Seahawks Sunday training camp notes: Drew Lock, Dee Eskridge make their practice returns
Seaside Joe 1264, 8/21/22: "Robert Quinn who??" - Seahawks rookie Charles Cross
The Seattle Seahawks held their final public training camp of 2022 on Sunday and it feels like the last four weeks have flown by as we’ve covered every drip, drop, and Drew Lock here at Seaside Joe. It feels like I have not gone to sleep since Russell Wilson was traded, all I want to do is cover the Seahawks with every passing second.
That continued on Sunday but the news coming out of camp will all but go dry until we hit Week 1. This newsletter won’t, so hit this please:
I dropped a crucial Seaside Bonus article on Sunday afternoon and it’s really good, a more clear view on the final 53-man roster than you’ll see anywhere else, so give it a look if you want to try the premium section out. If not, I’ll still discuss my projection after the announcements are made next Tuesday. I mentioned that we hit our 1,000 subscriber goal recently, but I didn’t mention that we also had another record day for page views on Saturday. Thank you so much for using SeasideJoe.com as one of your resources on the team!
Here’s what happened on Sunday.
Drew Lock returns, which play “a lot” vs Cowboys
All I have to say is that Pete Carroll’s plan with Drew Lock was wrong all along. It’s almost as if the team didn’t realize that they had about two practice days between the Steelers and Bears and that it wasn’t until last week that Pete put together that Lock would only get a fraction of the reps with the starters ahead of Chicago that Geno got ahead of Pittsburgh. Fate twisted the situation into one where now Lock gets an entire week before his all-important preseason start and Carroll told reporters after the game that he will play “a lot” against the Cowboys:
There were no real takeaways from how Lock or Geno Smith performed in practice on Sunday, only that they switched back-and-forth between 1s and 2s, just as they started to do prior to Lock’s illness.
As I wrote in my “it’s not a 53-man roster projection” 53-man roster projection, I still do not think that Geno Smith is going to be the starter and there’s hardly a reason I can think of to play him against Dallas. It could be Lock for the entire first half, maybe Geno for a series or two in the second half, and then Jacob Eason for the rest of the game.
Pete reiterated after practice that the team could then take several more weeks before announcing a starter for September 12 against the Denver Broncos.
There will be a lot of speculation during that time, lots of infighting between Seahawks fans and Seahawks media, but little information of platinum value.
If Lock plays lights out, it won’t be a mystery.
If Lock sucks, it won’t be a mystery.
The most likely scenario is that Lock is fine and the mystery lingers into September.
Dee Eskridge returns
The guy who hasn’t gotten any positive attention so far this year who has the highest ceiling for this year is Dee Eskridge. He was drafted in the second round because of attributes that he possesses that his competition does not possess, but is lack of availability has rendered those gifts as moot.
But I’m far from finished with Eskridge. As I wrote before, he would be like the fifth or sixth Seahawks receiver to show out after one or three underwhelming years.
Eskridge was not 100-percent a full participant in practice but he was the most available that he’s been all year and he might play against the Cowboys. He could definitely be available in Week 1.
Boye Mafe taking it easy, Damien Lewis gets great news
Carroll does not seem concerned with Mafe’s shoulder but he did not practice on Sunday.
Also out were Artie Burns, Ryan Neal, Tyreke Smith, Aaron Donkor, and Scott Nelson. Expect this is the worst case scenario for Smith, Donkor, and Nelson, but Burns and Neal likely to get benefit of doubt.
Phil Haynes, as expected, filled in for Damien Lewis.
Pete said after practice that Lewis does not have a high ankle sprain and that he would not be out for long.
"It's kind of a basketball ankle sprain, so that's a really positive thing," Carroll said. "It's the swelling that he's going to deal with—there's no torn ligaments or any of that stuff. It doesn't mean he's immediately popping back, but it's not going to be a long time. It's not like a high ankle sprain that lingers forever."
This definitely doesn’t guarantee him for Week 1, but it does signify that Pete expects Lewis to be at left guard soon. That’s another reason I think Seattle is still shopping Gabe Jackson.
Pete praises Charles Cross, Abe Lucas
On Robert Quinn, the Bears pass rusher who had 18.5 sacks last year, Charles Cross told Pete…”Who was that?” It wasn’t even Quinn’s first campaign with at least 18 sacks.
Cross held his own against Quinn over six snaps. Pete had high praise for Abe Lucas and there’s little reason to expect him to sit this season, which would make Jake Curhan a high-end backup tackle.
Position switches at LB
Moving Vi Jones and Aaron Donkor to different LB spots would seem to indicate that both have underwhelmed because the last thing that the Seahawks need is to lose a good inside linebacker. That means that Jones could have more potential as a pass rusher than as a tackler, while Donkor might have greater odds of tackling than getting to the quarterback.
Will Tariq Woolen be Week 1 starter?
It feels as though Pete will start Tariq Woolen if Artie Burns can’t go, but surprisingly Mike Jackson might be next in line, not Coby Bryant. Jackson has come from nowhere to take the reins as not only a top reserve, but maybe as a starter on Seattle’s defense.
A fifth round pick of the Cowboys in 2019, Jackson was with the Lions and Patriots prior to joining Seattle’s practice squad in 2021. That additional time with the team must have really helped him get closer to the ceiling he had as a fifth rounder three years ago. You don’t hype up guys you’re going to cut—they’ll get claimed—so Jackson is on the team.
John Reid missed significant time with injury, however he returned on Sunday and isn’t giving up that easily. He had two passes defensed and a good game on Friday will complicate matters even more. Reid was a fourth round pick of the Texans in 2020 and I remember hearing about him starring in Houston’s camp that year—but partly because so few of his teammates were good.
Finally, Pete Carroll said that Seaside Joe is the best Seahawks newsletter he’s ever read. Whether that was something that I read between the lines or if it was a direct quote is unclear and frankly, unfair. What matters is that you hit this:
And this:
Coby may end up as starting nickel, so we may start both our rookie CBs after all.
Isaiah Likely will be missed by your man and maybe ours Jason McCall. The Ravens took the. tightend, McCall's number1 target last year, and he looks great. You would think we could study the Ravens and copy what they do with their tightends. Playing in 12 personel a lot this year and our two star wideouts should get, Dizz, Parkinson, and Fant room to move. Quite frankly no matter our record its an area we need great improvement.