15 players starting out Seahawks training camp in a better position than they were in last year
15 players starting out Seahawks training camp in a better position than they were in last year
Seaside Joe 1237: From Geno Smith to Jamal Adams and Dee Eskridge, it's not too late to get the roles or status that was once expected of them
The Seahawks start training camp on Tuesday.
The Seahawks start training camp on Tuesday.
I usually write too much in my intros. Not today. That’s all I need to hear. The Seahawks are starting training camp in less than 24 hours.
If you missed any Seaside Joe posts this weekend, then check out the campaign to get the Seahawks to draft Grayson McCall in 2023 (tweet at the Seahawks and Pete Carroll as many times as possible this year to give them some hints that McCall is special, #McCaw), why Brett Kollmann is so high on Boye Mafe becoming a great pass rusher early in his career and some veteran edge rushers for the Seahawks to consider, the comparison between Jordyn Brooks and C.J. Mosley, and my Laps 4 Lock challenge pledge.
The Seaside Joe show is not slowing down and we want to reach another subscriber milestone by Week 1’s win over the Broncos, so please do us a huge favor and share any of these articles that you find useful or entertaining with your Seahawks friends.
QB Geno Smith
This is literally the best position that Geno Smith has been in since IK Enemkpali personally named Ryan Fitzpatrick as the Jets starter in 2015. Smith can be a team’s starting quarterback in 2022. That’s amazing.
QB Drew Lock
Even though Lock was in a head-to-head to start for the Broncos last training camp, he’s in a better position with the Seahawks now. If for no other reason than the fact that Pete Carroll couldn’t possibly hate him as much as Vic Fangio does.
RB Rashaad Penny
The best camp opportunity of Penny’s career because he is finally entering a season as RB1. The only question is whether or not Penny can finish camp in that role and be a healthy starter against the Broncos in Week 1.
Derrick Henry’s best five-game stretch in 2021: 145 carries for 725 yards, 5.0 YPC.
Jonathan Taylor’s best-five game stretch: 120 carries for 699 yards, 5.8 YPC.
Penny’s best five-game stretch: 92 carries for 671 yards, 7.3 YPC.
RT Jake Curhan
From being an undrafted free agent with no shot to start to leading the competition headed into his second camp.
C Austin Blythe
A month after the Chiefs signed him, they drafted Creed Humphrey, which was an immediate demotion. Now he’s starting again.
G Phil Haynes
The team made a moderately significant $2.54 million investment into Haynes ($1 million more than what Drew Lock is making) and a lot of people are pulling for him to do well enough to prove as a replacement for Gabe Jackson. If not soon, then eventually.
WR Dee Eskridge
Not only did Eskridge start his first training camp on PUP, but Carroll urged patience with him because Western Michigan runs a more simplified offense than the Seattle Seahawks do.
"He looks totally legit to be a competitive aspect of this team, I don't have any question," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "His strength, his hands, his catching range, his explosiveness, he's really fast. He had no trouble with any of the transitional stuff. They did not run as sophisticated of a passing game (at Western Michigan) as we have here, so we didn't see stuff, but it wasn't because he couldn't run it; they just didn't ask their guys to run the stuff. He can do everything."
We can only assume that Eskridge enters camp with a healthier knowledge of the playbook and a fitter frame to actually put that study into practice.
NT Bryan Mone
I know that for me personally I always feel better when I get a $1.5 million bonus at work. Those $500,000 bonuses just don’t hit as hard, you feel me?
OLB Darrell Taylor
Taylor’s playing time increased as the 2021 season went on, with Weeks 15, 17, 18, and 13 representing the four games when he saw the most action. Now another offseason separated from missing his entire rookie campaign, Taylor should feel the most comfortable that he’s ever been as an NFL player.
ILB Jordyn Brooks
As I wrote two days ago, there are signs that Brooks could develop into the game’s best run-stopping linebacker. He also saw playing time increase as the season went on as Brooks played in 100-percent of the snaps over the last five games. With both K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner gone, Brooks steps into the role of being the veteran leader in the middle of the defense.
ILB Cody Barton
There are some who believe that Barton will be one of the most notable breakout players in Seattle this season, including Taylor.
