Seattle Seahawks: 3 Things to watch in Preseason Week 2

The Seattle Seahawks lost last week but they got a lot out of their young players. This week the team is looking for more young guys to take control and assert themselves.

In the second week of NFL preseason football, the Seattle Seahawks are facing off against the Los Angeles Chargers. While the Seahawks fell short last week against the Indianapolis Colts, the team saw plenty of promise from some of their younger players, especially on the defensive side of the ball. On the other hand, the second and third string offenses didn’t show to much.

With roster cuts and the regular season drawing closer the Seahawks have a lot of things to watch for and consider. Luckily I’ve picked out three of the most prominent issues for you to read.

Here they are.

Can Shaquem Griffin repeat his Week 1 performance?

In the first week of the Preseason the one-handed linebacker was flying around the field making plays. He recorded six solo tackles and three assists, giving him a combined nine tackles. That in itself may not seem to be crazy, but he led the game in tackles and most players were far behind him. Fellow rookie Rasheem Green did manage seven combined tackles, but the next closest was five, and only Bradley McDougald recorded that many. Several players had four tackles but that’s less than half of what Griffin managed.

Griffin’s ability to seek out the football and make plays was on full display in Week 1. What impressed me the most were the five tackles he was involved in against opposing running backs. Any concerns about his ability to go against NFL rushers and offensive linemen have been wiped out, at least for now. Griffin could really help himself with a repeat performance in Week 2.

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In case you forgot, one of the Seahawks outside linebackers is Barkevious Mingo, who isn’t much of a standout. If Griffin continues to play at a high level, he might usurp a significant number of snaps from Mingo.

Chris Carson carrying the load

Rookie first-round pick Rashaad Penny had surgery on his hand for a broken finger recently and will miss a few weeks. Supposedly, he could be back for the season opener, but will have missed crucial time in practice by then. In the meantime, Carson will continue as the team’s lead back and will work to claim more of Penny’s workload. Carson is currently listed as the team’s top running back on their unofficial depth chart. Ideally the Seahawks were planning on having him and Penny split carries during the season, but what if Carson goes off during the preseason?

While I don’t think he’ll show enough to take significant snaps away from his rookie counterpart, Carson could certainly work to secure himself as the team’s first choice at the position. Remember, even those these guys are on the same team they’re fighting for limited snaps, expose, and money.

Carson was a seventh-round pick last year and is entering the second of four years on his rookie contract. He never makes over one million dollars in a single year of the deal. That’s plenty of motivation for him to seize the spotlight as the next Seahawks new solution at running back. We’ll see what he can do against the Chargers.

Will a tight end finally standout?

Seahawks tight ends caught four passes worth 39 yards last week. Nick Vannett and Will Dissly split those receptions, but Vannett had 20 yards, and a touchdown, to Dissly’s 19. If they’re going to fill the void left by Jimmy Graham and Luke Willson, the Seahawks tight ends need to prove they can be better weapons. Ed Dickson, the veteran tight end on the roster, is injured right now and he can play well, but he only has 12 receiving touchdowns in an eight year career. You do the math.

With Dickson questionable for Week 1 of the regular season and his unimpressive scoring ability, the Seahawks would be elated of one of their young tight ends stepped up this week and played a central role in the offense. At 6-6, 261 pounds Vannett is a monster to look at on paper and Dissly isn’t that far behind at 6-4, 265 pounds. With that height, they might be able to overpower Chargers defenders and put up some more impressive numbers this week.