Monday at Seahawks Training Camp- Darnold, defensive tackles Bohanna, Pili stepping up
Bell mentions that new quarterback Sam Darnold hasn't thrown an interception in practice in an entire week and looks comfortable in Klint Kubiak's new offensive system. Seahawks fans will be eager to get their first look at the former 3rd overall pick in game action the final two preseason contests, but the more Darnold has the offense humming in practice, the less he'll need to show it to the rest of the world before a massive revenge game opportunity against the San Francisco 49ers on September 7th.
Bell also asked Head Coach Mike Macdonald about Quinton Bohanna and Brandon Pili, two young nose tackles who played well in the Seahawks preseason opener after veteran Johnathan Hankins' injury. Macdonald mentioned that they both "have really taken ownership of the trajectory of their career by taking care of their bodies." While the goal of a nose tackle seems as simple as clogging as much space as possible, doing it effectively and consistently is so hard that there's really only a couple good ones at a time.
PFF recognizes this. RDEF is one of their rarest Grades to score high in- only 2 of 67 interior defensive lineman who played over 50% of their team's snaps in 2024 scored over 80.0. The mean of the data set, Seattle's own Jarran Reed, scored just 58.2. Nose tackles serve as specific a role as any defensive player, but the Seahawks have been desperate to stop the run the last three seasons, with their team RDEF Grades ranking painfully average at 17th, 23rd and 18th after ranking 3rd in 2021.
However, it took center-stage last season. The Seahawks 3-0 start was ruined as injuries decimated the defensive line before Week 4's game visiting the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football. They gave up 5.6 yards per carry and two touchdowns to Jahmyr Gibbs as the lack of depth was exposed. The New York Giants saw this and punished Seattle again in Week 5, who had a short week and was still banged up on the defensive front. The Giants funneled Tyrone Tracy to a 129-yard breakout where he averaged 7.2 yards per carry. Just six days after being 3-0 with a chance to make a statement in primetime, the Seahawks were 3-2 and plagued with injuries they couldn't control.
The defensive line wasn't poorly constructed, it was just injured for a few weeks- and the Seahawks moved from 3-0 to 3-2 because of it. Having more options with size at the position in Bohanna (6'4' 327 coming out of college) and Pili (6'2 ⅞' 316) shores the depth up in case of emergency, giving Macdonald a solid Plan B when injuries hit.
Finally, having better-fitting personnel will be a breath of fresh air for the rest of the defensive line. Byron Murphy and Reed, a pair of true 3-technique defensive ends, were forced to play there out of need last year. When Murphy was hurt they were shuffling through practice squad players in the Week 4 and 5 losses while they were undefeated prior. With Bohanna and Pili, Seattle can finally breathe a sigh of relief at a position they've craved depth in for years.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
7 minutes ago
- New York Post
Vikings' Rondale Moore to miss second consecutive season after gut-wrenching knee injury
Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore will miss a second straight season after suffering a devastating left knee injury in Minnesota's preseason opener against the Texans this past weekend, the team confirmed Tuesday. Moore, who missed all of the 2024 campaign after sustaining a right knee injury at training camp as a member of the Falcons, injured his knee Saturday while returning the Texans' first punt. Upon being tackled by Houston linebacker Jamal Hill, the former second-round pick was carted off the field as he slammed his hands in frustration. Advertisement 5 Rondale Moore (4) suffered a season-ending injury against the Texans in the Vikings' preseason opener on Aug. 9, 2025. Getty Images 5 He was tended to by medical personnel and taken off the field. Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images The Vikings, who signed Moore, 25, earlier in the offseason, placed him on injured reserve Tuesday. 'It's one of the most painful things for me as a head coach when I feel that emotion,' head coach Kevin O'Connell said Saturday following the injury. 'I make a life out of trying to leave others better than I found them. In that situation, there is nothing I can do, which is the worst feeling as a coach. So you just consult with him and make sure that he knows he's not going to be alone.' Advertisement 5 Rondale Moore had signed with the Vikings earlier in the offseason. Matt Krohn-Imagn Images The 49th overall pick out of Purdue in the 2021 NFL Draft, Moore began his career with the Cardinals and appeared in 39 regular-season games for Arizona. Moore amassed 1,201 yards, 135 receptions and three touchdowns across three seasons before being traded to the Falcons in March 2024. Advertisement He was placed on injured reserve last summer following the season-ending knee injury. 5 The former second-round pick was carted off the field during the preseason game on Aug. 9, 2025. AP The Vikings are coming off a 14-3 season with journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold under center. Despite a resurgence from Darnold — the Jets' third overall pick in 2018 — Minnesota was blanked by the Rams in the wild-card round of the playoffs in a 27-9 defeat. Advertisement 5 Rondale Moore began his NFL career with the Cardinals in 2021. Getty Images This year, Minnesota is riding with former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, who missed all of his rookie season while recovering from a torn meniscus. When the Vikings open the regular season in September, they'll be without star wideout Jordan Addison, who has been suspended for three games for violating the league's substance abuse policy. The former USC product, who was taken 23rd overall in 2023, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge stemming from a 2024 DUI case. The Vikings visit the Bears in their season opener on 'Monday Night Football' on Sept. 8.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sha'Carri Richardson apologises to boyfriend Christian Coleman after airport domestic violence arrest
