RENTON, Wash. — As is the case across the league, the Seattle Seahawks’ organized team activities are voluntary practices. Absences are typically excused, particularly in the case of proven veterans and players recovering from significant injuries.
So, it’s notable that everyone on Seattle’s roster was present during the practices open to the media this week. Several players were limited or abstained from on-field work entirely, but having everyone here at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center reflects a team-wide commitment to their ultimate goal.
“The goal is to put another banner up in here,” said inside linebacker Ernest Jones IV, a limited participant this week as he recovers from offseason knee surgery. “Everyone believes in that. We’re going to show up to work and do what we have to do to make sure we get it done.”
Defensive tackle Jarran Reed is entering his 10th season and is the type of player who can afford to be absent during voluntary workouts because of his veteran status and the nature of his position. But the 32-year-old sees value in being present to build chemistry with his teammates.
“I like being here. It’s actually fun,” Reed said. “When you’re away and you’re watching film, you’re just missing a lot and missing the camaraderie, that togetherness, building that connection with your teammates.”
Seattle will hold three mandatory minicamp practices next week, then allow the veterans to break for the summer. With OTAs in the books, here are three takeaways from the three days of on-field action.
Darnold vs. the defense
Sam Darnold seemed to improve each day of practice. Even without Jones and Uchenna Nwosu, and only brief cameos from Reed and DeMarcus Lawrence, Seattle’s defense is very talented top to bottom. Figuring out what coverage it’s in and how to attack on each snap is a challenge.
“It’s super fun to compete against,” Darnold said, highlighting the various coverages coach Mike Macdonald’s unit throws at him. “You’ve got (Devon Witherspoon) disguising certain leverages, so I don’t know whether he’s going to be a hook defender or if he’s going to be in the flat. Those guys on the back end are doing a really good job. I know they’re going to continue to do that and push us as we’re going to continue to push them.”
They pushed Darnold on the first couple of days and intercepted him four times. On Monday, safety Julian Love jumped a ball Darnold tried to fit in to Cooper Kupp over the middle during a seven-on-seven red zone drill. Two plays later, Darnold rolled to his right and threw late to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and the pass was picked off near the sideline by cornerback Josh Jobe. To Darnold’s credit, he came right back and hit receiver Jake Bobo in the back of the end zone with Witherspoon in coverage.
The third and fourth interceptions came Wednesday. The first play might have been blown dead as a sack, but Darnold let it fly deep over the middle to Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The receiver didn’t make much of a play on it, perhaps to avoid a collision because he was double-covered, and safety D’Anthony Bell snagged the ball. Later in a seven-on-seven drill, Darnold tried to rifle a ball over the middle to Valdes-Scantling, but it was tipped by Bell and then grabbed by safety Ty Okada. Seattle’s defensive backs were really active throughout the week.
Darnold had several positive throws, though. A couple that stood out Wednesday included a red zone fade to Kupp, who beat cornerback Damarion Williams on a double move, and a goal-line strike to Bobo, who beat Love on an in-breaking route. Darnold ended Wednesday’s practice with a goal-line touchdown to Valdes-Scantling, who got a step on cornerback Riq Woolen with a whip route.
Beyond the highlights, Darnold appears to have good command of however much of the offense that coordinator Klint Kubiak has installed to this point. As Darnold said Wednesday, the defense throws a lot at the quarterback, and it’s not easy to quickly find the soft spot in the coverage, if there’s one. Darnold seemed to navigate that well, understanding when to take risks and when to find the checkdown and live to see another snap.
Welcome back, Abe
It’s much easier to envision the offensive line playing at a higher level in 2025 now that we can see a healthy Abe Lucas in the lineup at right tackle. Lucas has made only 13 starts over the past two seasons and didn’t play like himself in some of those games. Playing at far less than 100 percent was hard on Lucas mentally and physically, and the offensive line typically struggled without him.
“Obviously, I wanted to play, but unfortunately, there are things in life you can’t really control,” Lucas said of the mental challenge. “So, it’s just up to you on how you want to respond. I took precautions to not let things get to my head. It’s probably the reason why I don’t have a Twitter — because I don’t need to deal with all that crap.”
Lucas said his health compared to this time last year, when he was recovering from offseason knee surgery, is “night and day.”
“It helps when you’re not in a brace and you can actually walk without crutches,” Lucas said. As for whether his knee is back to 100 percent, Lucas said: “I don’t know if anybody’s ever really 100 percent healthy. I’m playing — that’s a good sign.”
Lucas’ presence gives Seattle one fewer position to worry about up front. First-round rookie Grey Zabel is the new starter at left guard, and the Seahawks are still sorting out the center and right guard spots. Every position along the offensive line matters, of course, but Lucas is the most notable because when healthy, he has the potential to be Seattle’s best player up front.
The last time the Seahawks made the playoffs, they had competent tackle play from Lucas and Charles Cross. They will need that again if they’re going to earn a postseason berth and make a run when they get there.
Rookie report
These practices were the first opportunities to see the rookies mixed in with the veterans. The two exceptions were wide receiver Tory Horton and defensive tackle Rylie Mills, both dealing with injuries suffered during their final college seasons. Macdonald wasn’t available to local reporters this week, so there were no updates on those injuries.
Third-round rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe is behind not only Darnold on the depth chart but also veteran Drew Lock. Milroe worked mostly with the third-string unit, which didn’t get as many reps as the starters (this is normal, to be clear). Milroe didn’t have many plays that stood out besides a goal-line fade to Elijah Arroyo during a team period. But the defense understandably protested that play, as it looked like the tight end pushed cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles to create space for the catch (there was no flag). Milroe did throw a nice deep ball to fellow rookie Ricky White III during a two-minute drill Thursday, but the receiver dropped it.
Second-round safety Nick Emmanwori continues to be the “big nickel” in the secondary, playing primarily at the second level with the first-team defense. That role really comes to life on early downs, specifically against the run, so there won’t be much to learn until the pads come on. But that’s probably best for Emmanwori’s development because, as I wrote here, the rookie safety has a lot of room to grow in coverage when playing in space. The key for him as an early down nickel defender will be understanding all the zone drops, particularly on play-action concepts. Otherwise, he should be a natural when asked to simply cover the guy in front of him.
On draft night, general manager John Schneider mentioned that Arroyo is so athletic and fast that he might be able to moonlight as a wide receiver. Maybe that ends up being the case, but for now, Arroyo just looks like a big, athletic tight end — which is what this offense needs, because players at that spot can create mismatches against linebackers and slower underneath defenders. Watching Smith-Njigba, Valdes-Scantling and Bobo these last few days is a reminder that Seattle already has plenty of receivers who can win one-on-one battles out wide.
(Photo: John Froschauer / Associated Press)
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