Seahawks Training Camp Summary: First 4 Days
New season, same mission: Seahawks players, coaches ready to write a 'unique' Super Bowl story with a roster that looks a lot like last year's
Daily training camp reports are fine. Weekly training camp summaries are better. Why? Because from only one day of practice, you don’t know what the lies are yet.
One genuinely good practice could be followed by two undeniably bad days. One session that a player wishes he could have back could be followed by three days of perfection.
The Seattle Seahawks have just complete four days of training camp. What have we learned so far?
What We Learned From the First Four Days of Seahawks Training Camp
It’s not a remake, it’s a reimagining
The Seahawks don’t expect to just repeat what they did last year and win the Super Bowl again. Instead, Mike Macdonald’s messaging to the team and through his first couple of press conference appearances is a fresh twist on existing IP, so to speak.
It’s not so different than the current state of the film industry and Hollywood’s lack of original ideas, but fear of the word “remake”.
“One of the messages of the team right now is, you know, this is a new team,” said Macdonald to the press this week.
“I’m different than I was this time last year, I’m different than I was at the end of last season. 30 percent of our roster is probably different. We’ve got changes on our coaching staff. We’re all kind of new people here in this situation, which by definition makes us a new team too.”
Between offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, several new assistants, and some notable departures, Macdonald’s not wrong that Seattle won’t look exactly the same as last year. However, he may also be exaggerating how different the Seahawks will look, at least superficially.
Seattle has virtually the exact same starting lineup from 2025, minus a change at running back, in all three phases of the game, making the Seahawks remarkably similar to last season. Aside from a few competitions that could inspire lineup changes at some point, Macdonald won’t be able to avoid the comparisons to Seattle’s Super Bowl team.
But he’s implying that he’s tweaking the formula, updating the system based on how players have changed from last year (some are going to be better, others are going to be slightly less able to do the things they used to do), and treating 2026 like a brand new team.
That idea has gotten through to the players, according to some other press conferences this week:
Julian Love: “It could be real easy to be like, ‘Let’s keep on going what we did last year—the same theme, same whatever.’ But we are dialed into just building it up how we want to build it up for this year….The ideas, those pillars we had last year, it’s like, okay, do we want to create new ones? Do we want to have that same kind of umbrella, but really think differently about what makes it up—who we are in this current day?”
“We want to shape this thing and learn it, start from ground level, and incorporate everybody along.”
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: “There’s been a new energy, just kind of a fresh start….We want to create a new story with this upcoming season because we have different guys in the building. Unique story, unique challenge. The Super Bowl was great. Love to have it, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to brush that off to the side. No one really cares once we line it up, first snap this season.”
Cooper Kupp: “You don’t want to fall into this idea that just because something worked that it was the best way of doing things. At the same time there’s the balance of knowing that if something did work that it’s best not to fix something that was working. So treat this like every other year.”
You can’t deny how much this version of the Seahawks is like the last one: Kenneth Walker is the only player who had more than 55 snaps on offense who isn’t on the roster anymore, Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen are the only notable departures on defense, and everyone except for Dareke Young is back on special teams.
However, repeating can feel impossible because champions don’t reinvent themselves. They don’t know how to be great in a way that is unpredictable.
The mission statement to returning players is to act like you’ve been there before, but continue to develop your skills as if you could still be better.
Training Camp Standouts
Jadarian Price can do even more than expected
First-round rookies almost never fly under the radar, but Price had kind of been an exception for a few reasons. One being that not a lot of analysts projected him to be a first-round pick unless it was Seattle at 32, which is what happened. He’s not going unnoticed anymore.
Price is one of the early standouts in camp, especially as it pertains to his previously questioned skillset as a receiver.
Ernest Jones on Seahawks rookie RB Jadarian Price: “He’s good man. He had a helluva route on me today. I think he’s gonna help us.”
Albert Breer reported that Charbonnet’s readiness for Week 1 could be a close call, and Seattle intends to be cautious in the hope of having him at his best later in the season.
According to all the reports I’ve read this week, Price has repeatedly earned praise for areas that often determine whether a rookie running back can play immediately: receiving, pass protection, preparation and maturity. He has shown that he can contribute to the passing game rather than functioning only as an early-down runner. Jalen Milroe found him for a sizable gain Tuesday when Price got behind safety Maxen Hook, another example of his ability to become involved beyond conventional handoffs.
Macdonald has said Price can do almost everything: “He’s doing a lot of great things in pass protection, which I appreciate.”
Ernest Jones praised his maturity. Practice reports have highlighted his receiving and protection work. These are the responsibilities of a starting running back that could earn Price more snaps in September than was previously expected in May, based on the start of camp.
This does not mean that Price has won a three-down competition, by any means. Bob Condotta reported this week:
“Third-year player George Holani is typically still the first back in the lineup when the No. 1 offense takes the field, followed by Price and free-agent signee Emanuel Wilson.”
There is also the Zach Charbonnet question that will linger into the middle of the season and how he eventually fits into the committee. Macdonald said the staff is studying what each back can do so that players can be placed into the proper roles. Price’s versatility gives the coaches more options, and because of his potential to be a better receiving weapon than Walker, the Seahawks may end up giving him more touches than most expected.
Rashid Shaheed ready for larger, more sophisticated role
Breer reported that the staff loves Shaheed’s elusiveness in addition to his straight-line speed and could use him on gadget concepts similar to some of the ways San Francisco used Deebo Samuel.
“And having Brian Fleury come over from San Francisco—which is where 2025 OC Klint Kubiak migrated from as well—has helped, in that he’s getting some continuity after working in a bunch of different schemes early in his career.
