5 Observations From Seahawks Fourth 2020 Training Camp Practice

Though unseasonably warm temperatures struck the shores of Lake Washington, the Seahawks enjoyed another high-energy session at the VMAC with padded practices looming on Monday.

Set to kick off the padded phase of training camp on Monday, the Seahawks returned to the practice field for their final "OTA-style" tune up amid sweltering 90-plus degree temperatures on Sunday afternoon.

Along with cornerback Quinton Dunbar and running back Chris Carson making their much-anticipated debuts in Seattle's fourth training camp practice, here's a look at five observations from Sunday's session at the VMAC.

1. Several receivers not named Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf continue to impress.

When Week 1 arrives next month, Lockett and Metcalf will undoubtedly be Seattle's top two receivers and the latter may have made the play of the day on Sunday burning cornerback Shaquill Griffin on a vertical during 7-on-7 drills. But he's far from the only one enjoying a strong camp at the position.

In Sunday's team periods, Russell Wilson and backup Geno Smith constantly targeted Phillip Dorsett, who signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks back in March. The speedy receiver dropped a pass, but he also made several nice grabs on difficult throws from Wilson. Then, during 7-on-7 drills, he reeled in a deep ball from Smith, who had a very strong practice as he battles against rookie Anthony Gordon.

While the Seahawks have high expectations for Dorsett after signing him in free agency, second-year receiver Cody Thompson might be the biggest surprise so far in camp and has been hard to ignore thus far. The 6-foot-2 target made several high-difficulty leaping grabs in Friday's practice, including one going for a touchdown. Taking advantage of David Moore sitting out, he continued his stellar play on Sunday with a 40-yard reception on a corner route from Smith and a few additional grabs in traffic.

2. Minus Jarran Reed and Poona Ford, a young cast of defensive tackles gets an early opportunity at extensive snaps.

Two days after both players left practice early, the severity of Reed and Ford's respective injuries remain unclear. Though it may have been precautionary, neither player participated in Sunday's session, opening the door for a host of untested youngsters to see significant snaps in the interior.

Big opportunity for young defensive tackles Bryan Mone, DeMarcus Christmas, and Cedrick Lattimore with Ford and Reed sidelined. pic.twitter.com/o6aUHryQtI

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) August 16, 2020

With Reed and Ford sidelined, second-year defenders Bryan Mone and Demarcus Christmas saw the bulk of the snaps with the first-team defense alongside defensive ends Benson Mayowa and Rasheem Green. Mone looks to have taken advantage of his extended offseason, arriving at camp reportedly 20 pounds lighter and playing visibly faster on the field. As for Christmas, he's been primarily playing the 3-tech defensive tackle spot, though he's shifted inside to nose tackle with L.J. Collier reducing inside quite a bit during the early stages of camp.

If there was a true beneficiary from the absence of each of Seattle's projected starters, however, it may have been undrafted rookie Cedrick Lattimore. The former Iowa standout saw his largest workload in Sunday's practice and doesn't seem fazed by the big stage thus far.

3. Ethan Pocic has a surprising early grip on the race to replace Justin Britt at center.

Going into camp, the general consensus was recently signed veteran B.J. Finney would be the heavy favorite to win the starting center job. After all, he performed admirably in 13 starts over the past four years for the Steelers and after signing a two-year, $8 million deal, his contract suggest the Seahawks viewed him as a starter.

But while it's still way too early to know who will ultimately snap to Wilson on September 13, former starter Ethan Pocic has been receiving the bulk of first-team snaps through the first week of practices. Coming off back-to-back injury riddled seasons, many have been quick to write off the former second-round pick. But if there's a reason to believe he can maintain the starting role moving forward, it's the fact he's never truly had a chance to compete at his natural position due to Britt's presence.

Now that Britt and Joey Hunt have been released, two major road blocks that have been in Pocic's way are no longer on the roster. Considering Wilson's comments earlier this week, it wouldn't be wise to count Finney out at this stage, but this race is suddenly far more interesting than it was expected to be.

4. In fantastic shape, Rasheem Green looks primed for a monster third season.

Until pads come on starting this week, it's going to be very easy to overreact to how good players look with just a helmet, jersey, and shorts on. The vast majority of drills to this point have been done "on air" without an offense or defense to compete against and minimal contact, if any.

Tackling work as #Seahawks progress in physicality at today's practice. pic.twitter.com/o8rQK5cqrR

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) August 16, 2020

With that said, Green has stood out for all the right reasons since practices officially started on August 12. Turning just 23 years old in May, the former USC standout appears to be coming into his own, as he reported to camp with a chiseled physique and has exhibited a far more explosive initial burst off the snap than he has at any point in his first two NFL seasons. He's jumped off the field in every drill, including during tackling lines on Sunday, and he found his way into the backfield on a handful of plays during Seattle's team period.

After leading the Seahawks with 4.0 sacks in 2019, Green should be the front runner to replace Quinton Jefferson as the starting 5-tech base defensive end. And if his performance in practice serves as any indication, he could be on the verge of a third-year jump similar to what Griffin did a year ago in the secondary, which would be a huge deal given the team's recent pass rushing woes.

5. In terms of speed, the Seahawks are on a different playing field defensively compared to this time last year.

In all phases of the game, one of the central problems for Seattle's disappointing defense last year was the lack of overall team speed. It was apparent at times in coverage - particularly before acquiring Quandre Diggs at the trade deadline - and this deficiency also played a part in the team's inability to pressure quarterbacks and defend outside runs consistently.

After watching a handful of practices, it's already evident the Seahawks overall athleticism on the defensive side of the ball is night and day compared to 2019. Mayowa possesses an elite first step off the edge and has been living in the backfield at practice, while Green looks like a different cat in terms of speed and quickness compared to his first two years. At linebacker, first-round pick Jordyn Brooks has already made his presence felt flying all over the field and Bruce Irvin doesn't look like he has lost a step at 33 years of age.

Not surprisingly, Seattle's biggest improvement speed-wise has been in the secondary. Bradley McDougald deserves a ton of credit for his production and leadership over the past three years, but he simply doesn't have the athletic profile of Adams, who runs like his hair is on fire every play. As he showed in five starts last year, Diggs also brings tremendous speeds and instincts to the free safety spot, while Griffin and Dunbar should give the Seahawks one of the most athletic cornerback duos in the sport.