NASHVILLE — There was a lot of deception in the Seahawks’ preseason plans during the Pete Carroll era. Even when all signs pointed to little to no use of the starters, Carroll stuck to his “always compete” mantra and generally kept his plans to himself.
Perhaps it is easier to be more open about preseason plans now that few teams are using their core players frequently or not at all and are instead using joint practices to give their core players the workouts they need – as the Seahawks did this week in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans.
But Macdonald said this week that Seattle’s starting players “probably won’t play” in the Seahawks’ second preseason game here on Saturday at 4 p.m. Pacific Time against the Titans.
And that was before Seattle’s starters got as many live contact snaps as they needed in a regular season game on Wednesday and Thursday in 90-degree heat against the Titans.
Seattle’s starting defense also won two series against the Chargers last Saturday.
Macdonald expressed overall satisfaction with the team’s performance after Thursday’s practice in Nashville, saying, “The guys were ready to practice… The mindset is to go out and practice, be focused and try to do our best and improve. I think you see that everywhere, especially with the veterans.”
Titans coach Brian Callahan also said Thursday that his team’s regular players will not play and that third-team quarterback Malik Willis will start.
“It was obviously two really hard, physical, tough days of work for them (the starters),” Callahan said. “No reason to put them in the game. We worked in a controlled way against them here.”
So this is shaping up to be another backup bowl for the Seahawks.
That doesn’t mean, however, that there aren’t reasons to watch.
Here are five that stand out.
More work for Sam Howell
Geno Smith has probably done as much work as he wants in practices here this preseason, so he has left the quarterback duties to backups Sam Howell and PJ Walker in the last two preseason games.
Howell also played three quarters of the season opener against the Chargers and put up some solid numbers — 16 of 27 for 130 yards and a touchdown. He also got plenty of work against the Titans (including a final two-minute drill with the backups on Thursday that ended with him throwing an interception to linebacker Chance Campbell over the middle.)
Of course, Howell’s numbers could look better if he got a chance to throw to DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxson Smith-Njigba. Only Smith-Njigba played in the first game, but after getting a lot of work here, it will be interesting to see if he plays in the game — it’s unlikely to be for snaps.
Alternatively, Howell will have to play against a Tennessee defense that is playing with its substitutes – and whose second line is already injured.
The Seahawks will primarily expect Howell to make good decisions and avoid interceptions and drive-killing sacks.
Tyrice Knight’s Development
Knight, a fourth-round pick from UTEP, continues to work with the starting defense at the weakside linebacker position alongside Jerome Baker, who missed the last two weeks and is still sidelined with a hamstring injury — and there is no clear expected arrival time. Baker also missed the offseason program as he recovered from previous injuries.
Asked if Baker’s absence worried him, Macdonald said on Wednesday: “Exactly the same attitude. We have to get the other guys ready to go and when he comes back, we’ll go for it.”
Knight played most of the first preseason game, and while he’s been busy in practice, he could get a little more playing time as the team continues to try to get him ready in the event he has to play in the regular season.
“Yeah, we push him hard on purpose,” Macdonald said this week. “But just keep doing that, man, keep finding new things to screw up and you’ll keep growing.”
Backup middle linebacker Jon Rhattigan also missed joint practice sessions due to a heel injury, meaning two of the team’s top four inside linebackers were out – and that’s why Seattle has signed Blake Lynch and brought back Easton Gibbs in the last 10 days, both of whom served as backup ILBs here.
The battle for the backup running back
Don’t expect Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet to play – Charbonnet is also battling a back problem that kept him out of action this week, though Macdonald said he doesn’t think it’s serious.
That leaves the starting running back work to undrafted rookie free agent George Holani and second-year player Kenny McIntosh, who are neck and neck for the third running back spot – or could simply force Seattle to keep each of them on the initial 53-man roster.
Holani worked as Walker’s replacement in the number one offensive line this week, with McIntosh usually at two – suggesting that Holani is ahead in the rankings.
But it was McIntosh who started on offense in a recent 11-on-11 two-minute drill on Thursday, and caught a pass from Smith for a short gain on one of Seattle’s eight plays on that drive. That seems to indicate Seattle still sees McIntosh as a contender for the two-minute role on third down. A big question about McIntosh is his pass blocking, something Holani did well on a few occasions against the Chargers.
The sudden competition for the right guard position
While most of their regulars won’t play, the Seahawks could still give their current starting trio on the offensive line some work as they continue to rebuild. Olu Oluwatimi is currently the starting center, but newly signed free agent Connor Williams could begin practicing next week, and Oluwatimi could get more action against the Titans to continue to gain experience as a second-year player.
Seattle also reshuffled its guard position, adding third-round rookie Christian Haynes to the starting lineup at right guard on Thursday while Anthony Bradford was among the backups (Bradford was at the 1s on Wednesday).
Haynes also played a bit of left guard against the Chargers (three of his 41 total snaps, according to Pro Football Focus) behind starter Laken Tomlinson. Bradford was the presumptive starter at RG after starting 10 games a year ago. But Haynes seems to be filling the void and could get more opportunities against the Titans.
Will a replacement WR step in?
As mentioned, Lockett (who sat out practice here) or Metcalf are not expected to play. Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo are also unlikely to do much, if anything, as they have had a lot to do here.
That should give players like Dareke Young, Laviska Shenault Jr., Easop Winston Jr. and Cody White enough room to solidify their chances at a fifth and/or sixth WR spot. One player who could miss out on that opportunity is Dee Eskridge, who didn’t practice here while he was injured (no specific injury was specified). This is the latest setback for the 2021 second-round pick who may soon be out of opportunities.