What’ll be interesting is how Shaheed helps the team to preserve Cooper Kupp a bit, with Kupp also likely to be battling tight end Elijah Arroyo and fullback Robbie Ouzts for snaps as the team works through different personnel groupings.”
I assume Breer probably means more of the 2023 Deebo (900 receiving yards, 225 rushing yards) than the 2021 version (1,400 receiving, 365 rushing) but that would still be an amazing return for the Seahawks given how little Seattle ended up using Shaheed on offense last year.
But as a trade deadline acqusiition, that limited the team’s ability to build specialized concepts around him. With a full offseason, his confidence has reportedly grown, his timing with Sam Darnold has improved, and the coaching staff has gained a better understanding of how to use him.
Shaheed can stretch the field vertically, but the more revealing information from camp is that Seattle does not view him solely as a deep threat; Seattle may attempt to manufacture touches for him through motion, screens, misdirection, handoffs and other concepts that force defenders to locate him before the snap.
There haven’t been a lot of direct quotes about Shaheed in camp, but Macdonald sung his praises last month:
“Rashid, he deserves a lot of credit. He’s been here the whole time. He’s had a great attitude. He’s had a lot of personal records in our offseason training program. The timing of our plays look like it should, given the amount of reps that are invested into it. I know I’m as excited as heck to see where it goes.”
Shaheed is really a 1-of-1 “gadget” in Seattle’s offense and I don’t use that term in a derogatory way. He’s arguably the most “Kyle Sahanahan” weapon on the offense because of his speed and versatility, and he will take pressure off of JSN and Kupp while opening up underneath options for Darnold by taking the top off the defense.
One of the big questions before camp was how much better Shaheed could be if he worked on his timing with Darnold, and the early returns on camp indicate that chemistry won’t be an issue anymore.
Jalen Milroe’s stock steadily rising
I don’t think there’s a single Seahawks fan who dislikes Jalen Milroe, but many have questioned if he’s an NFL quarterback or another mid-round pick drafted for “upside” who will wash out in a few years. Well, if you’re looking for an answer to which way he’s leaning, you won’t get it today, or next week, or probably next month.
But at least most people who were there agreed that Tuesday was Milroe’s best practice in the NFL so far.
Bob Condotta described it as one of Milroe’s best passing practices of his young NFL career. Milroe rolled out and threw a touchdown to Cody White during seven-on-seven work. He later moved left and fired a strong pass to Eric Saubert. He connected with Price for a sizable gain and threw another red-zone touchdown to Ricky White III.
It was perhaps enough to balance out his interception to end practice on Modnay, if not put him back in the conversation as one of the most exciting prospects on the roster. He also has a fan named Cooper Kupp.
“He’s doing a great job. I think that first year there’s a lot happening, the amount of thinking that’s going on, he’s settled in and letting it rip, which is. awesome. Letting balls go with anticipation that he wasn’t last year and that’s been pretty cool to see.”
I’ve heard “throwing with Anticipation” cited as the most important trait in a quarterback by more than a few former NFL starters, so that’s perhaps the most encouraging report of Milroe’s camp thus far.
But it’s still so early in camp—pads have not come on yet and the first week is notoriously good for receivers because of how little the defensive backs are allowed to do—that the context of Tuesday’s practice still matters.
That being said, Milroe’s goal isn’t to dethrone Sam Darnold (sorry, Mike Salk). It’s to get a little bit better everyday. He’s done that in camp so far.
Ricky White III’s quiet ascension
Speaking of Milroe, several of his best plays came on passes to White, the second-year receiver who I’ve often cited as my dark horse to make the roster and have an impact on special teams. Condotta specifically said on Tuesday that White is having a “strong camp” and he was also shouted out by John Boyle.
He caught a red-zone touchdown from Milroe on Tuesday, another feather in the cap for Seaside Joe subscribers who are debating this week whether Seattle will keep a WR6 and if it could be White.
White needs to prove that he can create separation, execute assignments, contribute on special teams and remain reliable when opportunities come from quarterbacks lower on the depth chart. Milroe should play the majority of snaps in the preseason, and White could end up being his WR1.
Will that be enough to make him WR6?
D’Anthony Bell taking advantage of opportunity
With Nick Emmanwori’s surprise inclusion on the PUP list to start training camp, Bell has taken over as the big nickel with the starters, and so far he seems to have done better than anticipated based on all the reports I’ve read.
Julian Love described Bell as “real, authentic to who he is, a true pro” and noted that despite being asked to do a lot, he’s smart enough “to do everything”. Love also called him a natural playmaker with a knack for getting around the football, whether through interceptions or forced fumbles.
The Seahawks took the risk to waive Bell late last season, which led to him joining the Carolina Panthers prior to returning in the offseason. Love said teammates were genuinely hurt that Bell was no longer with them and described his absence as one of the disappointing parts of the playoff run.
Breer added that Emmanwori’s absence is allowing Seattle to explore roles for Bell and Tyrice Knight because Emmanwori effectively performs duties associated with both safety and linebacker. I am still really intrigued by Knight, but Bell’s worst case scenario if he makes the roster is that he’s one of the best players on special teams.
And in Emmanwori’s worst case scenario, D’Anthony Bell could be starting against the Patriots in Week 1.
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We aren’t even close to done with what’s happened in the first four days: More Rookie Reports beyond Jadarian Price; new injuries and updates on old injuries; the latest position battle news; and so much more.
The surprising 7th round pick …
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