ready to hit, at least within the confines of what the team and league rules allow. After getting after it in the one-on-one period, the defensive line held serve in the trenches, consistently creating push to set the line of scrimmage and prevent backs from getting to the second level.
Early on, before transitioning to the red zone period, Jones made his first notable splash play as a Seahawk, blasting running back DeeJay Dallas in the backfield for a tackle for loss. Only a few plays later, Myles Adams did an outstanding job keeping his outside shoulder free and stood up the guard to close a running lane, leading to Bryant Koback slamming into his blocker for no gain. Jarran Reed got into the act moments later, smacking Koback with a resounding thud on a minimal gain.
As noted by Wagner, he and Devin Bush didn't get many opportunities to make plays in Monday's session because the front line in front of them was dominating the line of scrimmage. When backs did get through the line, the linebackers were ready and waiting for them, shutting down the run game most of the afternoon with only a handful of positive carries allowed, a positive development for a defense that struggled mightily slowing down backs a year ago.
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