Seahawks training camp: Five takeaways so far as tensions begin to boil

New York Times

2 days ago

RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks held their fourth training camp practice Saturday, and early in the session, running back Kenny McIntosh went down with a leg injury during a special teams period. He was helped off the field and didn't return. It is believed McIntosh suffered a torn ACL, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
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Coach Mike Macdonald was not available to the media after practice, so there's no official word on McIntosh's status. A seventh-round pick in 2023, McIntosh was RB3 behind Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. Losing him for the season would likely push seventh-round rookie Damien Martinez up the depth chart.
On Monday, the Seahawks will practice in pads and show more of their new-look offense. For now, here are five takeaways from the first four days of camp, ahead of Sunday's off-day.
The third and fourth days of training camp were more intense than the first couple of sessions, which is to be expected based on the way coach Mike Macdonald structures practice. Friday's practice featured one-on-one drills between the offensive and defensive lines, and that's always a recipe for a high-energy session.
During a team period that same day, outside linebacker Derick Hall launched offensive tackle Josh Jones into the backfield. On Saturday, Hall said putting his teammate on the ground wasn't intentional and is not something he should do in a padless practice. But as defensive tackle Jarran Reed said on Friday, something of that nature was inevitable because of all the trash talk.
'There are some things you can tell that are boiling,' Macdonald said Friday. 'That'll be fun to watch throughout the rest of camp. A little earlier this year than normal, but that's good.'
Practice on Saturday was more of the same. It's interesting to watch how the offense responds to the chirping on the defensive side of the ball. In the past, one of the few training camp guarantees was that whenever the defense got fired up and chatty, DK Metcalf would bark back in the name of the offense. Geno Smith did the same once becoming the starting quarterback.
There doesn't seem to be an obvious candidate to take over that role. If I had to guess, it would likely end up being someone from the tight end room. AJ Barner and Eric Saubert were among the players to work out with Sam Darnold in California earlier this month. When asked why they attended, both had similar answers: They're always looking for opportunities to get better. Barner also referred to the tight ends as 'tone-setters' on offense, the way Devon Witherspoon — who does a lot of talking — is on defense. Players with that mindset tend to wind up as vocal leaders.
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'We're bringing juice,' Barner said of the tight ends. 'We're setting the tone and playing defense, but on offense with the ball in our hands and blocking.'
Speaking of tight ends, Barner and second-round rookie Elijah Arroyo were very active Saturday. Barner had an excellent contested catch for a touchdown during a goal-line period. Inside linebacker Drake Thomas (filling in for Ernest Jones IV) was all over Barner, but Darnold put it where only the tight end could reach it.
In seven-on-seven action a few minutes later, Barner beat inside linebacker Tyrice Knight in the end zone for a short touchdown, again from Darnold. Two plays later, Arroyo got free near the sideline for a goal-line touchdown from Darnold. Arroyo also caught several passes for first downs later in the day, from both Darnold and Drew Lock. He has the potential to be a very tough assignment for linebackers.
'Very talented player,' Barner said of Arroyo. 'Easy mover, good kid, too. He takes the time to learn the playbook and all that. I expect great things from Elijah, and I think it's going to be a big year for him.'
On Friday, Jaxon Smith-Njigba was asked to give his thoughts on the offense under new coordinator Klint Kubiak. His answer spoke to something Seattle has lacked in recent years: identity.
'I just love the mentality of our offense,' the third-year wide receiver said. 'Ground-and-pound, take some shots, mix it up. It's a very versatile offense, so I'm excited about that.'
The ground-and-pound style of play is one Seahawks fans know very well. That's how Seattle operated under former offensive coordinators Darrell Bevell and Brian Schottenheimer. They had different ways of going about it — Bevell had the benefit of Russell Wilson's legs, whereas Schottenheimer often used a sixth offensive lineman — but the intent was the same: Punch the defense in the mouth. Kubiak's offense has the same mindset.
