Seattle Seahawks: 3 Standouts from Preseason Week 1 vs. Broncos
By Samuel Teets
Ladies and gentlemen, Seattle Seahawks football is back! We got to look at some of the backups and how they performed in Week 1 of the preseason.
The Super Bowl left a lot of NFL fans feeling hollow. Not only did the New England Patriots win again, but the game didn’t live up to the billing. That disappointing finish to the 2018 season has left fans starving for football. Well, we finally got some, sort of.
The Seattle Seahawks played in their first preseason game on Thursday night. Seattle is coming off of a surprising 10-6 season that saw them nab the fifth seed in the NFC. Unfortunately, they lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round in a bizarrely run game.
Nevertheless, expectations for the Seahawks have been raised this season. While we didn’t get to see much action from the most significant players on the team, the preseason Week 1, 22-14 win against the Denver Broncos did illuminate some players who could become contributors during the regular season.
3. Cody Barton, LB
Barton has been grabbing headlines among the Seahawks community. The rookie is turning heads and looks like he could become a significant contributor in the future. This year, we’ll probably see him mostly on special teams, but injuries could always open up some playing time.
When K.J. Wright went down last season, the Seahawks tried to replace him with multiple other options but none of them stuck. That outside linebacker spot remained a position of weakness throughout the season.
While Barton traditionally plays inside, Bobby Wagner has that spot on lockdown now that he has a new contract. Considering Barton’s versatility, he would be the player to fill in for an injury or absence anywhere among the linebacking corps. He’s a great insurance policy for Seattle.
The third round pick was active during Thursday night’s game against Denver. He recorded five tackles, which don’t jump off the paper, but his play did go a long way to validating the hype he’s received thus far.
Austin Calitro, who was one of the players charged with replacing Wright last season, also had a good game. He and Barton could end up fighting for snaps down the line if there is an injury.