Seahawks Training Camp Observations: Geno Smith, Star WRs Clicking
RENTON, Wash. - With fans on the smoking hot berm for the final time in 2023, Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks gave the crowd plenty to cheer about heading into their second preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Here's a look at five quick observations from Wednesday's last open training camp practice at the VMAC:
1. Firing darts inside the 20, Smith and his reliable star receivers were red hot in the red zone.
While Seattle finished in the top 10 in scoring a year ago, it wasn't because of efficiency in the red zone, as the team ranked a dreadful 27th in touchdown percentage inside the opposing 20-yard line. But after a slow start in that department earlier in camp, Smith and his cohorts have found a bit of a groove as of late and continued to put points on the board in Wednesday's team blitz period with an emphasis on third down conversions.
Matching the soaring temperatures that reached the mid-90s cooking the field, Smith came out humming from the pocket, first connecting with Tyler Lockett on an out route to move the chains on third down. On the next play, safety Julian Love managed to knock the ball out of DK Metcalf's hands in the back of the end zone after the quarterback delivered a perfect strike on a line.
But that pass breakup served as the only blemish for Smith, who came back with touchdown passes on consecutive to Lockett and Metcalf. Demonstrating his excellent timing and chemistry with Lockett, he unloaded the ball towards the front right pylon in the end zone before the receiver even broke into a comeback route, delivering the ball with precision for six points. On the very next snap, he went back to Metcalf on a goal line fade, allowing the 6-4 wideout to high-point the football over cornerback Artie Burns.
2. While Metcalf and Lockett shined, Jaxon Smith-Njigba proved he is human after all.
Throughout his first training camp, Smith-Njigba has been a consistent highlight reel, impressing teammates and coaches with his incredibly soft hands, savvy route running, and high football IQ. But like any other receiver in the NFL, off days will occasionally happen even for the best ones and while he did catch a touchdown against safety Jonathan Sutherland during 7-on-7, Wednesday wasn't one of the rookie's better days.
Seemingly automatic since arriving in May, Smith-Njigba wasn't able to reel in a throw from Smith on a crossing route during 7-on-7 after he beat safety Jonathan Sutherland inside from the slot, which may have been his first drop of the entire offseason. Moments later after the team transitioned into another team session, he again wasn't able to bring in a pass from the veteran quarterback, appearing to have a route mix up and stopping short of where the ball was thrown.
As Smith said after practice, there's no reason to be concerned about Smith-Njigba, who has rarely let the ball hit the ground when he has been targeted and still made several nice catches on Wednesday. This small blemish isn't the sign of things to come and if comments from the quarterback were any indication, some extra work with the JUGS machine will likely be in order for the motivated young receiver to bounce back tomorrow.
3. With a prime chance in front of them, Jake Bobo and Matt Landers continue to come through with big plays.
In a non-padded practice, receivers always have the upper hand to stand out and make plays with defensive backs unable to aggressively play the football. Still, with Dee Eskridge and Cade Johnson sidelined, Bobo and Landers made the most of their extended opportunities on Wednesday catching passes from both Smith and Drew Lock, who continues to enjoy a stellar camp.
Known for his propensity for big plays at Toledo and Arkansas at the collegiate level, Landers put his 4.37 40-yard dash speed on display beating cornerback Chris Steele on a vertical route. Lock moved the pocket to his right and showed off his cannon for an arm, throwing across the field and lofting a beautifully placed deep ball into the rookie wideout's hands for a 55-yard scoring strike.
But Landers wasn't the only undrafted rookie coming through with big plays. Continuing to stake his claim to a roster spot by stacking quality days, Bobo played quite a bit with the first-team offense, reeling in multiple catches from Smith, including a 20-yard catch and run when he came free on a drag route and turned upfield with plenty of space in front of him.
4. Safety depth continues to be a focal point, though the group may have lost a key piece on the final play.
Even with Jamal Adams still out as he tries to work his way back from a torn quad tendon and Joey Blount remaining sidelined after a back injury scare, safety play hasn't missed a beat on the practice field for the Seahawks. With a plethora of playmakers, both of the newcomer and experienced variety, Smith said the group has made it "hard on me" throughout camp with iron sharpening iron.
Continuing to make an excellent first impression after signing a two-year deal with Seattle in March, Love hung with Metcalf on a crossing route to the back of the end zone. Smith fired a dart over the middle that looked destined to be a touchdown, only for the ex-Notre Dame standout to reach out and get a piece of the football at the last second, causing the pass to deflect off of the receiver's chest for an incompletion.
Later during 7-on-7, Sutherland registered two pass breakups, including narrowly missing a pick six on an errant throw from Lock that went behind the intended receiver. Unfortunately, the former Penn State special teams ace took the brunt of a collision on a last-second Hail Mary heave by quarterback Holton Ahlers as teammate Ty Okada landed on his leg in the end zone. He limped off the field with trainers, adding another injury to watch at the position.
5. Players coming off injuries continue to take baby steps towards full participation.
From a procedural standpoint, cornerback Riq Woolen and linebacker Jordyn Brooks have been activated from the PUP list. But as indicated by coach Pete Carroll on Tuesday, the Seahawks won't be rushing them back into full action during team periods and they will continue to take care of them to make sure that they are ready for the start of the season.
Trending in the right direction after offseason knee surgery, Woolen saw a handful of snaps at right cornerback during team drills and wasn't tested in the secondary. As for Brooks, he didn't participate in actual practice for a second straight day and Seattle seems content bringing him back slowly with walkthroughs for the time being before eventually cutting him loose in the next few weeks.
In additional injury news, running back Ken Walker III once again participated in individual drills and watched from the sideline as a bystander during team periods. The second-year runner returned to practice earlier this week, but it's clear the Seahawks are being cautious with him with an eye towards the season opener. Center Olu Oluwatimi, defensive tackle Mike Morris, and linebacker Jon Rhattigan all returned to practice with varying levels of participation after sitting out on Tuesday.
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