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On Saturday, Leonard Williams and Hall talked about the particulars of Kubiak's wide-zone scheme that make life hard on defensive linemen. Hall said Kubiak's offense puts 'a lot' of stress on the edge players due to all the motions, shifts and alignments, particularly with the tight ends and the fullback. Williams echoed that sentiment but with more of an emphasis on the guards and tackles.
'It's pretty hard for me sometimes getting in my stance and you don't know whether the guard and tackle are going to completely run that way or this way,' Williams said. 'You have to get adjusted to that.'
In other words, the scheme keeps the defense honest.
'Sometimes it's easy for me to read when the ball is coming my way,' Williams said. 'But they're doing a good job. We're even using a fullback, which is pretty rare nowadays. They're shifting him from out lined up like a wide receiver to behind the ball. It just tricks the defense a little bit.'
The scheme isn't foolproof, of course. The Falcons, for instance, ran this scheme against Seattle in Week 7 last year, and their two running backs combined for 117 yards and a touchdown on just 15 attempts in the first half. Seattle adjusted and held Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier to 22 yards on 11 carries in the second half. But as Williams said Saturday, facing the scheme requires some getting used to. That's where Seattle, which is basically deploying the same offensive line that wasn't very good last year, can have the upper hand early in games.
'It's definitely hard on the defense because you're stretching the ball for so long, and everyone has to have their gap integrity the whole time,' Williams said. 'So, sometimes it's hard to stay in my gap running sideways running for 5 or 6 yards.'
Darnold is playing well against a defense that should be one of the league's best this season. As he talked about Thursday, the goal for him is to consistently make the right read. Often when playing against Macdonald's defense, which is tricky to decipher because of all the post-snap rotations and disguised pressures, the right play is to check it down to a running back or tight end, take 3 or 4 yards and move to the next play.
Starting Monday, the defensive line can really cut loose and change everything up front, but in these four padless sessions, Darnold has taken what's available based on the look.
Not every time, though. He's been picked off twice on similar-looking concepts. On Thursday, he tried to throw across the field to Smith-Njigba, and the ball was undercut by safety D'Anthony Bell. On Friday, he tried another over route to Smith-Njigba, and that one was snagged from underneath by safety Julian Love. In both instances, it seemed as if Darnold either didn't see the underneath safety, or saw him and didn't put enough air under the ball to get it over the defender.
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Beyond those two specific plays in a large sample of reps over the first four days, Darnold appears to be doing a good job commanding the offense.
'Sam's movement ability, accuracy, is definitely on display,' Macdonald said.
We've yet to see any of the designed quarterback runs that made Jalen Milroe such a dynamic player at Alabama. Instead, he's being brought along as a legitimate dropback passer, just like Darnold and Lock. Milroe is showing a decent feel for playing in a timing-based offense and knowing when to let it rip, or when a window is closed off and it's time to progress to the next read. Milroe's ceiling is high because of his legs, but his accuracy and decision-making as a passer will determine his floor. He's off to a good start.
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'You see a decisiveness in his game,' Macdonald said. 'Eyes are in the right spot, more consistently. He could probably go into detail. It just seems to me like it's a quicker delivery. The footwork is starting to match the routes and the concepts.'
Christian Haynes has been taking snaps at center and is in the mix to be the starter, Macdonald said. Jalen Sundell and Olu Oluwatimi are ahead of him in that position battle, but it's no longer just the two of them going at it. Haynes, a 2024 third-round pick, is also battling with Anthony Bradford for the starting job at right guard. Sundell and Oluwatimi have also taken snaps at right guard. Macdonald and Kubiak are leaving no stone unturned in their search for the best possible five up front.
Macdonald doesn't want to put a timeline on naming the starting five. He'd like to have that settled sooner rather than later, but he's willing to let the competition run into the preseason games if necessary.
'You have to just trust the process,' he said. 'If you start putting a timeline on it, you might be forced to make a decision that's premature. Or you're waiting too long; maybe it declares itself before (the hypothetical timeline).'
(Photo of Julian Love: Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)