Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak praises Anthony Bradford
Bradford is the heavy in-house favorite to win the starting job. The Seahawks' coaching staff has consistently praised Bradford this offseason for the improvement he's displayed. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak had great things to say about his third-year blocker during Tuesday's 17th training camp practice.
"AB [Bradford] has made great strides," Kubiak said. "Obviously he's a physical presence, but you see more consistency in his game throughout camp, so I see a guy that's playing more confident."
Bradford struggled mightily under then-OC Ryan Grubb at right guard last season. The former LSU blocker was benched on multiple occasions. Pro Football Focus assigned Bradford an overall offensive grade of 48.3.
The hirings of Kubiak and offensive line coach John Benton have seemingly given Bradford new life. The 2023 fourth-round selection appears to finally be showcasing the improvement the Seahawks hoped he'd show last season. Bradford could be poised for a breakout year.
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New York Times
21 minutes ago
- New York Times
How Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp could co-exist in the Seahawks' new offense
RENTON, Wash. — Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald plans to play his starters against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night, likely marking the first time we'll see Seattle's new-look receiver duo of Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Seattle signed Kupp to a three-year free-agent deal worth $45 million as part of an offensive overhaul that began with trading DK Metcalf and releasing Tyler Lockett. The team also signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling to a one-year, $4 million contract because of his deep-ball ability, but in an offense that considers a fullback one of its starters, the 32-year-old Kupp will be the main guy tasked with complementing Smith-Njigba. Advertisement Smith-Njigba led NFL wide receivers in catches (79) and yards (956) when operating out of the slot last season (all stats provided by TruMedia unless stated otherwise). He tied several other players for second with five receiving touchdowns from the slot, behind Jaguars rookie Brian Thomas Jr. (seven). One of those others was Kupp, who was released by the Los Angeles Rams in the offseason. The Rams no longer saw Kupp as a viable No. 2 receiver. Seattle is essentially betting on Los Angeles being wrong. Kupp is at his best when operating from the slot. But so is Smith-Njigba. The goal for offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and his staff is to maximize the talents of both players. The exhibition against Kansas City will offer the first glimpse at how they plan to do that in a game setting. 'It's going to be interesting because Cooper just has every trick of the trade,' safety Julian Love said early in training camp. 'Obviously, he's been a high-level player in this league, and Jax is on his way up as well. It's going to be fun to watch them. Going against those guys, they both don't talk much on the field, and, as you know, the defense talks a lot. But they're just all about action, which we love and appreciate.' These four weeks of training camp practices have confirmed what Kupp's film from last season revealed: He's still got plenty left in the tank. Kupp is not a speedster down the field. That's why the Seahawks signed Valdes-Scantling and used a fifth-round pick on Tory Horton, a guy who ran a 4.41 at the NFL Scouting Combine coming off surgery to repair his LCL and hamstring. What Kupp can do, though, is get open against Devon Witherspoon. This stands out because Witherspoon, a two-time Pro Bowler, is arguably the best coverage defender in a Seattle secondary that might be one of the bests in the league this season. Though a fully focused Riq Woolen might challenge Witherspoon for the coverage crown, the latter is undoubtedly Seattle's best defender in the slot. And Kupp puts a ton of pressure on slot defenders. Advertisement 'His understanding of the game, understanding of leverage, how to move people, where he needs to move people, what you're playing, what your leverage is — he understands the answers to the test before you're doing the test,' defensive coordinator Aden Durde said. 'You see that. I see that in the play, I see it in the film. It's great for these guys to compete against him.' .@seahawks WR Cooper Kupp is set to face his former team twice in 2025. Find out when 🔜 📺: NFL Schedule Release — Wednesday 8pm ET on NFLN/ESPN2📱: Stream on @NFLPlus — NFL (@NFL) May 12, 2025 Coaches and teammates seem to be most impressed with the mental side of Kupp's game. Second-string quarterback Drew Lock said Kupp is constantly studying throughout the week and regularly meets with the quarterbacks. He's 'overly focused on the details,' Lock said, which explains his knack for having the answers to the very difficult tests that Macdonald's gives them. 'Just the way he operates on the field and off the field, really impressive,' Lock said. 'Knows how to set up routes. Knows how to get open within the timing of the play. He knows what's going on, like in a very cut-and-dry way. He knows why we're calling plays. He knows when he needs to get open — and he can get open.' Kupp gets open with elite quickness out of his breaks. This stands out when he's going against Witherspoon, whose twitchiness is next level. Witherspoon also has a high football IQ and correctly calls out plays before they develop, so it takes more than quickness to get a step on him when running a slant or breaking outside. Kupp has shown the mental and physical capacity to win his fair share of battles against one of the best. 'Every time I watch (Kupp) at practice, I'm just like, 'Damn, I have to put that in my bag,'' Horton said. 'He's got some crazy top-of-the-route moves, and I'm always asking him how he's reading leverage and things like that. I'm just a sponge; I'm going to ask a lot of questions. (I admire) just his decisiveness on the field and how smart and where he is on the field.' This bodes well for Seattle's plan to have a dynamic offense that often relies on two-receiver personnel groupings. But to really make it work, Smith-Njigba has to dominate everywhere on the field. The Seahawks will often line up in condensed formations to create mismatches and capitalize on play-action concepts. That's something general manager John Schneider mentioned in March when describing how their two slot receivers would co-exist, and it's held true in camp. Advertisement Still, it was worth wondering whether Smith-Njigba, a Pro Bowler as an injury replacement last year, could be a matchup problem from other alignments. He has certainly looked like a problem in practice. 