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Michael Bennett’s presence headlines Day 1 of Seahawks camp

Published 1:30 pm Saturday, July 30, 2016

By Nick Patterson

The most pressing issue as the Seattle Seahawks opened training camp Saturday was whether star defensive end Michael Bennett would report. Bennett is dissatisfied with his contract, and there was speculation he may show his displeasure by holding out. But after most of his teammates were already on the field and going through stretching drills, Bennett emerged:

Bennett didn’t really go into whether he considered holding out. However, he talked a lot about wanting to be a good teammate, and he even mentioned wanting to retire as a Seahawk. He also eloquently spoke about the Black Lives Matter movement — he wore a Black Lives Matter t-shirt to his press conference — as well as the importance of athletes exercising social responsibility.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll dodged the question when asked if he had any concerns about Bennett reporting, saying he always has concerns about every player reporting. However, he did express his pleasure about Bennett being present, saying Bennett “brought the juice” today.

Bennett reporting meant the Seahawks had full attendance at their first practice of training camp. Here’s some other notes from the day:

– Carroll confirmed the team will place tight end Jimmy Graham and running back Thomas Rawls on the physically-unable-to-perform list. Graham (knee) and Rawls (ankle) are still recovering from injuries that ended their 2015 seasons. Being placed on the PUP list during training camp doesn’t prevent Seattle from activating them before the season starts, and the Seahawks have maintained that they expect both to be ready by the opener.

– There was confirmation that defensive end Chris Clemons has retired. Clemons, who played for Seattle from 2010-13, signed with the team as a free agent during the offseason. He finished with 69 sacks in his 11 seasons in the NFL, including 38 during his four-year stint with the Seahawks.

– Archbishop Murphy High School graduate Taniela Tupou spent Saturday’s practice with the defense. Tupou, who was a defensive tackle at the University of Washington, is listed on the roster as a fullback and spent most of offseason drills at fullback. Carroll said he doesn’t envision Tupou playing fullback full-time, comparing him to the multi-positional Will Tukuafu.

– Other than Graham and Rawls, one other player sat out Saturday as defensive tackle Sealver Siliga is nursing a calf injury. In addition, rookie running back C.J. Prosise missed most of practice after his hamstring tightened up during special teams drills.

– Starting left tackle Garry Gilliam, who missed all offseason activities after having a cyst removed from his knee, took part in position drills, but not in 11-on-11 scrimmaging. Carroll said Gilliam should be ready for scrimmages in a couple days. Bradley Sowell filled in for Gilliam with the first unit.

– With Rawls out, Christine Michael was the first to receive carries during scrimmaging. It was essentially a rotation with Michael getting the first carry, followed by Alex Collins, then Zac Brooks.

– Strong-side linebacker is a position up for grabs, with Mike Morgan, Cassius Marsh and Eric Pinkins all in the mix. Morgan worked with the first-team defense Saturday, with Marsh working with the second unit.

– One standout among the less-heralded players Saturday was receiver Deshon Foxx, who caught a pair of touchdown passes.

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