Football is finally back! Now, after months of speculation, we can finally get a real look at the Seattle Seahawks as they start the preseason against the Colts.
It’s been a while but football has at last returned! It’s time to see just how good all of these young, touted players are. The Seattle Seahawks have a lot of young guys to keep their eyes on this week against the Indianapolis Colts.
Prospects from the last two drafts will be competing for recognition and depth chart positions across the board.
There’s a lot to look forward to in this matchup, but here are the three biggest things for Seahawks fans to watch out for.
Contributions from young defenders
With the Legion of Boom pretty much gone, the Seahawks have loaded up their depth chart with a ton of young, inexperienced players. Right now defensive lineman Rasheem Green is the only rookie set to be a starter. Linebacker Shaquem Griffin will probably be the most followed Seahawks rookie, and he could earn significant snaps if he performs well in the preseason. His versatility makes him able to play many positions, besides linebacker, and fill a ton of roles.
The team also has rookie fifth-round selection, safety Tre Flowers, and sixth round selection, edge rusher Jacob Martin. Martin is competing for the left outside linebacker position, which is not a very strong spot for the Seahawks. Barkevious Mingo is the current starter at that position. It’s unlikely Martin will take the starting job, but it certainly isn’t impossible.
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Second-year players, Nazair Jones, Shaquill Griffin, Tedric Thompson and Michael Tyson will all see a lot of playing time this week. Griffin is a full-time starter looking to make the jump from average starter to star player. Jones saw action in eleven games last season but needs to have a good enough performance to prove he’s worthy of starting snaps. Both Thompson and Tyson are safeties looking to take advantage of the absences of Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. They may never have a better chance at seizing starting reps.
Which running back gets the most carries
Seattle drafted Rashaad Penny in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, but that’s no guarantee that he’ll carry the load for his team right away. Second year running back Chris Carson will be Penny’s biggest competition for carries. The team also has a handful of other running backs on their roster including: Mike Davis, C.J. Prosise and J.D. McKissic.
Penny was the biggest draft surprise in the first round of the draft so there will be a lot of pressure on him to perform well immediately. Things will look especially bleak for him if he loses a lot of touches to Carson who is a former seventh round pick. Still, Penny could easily assume more responsibilities as the season goes on. For now the Seahawks are just trying to figure out their opening day lineup so expect to see them experiment to see who performs the best.
The battle for the backup quarterback job
Rookie Alex McGough has been getting mixed reviews as of late. Right now he’s listed as the third quarterback on the depth chart, behind Russell Wilson and Austin Davis. Davis has been in the league since 2012 when he went undrafted out of Southern Miss. He has seen time as a starter, most notably in 2014 when he started eight games for the then St. Louis Rams and threw for over 2,000 yards.
The Seahawks drafted McGough in the seventh round this year hoping to add to their thin depth at the quarterback position. He was a four year contributor at Florida International, but his numbers never really stood out. But he clearly showed something that hooked the Seahawks. Since the team only has three quarterbacks, all of them will remain on the roster during the season, so no one is getting cut even if they lose the competition for being Wilson’s backup.
Wilson has never missed a start in six-year career, but he is playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in football. If something did happen to Wilson it would spell doom for the Seahawks postseason hope, that is unless either Davis or McGough prove they can carry the load. With any luck the team will never find out if they can, but football is a grueling sport. Injuries happen all the time and often when you least expect it.