'From my last year to now, (I see) the growth in being precise and being exact with depth, knowing how to get off press,' said Lock, who played with Smith-Njigba in 2023. 'He's just evolving into a true, true elite receiver. You saw those signs super early. He was making plays left and right as a rookie. … That jump from (Year) 1 to 3, (he's) just a guy you can count on down in, down out.' Smith-Njigba isn't known for his speed, but he's been able to win as an outside receiver in practice with shiftiness at the line of scrimmage. Once he gets a step on the defender, he's hard to stick with down the field, unless Woolen is the man in coverage. One of Smith-Njigba's best plays of camp was a touchdown reception from Sam Darnold on fourth-and-goal against the starting defense. Smith-Njigba was lined up against Josh Jobe — CB3 when the Seahawks are in nickel — released outside, then sold the fade route before cutting back toward the front pylon to catch a dart with the defender all over him. He's had wins like that against Woolen in one-on-one drills as well. More JSN outside the numbers. This one on 4th and goal. (🎥: @Seahawks) — Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) August 6, 2025 'I definitely wouldn't categorize him as just a slot receiver; he's one of the best receivers in the league,' Love said. 'He has every skill set you need to be a top-end receiver in this league. Speed, route running, catch radius, yards after catch, he has everything checked off.' The only box Seattle's starting offense hasn't checked off with consistency is the deep ball (though Smith-Njiga did get one on Jobe last week). In response to a question about how Valdes-Scantling has performed in camp, Kubiak mentioned that Macdonald's unit has done a great job keeping a lid on the defense and not allowing many deep explosive plays. That makes Friday night a potentially interesting debut for Seattle's top two wideouts. Kupp and Smith-Njigba have no issue winning underneath, but can they stretch the field? Macdonald said first-stringers would start against Kansas City, with a few exceptions. Assuming Kupp and Smith-Njigba are active, one thing to watch is whether they can take the top off the Chiefs' defense. Advertisement There's no need to press the panic button if they don't, but the film of Kupp and Smith-Njigba will be notable regardless. Seattle's passing game is built around what Darnold does best, and Kupp and Smith-Njigba will likely be the guys catching most of his touchdowns this season. The Seahawks are putting a lot on their shoulders, banking on their ability to co-exist and be key cogs in an elite offense. 'Both of them know how to get open in all the spots,' Lock said. 'Coop can get open at Z on the outside of a three-by-one (formation). And you can put Jax at the X on the other side. And vice versa. We both know they can play in the slot at F. Being able to work press as a single, work press as an F, work press as a Z, understand the concepts, knowing when to get open, where am I in the progression — that allows us to be free with playing those guys anywhere and everywhere.' (Photo of Cooper Kupp, left, and Sam Darnold: Steph Chambers / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Seahawks to play Sam Darnold, other starters against Chiefs
Last week when the Seattle Seahawks took on the Las Vegas Raiders in the first week of the preseason, nearly all the starters rested. Entering Week 2 of the preseason, that will change. When head coach Mike Macdonald was asked if starters will play this Friday against the Kansas City Chiefs, Macdonald stated, 'There might be a couple of guys that will vary based on whether they get out there or not. We're still working through it right now, but, our guys are going to start the game out. We'll see how long it goes.' Macdonald further mentioned that Sam Darnold and the offense as a whole will get playing time against Kansas City, indicating that even though it's not a necessity, 'it's the best thing for us.' Notably, in last week's tie versus the Raiders, there were only a few non-rookie starters/key contributors who saw playing time: Abe Lucas, Anthony Bradford, and Josh Jobe, of whom Bradford and Jobe are in camp battles at their respective positions. Listening to what coach Macdonald had to say, the dozens of other starters, notably Sam Darnold and the rest of the offense, seem to be in store for at least one or two drives on Friday night. This is not atypical for preseason Week 2 in today's NFL. The Chiefs, however, are breaking from their usual pattern under Andy Reid and are likely to rest starters (including Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce) against the Seahawks. With that, if there is any tell as to what the 2025 Seahawks may look like this season, this Friday night against the Chiefs may be the closest Seahawks' fans will get until the regular season.
USA Today
12 hours ago
- USA Today
DJ Pickett may not be the only LSU football freshman making an impact on defense
LSU football cornerback DJ Pickett will make an immediate impact in 2025. The five-star freshman was one of LSU's most talented defenders the moment he arrived on campus. But he's not the only freshman with a chance to see the field. LSU safety CJ Jimcoily could eventually earn a spot in the rotation, too. Jimcoily was a three-star in the finals Rivals Industry Rankings of 2025 -- not the exact profile of a guy who plays right away in the SEC. But Jimcoily's strong early impression, along with LSU's depth concerns at safety, could work in Jimcoily's favor. Jimcoily is playing the STAR position in Blake Baker's defense. Harold Perkins has a strong grip on the starting spot, but down the depth chart, it's wide open. While the Industry Rankings had Jimcoily as a three-star, Rivals was high on Jimcoliy, ranking the Nashville product as a four-star and No. 13 at his position. At 6-foot-3, Jimcoily has the size you want in a safety/linebacker hybrid. It's exactly what Baker is looking for at the STAR spot. I wouldn't expect Jimcoily to play a lot, or even at all, early. But as LSU enters the stretch and depth is tested, LSU might need the freshman. LSU wasn't afraid to rely on true freshman defenders in 2024. If a guy is ready, Brian Kelly and Baker will put them on the field. Jimcoily could be playing a role when games matter in November.