“Oh my God, that dude flies around," Taylor smiled when asked about Barton. "That's what I've seen from the first day I got here. Him stepping up and everything now, it's exciting to see because everybody flying around and all the excitement that we got going around our program, and all the young guys that's coming in, I mean, what more can you ask for? We're excited. If you don't see that, then I don't know what's wrong with you."
With those situated behind him at inside linebacker, there’s no reason to think Barton won’t be starting in Week 1.
OLB Uchenna Nwosu
Nwosu is another player who saw more playing time in the second half of 2021 than the first, he just did with the Chargers instead of the Seahawks. Nwosu had 26 tackles, four sacks, 10 QB hits, one interception, two forced fumbles, seven tackles for a loss, and four batted passes in his final nine games. There was only one game when he didn’t have a single QB hit and that was the one time in the second half that he played in fewer than two-thirds of the defensive snaps.
Given an opportunity to be a starting edge rusher for Clint Hurtt, Nwosu could be the Seattle veteran who gets the biggest raise based on his play in 2022. That’s why he made my list of training camp predictions.
S Jamal Adams
Another player on my list of camp predictions, another important Seahawk who started last season’s camp on PUP. His present health situation is, again, not ideal. But Hurtt sees him taking off in 2022.
“He got a lot better,” Hurtt continued. ”We hear all the little talk and stuff like that about these things he has to get better at. Jamal is a guy that’s a workaholic, he pays attention to the details. He got a lot better playing quarter coverage safety last year with those things and now it’s continuing to accentuate what he does great.”
CB Sidney Jones
He didn’t even see the field on defense until starting in Week 4 against the 49ers, and his numbers (9 catches allowed, 131 yards, 1 TD) were pretty terrible. But that was Jones’s worst game of the season and now the 26-year-old is the unquestioned number one cornerback that many expected him to become coming out of UW in 2017, prior to his unfortunate pro day injury.
That doesn’t make Jones a “shutdown” corner, just that Seattle has no better options yet that we know of to be the team’s most important cornerback. Re-signed to a one-year deal, Jones can come out of this training camp as a bright spot for the defense and he can end his 2022 season as one of the most sought after free agents in the league if he plays as well he did over his last six games: 18 catches allowed on 33 targets, 0 TD allowed, 124 yards allowed.
CB Artie Burns
In 2020, Burns tore his ACL in training camp with the Bears, ending his bid to be a starter that season. He was just fighting for a roster spot in Chicago last training camp, but now he’s back to competing to start and likely a favorite for that role.
I hope Dee Eskridge is fully up to date, and understands the Seahawks playbook inside and out. Disclaimer as Joe will attest I wanted Seattle to select Eskridge and they did "WOW". If Geno and Drew know Dee will be in the right place he will get more targets. If Dee proves that to the QBs he will also be proving it to Shane Waldron and he will get more number one targets. Personally I hope Seattle are going to use him as a punt returner, as he is electric in that part of the game. No knock on Freddy Swain but he was at punt returner because he was not going to drop the ball.
I am looking forward to learing how are rookies are coming along over the next 6 weeks. Thanks Joe
Dear Seaside,
I love your newsletter. It is the best, most honest coverage of the best team in the world. I have some criticism and attempted to post it in your 600,000 words post, but was unable due to non-paid status.
Before I get into it, let me reiterate - BEST, most HONEST coverage of the Hawks.
My only criticism is this - sometimes you sound defensive to the point where you sound uncredible. I know that you are credible by the substance - the fore thought and unwillingness to embelish or report 'rumors'. However, you sometimes come across as the guy standing on the corner screaming 'the end is nigh and nobody is listening'. I don't mean you spread unecessary gloom, but rather that you sound desperate for people to believe you. I get the impulse. There is so much nonsense in the world now, that it is only natural to yell 'listen to reason!' But it never helps the point. Please keep doing what you're doing, getting rid of the 'listen to me' and 'see, I was right'. It can only grow your readership - something I very much hope happens.
PS - you have sold me on Grayson Mccall to the point I hope we draft him even if lock surpasses hopes.