Reigning 100m world champion Sha'Carri Richardson has apologised to her boyfriend Christian Coleman following her recent domestic violence arrest at an airport. Richardson was arrested on 27 July on a fourth-degree domestic violence offence for allegedly assaulting Coleman at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and was booked into South Correctional Entity in Des Moines, Washington, for more than 18 hours. The sprinter was due to catch a flight to attend the US track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon, where she failed to qualify for the 200m at this September's World Athletics Championships by one-hundredth of a second. She has an automatic berth in the 100m as the defending world champion. On Monday night, the 25-year-old Richardson posted a video on her Instagram account in which she said she put herself in a 'compromised situation' and she issued a written apology to Coleman on Tuesday morning. 'I love him & to him I can't apologize enough,' wrote Richardson in all capital letters, adding that her apology 'should be just as loud' as her actions. 'To Christian I love you & I am so sorry,' she wrote. She added that Coleman "came into my life & gave me more than a relationship but a greater understanding of unconditional love from what I've experienced in my past." In the video, Richardson said she's practising 'self-reflection' and refuses 'to run away but face everything that comes to me head on.' According to the police report, an officer at the airport was notified by a Transportation Security Administration supervisor of a disturbance between Richardson and Coleman, who won the 100m world title back in 2019. The officer reviewed camera footage and observed Richardson reach out with her left arm, grab Coleman's backpack and yank it away. Richardson then appeared to get in Coleman's way with Coleman trying to step around her. Coleman was shoved into a wall. Later in the report, it said Richardson appeared to throw an item at Coleman, with the TSA indicating it may have been headphones. The officer said in the report: 'I was told Coleman did not want to participate any further in the investigation and declined to be a victim.' Richardson won the 100m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and claimed a silver medal at the Paris Olympics last summer. She also helped the US 4x100m relay to an Olympic gold. She didn't compete during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 following a positive marijuana test at the US Olympic trials. Additional reporting from Associated Press
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Rylie Mills' road from Lake Forest through Notre Dame leads to ‘special' opportunity with Seattle Seahawks
Playing in the NFL has long seemed like a realistic possibility for defensive lineman Rylie Mills. The former Lake Forest standout's five-year Notre Dame career, which included the past two seasons as a highly productive starter, only brought him closer. But Mills suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during the Fighting Irish's College Football Playoff win over Indiana on Dec. 20. 'I knew something was wrong, but I wanted somehow to return to the game,' he said. 'I tried a couple of times, but they wouldn't let me. I thought at first I'd be back for the playoffs, but that obviously didn't happen. It certainly wasn't how I wanted to end my college career.' Indeed, Mills had surgery shortly thereafter and was a spectator for the rest of the four-game playoff run, which ended with Notre Dame's 34-23 loss to Ohio State in the national championship game. Mills' injury also affected his status for the NFL draft in April. He recorded a team-high 7.5 sacks to go along with 37 tackles and four quarterback hurries as a senior to earn a slew of postseason accolades, including an All-American second-team selection, and generate positive draft buzz. But given Mills' uncertain return date and his inability to work out at the combine or any pro days, he lasted until the fifth round, when the Seattle Seahawks grabbed him with the 142nd overall pick. 'The feedback I was getting before I got hurt was that my draft status was going higher,' he said. 'It was tough at the combine for scouts to tell me that they love my tape. 'Seattle was a great place to land, though. They have a great foundation. The staff is amazing. I'm just taking it day by day.' With NFL preseason action underway, the 6-foot-5, 290-pounds Mills remains on the non-football injury list. But he has graduated to individual running drills on grass and has been able to take in every aspect of the mental preparation that is so essential in making a successful jump from college to the NFL. 'We have a lot of experience on the defensive line, so I lean on them to gain as much knowledge as possible,' Mills said, highlighting 10-year NFL veteran Leonard Williams. 'In meetings, we talk all the time about what everyone's seeing from the offense, and I pick up new things all the time from watching and listening.' Mills is also seeing the high-stakes nature of the NFL and how much pressure exists on players to produce. That was evident to some extent in college, but this is a different ballgame, both literally and figuratively. 'It's a real job, which makes a huge difference, and you're trying to be one of the best in the world,' Mills said. 'Every day I try to take in how special it is to have this opportunity and make sure I put in all the work necessary to make a positive impression.' Lake Forest coach Chuck Spagnoli wouldn't be surprised if Mills, who finished his Notre Dame career with 17 sacks, makes a position impression in Seattle. 'When I talked to people at Notre Dame, they were always glowing about him, and he was always getting more productive,' Spagnoli said. 'We always hoped he'd have this kind of opportunity, but he created it himself. Hopefully he'll develop into a great NFL player.' Mills has certainly learned to adapt to the realities of his knee injury. Although he couldn't lead Notre Dame to a national championship on the field, that didn't mean his tenure as an influential team captain was finished. 'Coach (Marcus) Freeman said I could handle this adversity in one of two ways,' Mills said. 'I could do anything I could to be as useful as possible, or I could dwell on things. I'm glad I chose the more positive mindset.' Due to the timing of his surgery, Mills couldn't attend Notre Dame's 23-10 win over Georgia in the quarterfinals on Jan. 2. But he was bound and determined to get to the semifinal game against Penn State in suburban Miami seven days later. Mills couldn't fly, so a Notre Dame fundraising agency called Rally proposed a unique travel arrangement. 'They got me an NIL deal with an RV company, and we drove down to Florida,' Mills said. 'It was my parents, girlfriend, the dog — and my uncle drove. It was pretty close quarters there and back for about 40 hours.'
