RENTON — Tuesday marked the last Seahawks training camp practice open to the general public.
The team decided to go out in style.
Early on, to rev up the crowd of a couple thousand gathered on the berm at the VMAC, rookie offensive lineman Mason Richman led those assembled through a signing and dance of the Macarena. Then he enlisted a couple other linemen in a cartwheel contest.
The fun and games, though, pretty much ended there.
On a day when the temperature reached 91 degrees in Renton, the Seahawks were on the field in full pads for roughly two-and-a-half hours.
It was in general a pretty good day for the defense
Typifying that was a play during a late-game situation drill. On a third-down play, quarterback Sam Darnold attempted a slant to Cooper Kupp. Only, Devon Witherspoon broke quickly to break up the pass. It was some revenge for Kupp getting the better of Witherspoon on a fourth-down play on Tuesday. On the play before, Darnold couldn’t find anyone open and had to throw it away.
Boye Mafe, another starter who didn’t play Thursday, also had one of his best days, getting wins on two straight plays during the pass rush drill. On one, he cut inside on a two-man rush and got a step on Grey Zabel to get to the quarterback.
The starting defense, none of whom saw action in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Raiders, looked to be more than ready if they get a series or two Friday against the Chiefs in preseason game number two at Lumen Field at 7 p.m.
Here’s more of what stood out:
It’s still unclear when veteran rush end Uchenna Nwosu will be back after having had offseason knee surgery, though hope remains that he will be ready for the start of the season.
Still, his situation has led some to speculate that Seattle may need to get a veteran to fill out the edge rush group.
A number of young edge players took their turn Tuesday trying to show that the Seahawks may have what they need on hand already.
Jared Ivey, an undrafted rookie free agent from Ole Miss, may have been the most impressive, breaking up a pass during one team drill, consistently getting pressure and getting what appeared to be a couple of wins during pass rush drills, bulling over Sataoa Laumea on one.
But he was hardly alone.
Jalan Gaines, an undrafted rookie free agent out of Illinois State who blocked a field goal on the last play Thursday to preserve a tie against the Raiders, had a notable rush that forced a quick pass during a late team drill, among a few times he stood out.
And another undrafted rookie free agent, Connor O’Toole of Utah, continued to impress during pass-rush drills.
“All those young guys were rolling today, I felt,” said defensive coordinator Aden Durde. “That’s one of the best practices they all had as a group. I really feel they are starting to learn how to play together… they are starting to understand the expectations of that position and what’s expected of them You are seeing them all grow. It’s kind of cool.”
Fourth-year vet Tyreke Smith also continues to have a strong camp and appears for now to be the fourth edge rusher with Nwosu out behind Boye Mafe, Derick Hall and DeMarcus Lawrence.
But the Seahawks also appear to be grooming some potential young options behind those vets.
Veteran cornerback Shaquill Griffin had a slow start to camp, missing a week-and — half while dealing with a personal issue.
But now back, he’s beginning to make his presence felt.
Griffin worked throughout with the second-team defense at left cornerback, usually with Nehemiah Pritchett on the right side.
Griffin showed some veteran savvy on one play when he dropped quickly off his receiver when he saw Drew Lock taking off to run and racing up to make the tag for only a short gain.
Durde said the competition for the third cornerback spot between Josh Jobe, Pritchett and Griffin is wide open.
“We’ll just see how it plays out,” Durde said.
Former Seahawk cornerback Richard Sherman again attended practice (he’s also gathering some interviews for his podcast), standing with the defense throughout.
On more than a few occasions, he conversed with cornerback Riq Woolen, who has often spoken of the mentorship he has gotten from Sherman.
Durde said he appreciates Sherman’s input.
“When teams I’ve been on and the legend players come back, share with the players, it’s some of the most important thing in football,” Durde said. “Because it’s not just (about) technique, it’s experience, it’s understanding the moment, how important little things are. And it reinforces everyone’s message. So you can’t put a value on that.”
Center Olu Oluwatimi again sat out due to a back issue. He has not practiced since Saturday with an injury he’s been dealing with for more than a week now.
That again left second-year player Jalen Sundell to take all of the reps with the starters at center.
The rest of the offensive linemen alignments appeared similar as they have all week, with Anthony Bradford generally working as the starting right guard (Christian Haynes got at least one series during team drills).
Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, speaking to media after practice, said the center job remains open.
“Center has got to be the smartest guy on the field,” Kubiak said. “We’ve got two smart centers. Jalen, Olu, those guys are doing a good job. It’s a tough competition. It’s bringing out the best in both of them.”
Coaches aren’t yet declaring the right guard job to Bradford, though the usage of the players in practice and in Thursday’s game seems to indicate that’s the way it’s heading.
Kubiak echoed what head coach Mike Macdonald has said in praising how Bradford has improved in what is now his third season in the NFL.
“AB has made great strides,” Kubiak said. “Obviously, he’s a physical presence, but you see more consistency in his game throughout camp. I see a guy that’s playing more confident.”
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