Thoughts on Thoughts: Bob Condotta's OTA takeaways
The rookies, the camp battles, the salary cap, and more: Seaside Joe 1568
Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times posted 5 questions about the Seahawks offseason program this week and his thoughts were pretty interesting. Here are my thoughts on his thoughts.
Everything is copacetic
On the topic of "biggest storyline of the offseason”, Bob said that perhaps it’s that there isn’t really one that’s taken centerstage. Nothing I say will ever go against Bob Condotta, so I don’t want to be that annoying “well, actually” guy.
Instead, I’ll call back to something I wrote recently about the biggest storyline that could be on the horizon and that’s my gut feeling on Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That he may be a superstar and that fans won’t have to wait that long.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba's breakout game proves that all the hype was warranted
How Jaxon Smith-Njigba got from his birth on Valentine’s Day in 2002 to the end of his freshman season at Ohio State (with an historic Texas high school career smashed in the middle) was covered in the first installment of his origin story and the inaugural “Super Joes” bonus article in June
I wrote at least a dozen articles on Kenneth Walker III last summer and I think everyone that was subscribed to Seaside Joe back then left the 2022 season unsurprised that he could have (some say should have) won Offensive Rookie of the Year.
I’m one of the biggest Devon Witherspoon fans that could exist in the universe today, but just in terms of having an immediate impact that is also tied to production, JSN’s “big game ability” could show up as soon as Week 1.
But Bob is probably right that there is not one dominant storyline for the Seahawks today, only a bunch of smaller ones and not any single headline is necessarily busting through that door….
Maybe we’ll look back at the 2023 summer a year from now and realize that even if he wasn’t the first pick by Seattle, Smith-Njigba was the storyline to follow from this offseason program.
Additionally, I posted “4 questions” about the Seahawks offseason a week ago and the one that seems to get the most interest from fans is the potential sale of the franchise to Jeff Bezos in the relatively near future. There is not necessarily any direct line between Bezos and the Seahawks besides the connection to Seattle, but if he wants to buy them, then buy them he will. He has more net worth then at least the top three or four richest owners in the NFL combined.
Jamal Adams training camp? Optimism!
Bob says that there is “growing optimism” that Adams will be ready for the start of training camp, but still a chance that he starts on PUP. I am assuming this is the training camp PUP and the not the regular season PUP, but not sure that was specified.
Most of what I’ve written about Adams lately has been injurilastically pessimistic, but only because of a lack of clear information. This is probably the first thing we’ve heard since his injury last September that may outline a return at the start of training camp and Pete Carroll sounds like a coach still intent on having Adams as one of the cornerstones of the defense.
Bob also notes that there is no ETA on Bryan Mone or Jordyn Brooks and that Tariq Woolen may officially be going as “Riq” now. (And that Riq is expected to be ready for the start of camp.)
I have no problem with Devon Witherspoon as a nickel
In fact, that’s kind of what I assumed he’d be playing at the start of his career before I predicted him as Seattle’s pick. Maybe that makes me naive, or, what’s the word…”stupid”?
Devon Witherspoon's Origin Story: From 0-star recruit to top-5 draft pick
To look at college football recruiting rankings in 2018, you wouldn’t know that quarterbacks who faced Pine Forest High School that year were in for a test that they’ll probably be talking about to friends and random dudes at bars for the rest of their lives. We’ve all heard that “I played with
But in the slot, Witherspoon would be matched up with some of the most feared offensive weapons in the NFL, and especially in the NFC West. He may be matched up with Cooper Kupp, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and dare we say it, Rondale Moore?
Bob notes that with Coby Bryant sidelined and Mike Jackson starring on the outside, him and Woolen may have LCB and RCB sewn up already.
How Seahawks' Michael Jackson overcame adversity, doubt to get to Seattle
If you want an idea of how long it has taken for Michael Jackson to develop into a starting NFL cornerback, consider the fact that he was in the same recruiting class as Ugo Amadi in 2015. Now less than a year after Pete Carroll traded Amadi to the Philadelphia Eagles,
A trio of Woolen, Jackson, and Witherspoon sounds right to me. Bob also notes that Tre Brown and Artie Burns took turns replacing Woolen as he was sitting out following arthroscopic (which sounds a lot more respectful than “minor”) knee surgery.
No surprising training camp battles
Bob notes that at this time Evan Brown and Phil Haynes are in the lead to start at center and right guard, but it is still early in the process and those competitions are hardly decided. I don’t believe that Abe Lucas was “in the lead” at right tackle this time a year ago either.
It looks like Cameron Young, as expected, is in the lead at nose tackle without a fully healthy Myles Adams to compete.
”No indication” of Uchenna Nwosu extension
A topic of conversation all offseason at Seaside Joe, Bob notes “no indication” of an extension yet. Doing so would free up some salary cap space now but take away from cap in the future obviously. There aren’t any other clear candidates to be extended but maybe Damien Lewis or Noah Fant would be others on the table.
I would suggest extending Jaxon Smith-Njigba. I just got a feeling.
Please, please, please let Witherspoon play the nickel! I am chomping at the bit for the broadcast call out "the Slotted 'Spoon does it again!!"
I have noted the "highlights" from camp featuring KW3 making big catches down the field. KW is going to have something to say about "who is the best back to feature in the passing game" and possibly the biggest camp battle that will materialize is who are the #1, 2 and 3 RBs on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd down.
The CB room is going to be highly competitive, for sure, and if Witherspoon makes his debut at nickle, so be it.
As for ownership... I think the Seahawks ownership will have to be taken from Jody Allen's cold, dead hand. She loves being an owner. And if someone wants to come in, in a minority position, so be it.