Seahawks training camp: Defense dominates on Day 1 in pads, highlighted by pick 6

New York Times

5 days ago

RENTON, Wash. — An early sequence in team drills showcased why the Seattle Seahawks' defense likely came off the field feeling good after the first padded practice of training camp on Monday afternoon.
All three offensive units took turns trying to move the ball from their own 1-yard line. Sam Darnold's first-team unit committed false starts on two of the first three plays, then got bailed out by a questionable defensive pass interference call on cornerback Riq Woolen on its final play (tight end Eric Saubert was the target). Drew Lock's second-string squad lasted just one play because defensive tackle Mike Morris stopped running back George Holani in the end zone for a safety.
Advertisement
The third-string defense won its portion of the drill, too. Rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe's first pass was intercepted in the flat by rookie defensive back Nick Emmanwori, who walked into the end zone for a touchdown.
'It was a great play,' coach Mike Macdonald said of Emmanwori's interception.
Rookie already making noise. 👀
Powered by @Boeing pic.twitter.com/5ShqqQASg6
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) July 29, 2025
Seattle will hold another padded practice Tuesday. Here are additional notes and takeaways from Monday's practice.
Macdonald was asked whether he could feel fullback Robbie Ouzts and right tackle Abe Lucas in the run game on Monday.
'I gotta watch the tape, but right now, no,' Macdonald said. 'No knock on them, but we didn't run the ball very well today. We've got to do better.'
Without the benefit of watching the film, Macdonald couldn't provide specifics when asked what was lacking when they tried to run the ball.
'Defensively, I thought we played well in the run game,' Macdonald said. 'But that's how these things work. Offense is going to come back. There's going to be some things on defense we're going to be itching to fix. That's how you become a better football team.'
Seattle's outside linebackers deserve some credit for the run defense. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's run scheme often puts the edge rushers at the point of attack. If they set the edge, the play might stall. If they get blown off the ball by a fullback, tackle or tight end, the running back will likely have a path to a big play. DeMarcus Lawrence is a very good run defender. Boye Mafe is, too. They're a tough duo to deal with. Then you have Derick Hall, who might be the strongest guy on the defense.
Lucas said that when Seattle signed Lawrence this offseason, he was 'stoked' because 'I knew that was just going to elevate my game to a whole other level.'
Advertisement
'Tank's elite,' Lucas said, using Lawrence's nickname. 'He's been elite since he came into the league. I've always been a fan of his from when he came out; I remember when he came out, and I remember watching him in Dallas. I've always just been impressed with the way he operates and how physical he is. I'm excited to continue to compete against him.'
The third-string offense appeared to break a few runs in the team run period earlier in practice, but overall, it looked like the defense came out with more juice and won the day up front.
'We started practice the right way today, which was good (because) we haven't done that every day on defense,' Macdonald said. 'That was nice. Offense needs to respond tomorrow because they didn't start fast enough today.'
This was the first practice featuring padded one-on-one reps between the offensive and defensive lines. Players faced off for two consecutive snaps before the next pair rotated in. There's a lot of projecting required when scoring these reps, but it appeared most of the battles were split. If the offensive guy won the first snap, the defensive guy typically returned the favor on the next play and vice versa.
This was the case in the first set of reps between defensive tackle Leonard Williams and first-round rookie Grey Zabel. Another good back-and-forth featured Lawrence and Lucas, with the latter recovering well in their initial rep before getting pushed in the rematch. Lucas had a pair of good reps against Hall later in the drill. Right guard Christian Haynes seemingly split a pair of reps with defensive tackle Byron Murphy II as well.
One of the standouts from the sessions seemed to be center Olu Oluwatimi, who held up well in multiple reps with Murphy and veteran defensive tackle Jarran Reed. After starting at center the second half of last season, Oluwatimi is competing with Jalen Sundell and Haynes to keep that first-team spot. A fifth-round pick in 2023 who made just one start as a rookie, Oluwatimi felt confident replacing Connor Williams midway through the 2024 season because of his daily practice battles with talented linemen like Leonard Williams, Reed and Murphy.
Advertisement
'Every day I tell Murph, 'Let's get in the one-on-ones,'' Oluwatimi said. 'I tell J-Reed (the same thing). I just want that work as much as possible so I can get better.'
As for trying to separate himself in the fight to be the starting center, Oluwatimi said: 'Every day I lay my head on my pillow and I just tell myself, 'How much better can I be tomorrow? What is my plan for the next day?' That's all I focus on. The coach is going to make a decision, and whatever happens, we'll live with it. But every day I'm going to make that decision hard on them.'
Here are a few plays that stood out during team periods:
1. The starting defensive line collapsed on Darnold for a 'sack' on third down. The secondary appeared to do a good job taking receiver Cooper Kupp away over the middle.
2. Inside linebacker Drake Thomas had what likely would have been a sack on Lock. That drive later stalled because the pocket collapsed around Lock.
3. Kupp caught a dart from Darnold for a first down off a play-action concept.
4. Running back Zach Charbonnet was on the receiving end of a well-designed screen that went for a decent gain.
5. Reed and defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna deflected a pair of Darnold passes in the final period.
The defense was without cornerback Shaquill Griffin and inside linebacker Ernest Jones IV due to personal matters. Nose tackle Johnathan Hankins (back) hasn't attended practice yet, and the Seahawks still haven't placed him on the non-football injury list as Macdonald said on Thursday that they would. Macdonald said there's no update on Hankins. The 33-year-old lineman is 'doing a good job,' Macdonald said without providing any additional details.
The Seahawks placed running back Kenny McIntosh on injured reserve with a torn ACL, meaning he will miss the 2025 season. McIntosh went down with a non-contact injury early in Saturday's practice. He'll soon have surgery to repair his knee, Macdonald said.
Advertisement
On Monday, Seattle signed D.K. Kaufman, an undrafted rookie from North Carolina State, to fill McIntosh's spot. A college safety, Kaufman will play running back for the Seahawks and likely factor into the mix as a return specialist. Kaufman, who participated in Seattle's rookie camp on a tryout basis, led the ACC with 469 kick return yards and averaged 31.3 yards per return on 15 attempts. McIntosh's injury created the need for a new returner; he returned six kickoffs and averaged 25.5 yards per return last season.
The loss of McIntosh also elevates seventh-round rookie Damien Martinez, who had a strong day running the ball on Monday, according to Macdonald.
'Today was his best day he's had,' Macdonald said. 'Staying off the ground, seeing the runs. Had a feeling he would show up a little bit more in the pads. Hopefully that continues.'
(Photo of Nick Emmanwori, 3, and Devon Witherspoon: Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)