Football is back! 5 storylines as Seahawks open camp Saturday

Published 9:30 pm Friday, July 29, 2016

Hallelujah, football fans! The offseason is kaput. The long wait for meaningful football activities is finally over.

The Seattle Seahawks open their training camp Saturday morning at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton, where thousands of lucky 12s will be on hand to get their first glimpse of the 2016 edition of the team. Camp continues through Seattle’s first preseason game on Aug. 13 at Kansas City, then officially wraps up on Aug. 16.

With that in mind, here are some of the main storylines heading into camp:

What’s the situation with Michael Bennett?

Seattle’s players reported for training camp on Friday, and as of Friday night there was no word on whether Bennett was present.

Could Bennett hold out in an effort to get his contract renegotiated? It’s no secret Bennett, Seattle’s Pro Bowl defensive end, is dissatisfied with his contract. Bennett is coming off a season in which he may have been the Seahawks’ best defensive player, leading the team with 10 sacks and being a constant disruption in the opposing backfield. Yet he’s seen the four-year, $28.5 million contract he signed in 2014 dwarfed by deals signed this offseason by the likes of Philadelphia’s Fletcher Cox (six years, $102.6 million) and the New York Jets’ Muhammad Wilkerson (five years, $86 million). Bennett is now 30 years old, so the urgency is there to get one final big payday.

Even if Bennett doesn’t hold out the story could continue through training camp. The Seahawks have a policy of not renegotiating contracts until there’s only one year left on the deal. Last year Pro Bowl strong safety Kam Chancellor tested Seattle’s resolve by holding out, but the Seahawks held firm. Bennett has two year remaining on his contract, so theoretically the Seahawks shouldn’t budge. But Bennett was a good soldier last year. Could Seattle decide Bennett is the exception who warrants breaking protocol?

One thing that seems certain, however, is that if Bennett reports he will give his all even if he’s not happy about his contract. Bennett was just as vocal last season about his contract, yet fought through a toe injury to have his best season as a pro. Therefore, there’s no reason to think he won’t give his best, even if he doesn’t get paid the way he wants.

How healthy are Jimmy Graham and Thomas Rawls?

Both Graham, Seattle’s starting tight end, and Rawls, the team’s No. 1 running back, are still recovering from injuries that ended their 2015 campaigns. Graham suffered a torn patellar tendon in his right knee in Week 12 against Pittsburgh, while Rawls suffered a broken left ankle and ligament damage in Week 14 against Baltimore. Both were unable to participate in offseason activities.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Thursday that neither Graham nor Rawls will participate in Saturday’s first practice, and he suggested it’s possible they could be placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list. Should they be placed on the PUP list it would provide the Seahawks some roster flexibility, and it wouldn’t prevent them from being activated for the start of the regular season.

Schneider reiterated Thursday that both are on track to be back by the Sept. 11 opener vs. Miami, but there are no guarantees they’ll be ready — and there’s no guarantees they’ll be back to their full explosive selves even if they’re back. Graham’s injury in particular has a history of being difficult to recover from, as demonstrated by New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz’s struggles since suffering the same injury in 2014.

The Seahawks bought themselves plenty of insurance in the draft, so expect rookie tight end Nick Vannett and rookie running backs C.J. Prosise, Alex Collins and Zac Brooks to get plenty of opportunity to prove themselves while Graham and Rawls continue to recover.

What are the biggest position battles?

The Seahawks did a fine job during the offseason of keeping the roster as intact as possible. Therefore, there are few positions were there are outright battles to see who earns the starting spot.

The most conspicuous exception is at strong-side linebacker, where Seattle didn’t bring in a direct replacement for the departed Bruce Irvin. The trio of veteran special-teamer Mike Morgan, converted defensive end Cassius Marsh, and practice-squadder Eric Pinkins split time at the position throughout OTAs and minicamp, and they’re expected to continue battling it out through training camp.

Another position to keep an eye on is center. Justin Britt, who started at left guard last year and right tackle two years ago, is converting to center and seems to be Seattle’s preferred choice. But the Seahawks went with a converted center last year, former defensive tackle Drew Nowak, and that experiment flopped until Patrick Lewis brought stability to the position in the second half of the season. Lewis is still around, so Seattle has another option should Britt struggle with the transition.

What’s the situation at backup quarterback?

The Seahawks may have as little need for a backup quarterback as any team in the NFL. Not only is Russell Wilson coming of an MVP-caliber season, he’s never missed a game in his NFL career.

But teams with Super Bowl aspirations need a trustworthy backup, and the Seahawks don’t appear to have that. The current front-runner is Trevone Boykin, who would at least be able to emulate Wilson’s mobile playing style. But as an undrafted rookie he has no NFL experience and may be deemed too green to be relied upon.

There was speculation throughout the summer the Seahawks would re-sign free agent Tarvaris Jackson, who served as Wilson’s backup each of the past three seasons. But that option may have been compromised by Jackson’s arrest in June for allegedly pulling a gun on his wife.

The Seahawks reportedly put a waiver claim on former Cleveland QB Connor Shaw earlier this month, so there’s a good chance the eventual backup isn’t currently on the roster.

Who are the breakout candidates?

Every year there are players who emerge from the shadows to become impact players, and training camp can provide hints to who those may be.

One player who could make the leap into star status is receiver Tyler Lockett. Lockett is coming off a scintillating rookie season in which he excelled as both a return man as well as Seattle’s third receiver. But his ability as a deep threat could see him become Wilson’s most dangerous weapon.

On the offensive line, second-year player Mark Glowinski is one to watch. Glowinski is tentatively penciled in to start at left guard, and he acquitted himself well last year in his lone start.

On defense, the player who’s expected to make the jump is defensive end Frank Clark. Clark showed plenty of promise as a rookie, but saw a limited amount of time. He should get more burn this year, picking up Irvin’s pass-rushing duties on passing downs.

For more on the Seattle sports scene, follow Nick Patterson on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.