Seahawks Training Camp Observations: Smith-Njigba, Witherspoon Continue 'Battling'
Back in front of fans following a day off, Geno Smith and DK Metcalf hooked up a touchdown and Dre'Mont Jones continued to wreak havoc with multiple tackles for loss in the backfield to headline the Seattle Seahawks' seventh training camp practice.
What else went down at the VMAC on Thursday? Here are five observations from Seattle's latest practice heading into Friday's mock scrimmage at Lumen Field:
1. Pushing one another in exciting head-to-head matchups, Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba remain the center of attention.
While holding two first-round picks in the same draft has become more common with stars being dealt elsewhere becoming more frequent, the Seahawks have only had multiple picks in the opening round five times in their history. Unlike the previous four examples, however, the team's two incoming high draft picks in Witherspoon and Smith-Njigba will get the benefit of growing together as professionals frequently battling on the practice field.
“It’s been great battling with him," Smith-Njigba said before practice. "He’s a guy who’s really smart, plays smart on the field, and is really physical. It’s been awesome to get better, learn from him, and give him the looks that he needs.”
Earlier in camp, Smith-Njigba has gotten the better of his rookie counterpart more times than not, using his quickness and change of direction skills to quickly separate in one-on-one and team drills. He also capped off Tuesday's practice by putting Witherspoon in a bind on a crisply ran 15-yard corner route, leaving him in the dust coming out of his break.
But on Thursday, Witherspoon turned the tables on Smith-Njigba, holding his own in several one-on-one encounters. During Seattle's 7-on-7 period, he swung his hips open and ran stride for stride with the receiver on a slot fade, forcing Smith to instead take a short check down after initially seeing if he could get the ball downfield to his new target as his first read.
Towards the end of practice, after Smith drove the first-team offense inside the 10-yard line, Witherspoon played a starring role in a fantastic goal line stand. Following a short run by Smith on third down and goal, he stuck to Smith-Njigba like glue on a quick out route at the goal line on fourth down and even after the receiver tried to move back inside before drifting back towards the goal line, he provided no window for a throw. With nobody open, Smith wound up throwing the ball over Smith-Njigba for a turnover on downs on an impressive coverage rep by the top-five pick.
“It’s really an unusual situation that we have," coach Pete Carroll said. "It’s really fun to watch them. They’re both really competitive and they’re going to keep logging reps. I’m sure they’re keeping count. How they’re doing, who’s winning, and who’s losing. Really, it’s an ideal situation for us.”
2. After a four-day hiatus, Zach Charbonnet returns to the practice field full-steam ahead with a stellar afternoon of hard running.
Following four missed practices with a shoulder injury and somewhat ominous updates from the team, Charbonnet participated in full during Thursday's practice, providing a major boost for Seattle's backfield with Ken Walker III still nursing a groin injury. The second-round pick out of UCLA showed no ill effects from his injury, reaching up to snag several passes during individual drills from Smith and Drew Lock.
Once Seattle transitioned into its team period, albeit without tackling allowed on a non-padded day, he broke loose on a couple of long runs, including a 30-yard gain in the opening team run sequence where he wiggled through the heart of the defense and found a seam. At one point, he took a light shot to his right shoulder, but spun off without any issues and continued rotating into the backfield for the remainder of practice without a hitch.
In additional positive news, after passing all of his tests without any notable found with his shoulder, Charbonnet is expected to take part in Seattle's mock game at Lumen Field on Friday. Taking his first hits of camp, expect to see him get a handful of reps along with fellow rookie Kenny McIntosh and veteran DeeJay Dallas before the three check out for the rest of the scrimmage to keep them fresh moving forward.
3. With Darrell Taylor now sidelined, Boye Mafe looks primed to make a run at a starting job opposite of Uchenna Nwosu.
Though the Seahawks did welcome back Charbonnet and linebacker Devin Bush, who sat out Tuesday's practice for undisclosed reasons, the team may be without edge rusher Darrell Taylor for an extended period of time. According to Carroll, after hitting the ground hard during Tuesday's practice, he suffered a shoulder strain and could be seen wearing a sling on his left arm on Thursday.
It remains unknown when Taylor will be able to return to the field, but any extended absence would further open the door for Mafe, who Carroll called the Seahawks "most improved" edge rusher entering his sophomore season. The former second-round pick has been making several noteworthy plays at every practice, finding his way to the quarterback frequently while also playing stout run defense. On Thursday, while logging extensive reps with the first-team, he had several quality rushes off the edge to quickly collapse the pocket and also teamed up with a fellow lineman for a run stuff at the line of scrimmage twice.
Light years ahead of where he was as a rookie, Mafe already demonstrated proficiency last season as a run defender, emerging as a rare bright spot for a Seattle defense that finished 30th in the league in rushing yards allowed. With a refined pass rushing palette and better understanding of how to attack opposing blockers on display throughout camp to this point, he already had pushed himself into the discussion to start and play a ton of snaps in 2023. Depending how much time Taylor misses, it may be the time to buy stock on him as a potential starter.
4. Stepping their games up with pads coming on, rookies Cameron Young and Mike Morris have made major strides in recent days.
During the early stages of camp, the Seahawks have relied heavily on veterans in the interior of their defensive line with Jones, Jarran Reed, and Mario Edwards getting the bulk of the snaps with the first-team. Considering how good all three players have looked in the first seven practices, particularly the highly disruptive Jones, none of them are in danger of losing snaps and will critical to the success of the front line this season.
With that said, after quiet starts in their first camp, the light switch seemed to click on for Young and Morris once pads came on Monday. In the case of Young, Carroll said he looked like a "different player" shifting away from non-contact practices, playing with great physicality and proving difficult to move in the trenches. As a reward for two strong padded practices, he saw his first significant action at nose tackle with the first-team defense on Thursday, a positive sign for him heading into the mock game.
As for Morris, the fifth-round pick out of Michigan offers a different body style and set of strengths as an athletic 6-6, 300-pound interior rusher. But after mostly playing off the edge in college, Carroll admitted that his play has been more up-and-down, especially in the pass rushing game, as he continues to make the transition inside. But his presence has been more noticeable in three practices this week, including being involved with three run stops in Thursday's session.
Going into Friday's scrimmage, Carroll and his staff will be keeping a close eye on both Young and Morris to see how they handle their first game action with the Seahawks. If they can turn in quality reps in a competitive situation and build off their recent success in practice, it's possible both players could see some first-team action in future camp practices as the team continues to sort out their rotation in the trenches.
5. While timetables for a potential return remain unknown, Jamal Adams and Jordyn Brooks still appear to be trending in the right direction.
Still with five players on the PUP list, including Adams and Brooks, Carroll made it sound like none of those players will be back in the near future. But at the same time, he said each of them has fully healed from their respective injuries and now, the Seahawks are simply being cautious and making sure they are back in football shape before they cut them loose on the practice field.
In the case of Adams and Brooks, both players have been running and cutting, making encouraging progress. But with each coming off severe lower body injuries and the season opener still more than a month away, Seattle isn't going to rush either one of them back into action and for now, they will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis with an eye on Week 1 as a goal target date.
As for cornerback Riq Woolen, who still hasn't returned after undergoing knee surgery in May, Carroll said that he has been running hard and looks to be making progress as well. While he may be back before Adams or Brooks, however, the Pro Bowl defender still may be a week or more away from coming back and thanks to the strong camps by Mike Jackson, Tre Brown, and Witherspoon so far, there's no rush to get him back in the lineup in early August.
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