Seahawks rookie camp stars to headline preseason opener

Published 8:30 am Wednesday, August 6, 2025

The young stars of Seahawks training camp will have a starring role in their first NFL preseason game, too.

Coach Mike Macdonald said safety (and linebacker) Nick Emmanwori, fellow second-round draft choice Elijah Arroyo at tight end, first-round pick Grey Zabel at left guard, wide receiver and fifth-round pick Tory Horton and quarterback Jalen Milroe, a third-rounder, all will play Thursday in Seattle’s preseason opener against Pete Carroll’s Las Vegas Raiders at Lumen Field.

Emmanwori, Arroyo, Zabel and Horton have been playing with the starting units in training camp.

New quarterback Sam Darnold, wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, plus almost all other starters who are not rookies, will not play Thursday, Macdonald said.

“It’s not like, ‘Hey, we are taking the 22 guys who are penciled in with the ‘ones’ and they’re not playing,’” Macdonald said Tuesday following the 12th practice of training camp. “It’s kind of selected guys. We have some position battles still going that we’ll have to see.

“Like the younger guys — Nick will get some good reps. You will see Grey initially. Elijah will play, all those young guys, they need reps and experience, too.”

In Nevada, Carroll gave a quintessential Carroll answer we heard over 15 years in Seattle when he was asked if Raiders starters will play against his former Seahawks Thursday.

“Everybody is live,” Carroll told Las Vegas reporters. “Everybody is ready to go.”

That doesn’t at all guarantee new Raiders quarterback Geno Smith will play against his Seahawks, who traded him in March.

Macdonald has had Emmanwori all over his defense during camp. On Tuesday he again was a deep safety. He was a third safety in “big nickel” defense against the run. He was a deep, post safety back with Pro Bowl veteran Julian Love. He blitzed. He covered receivers. Pretty much all over, doing almost everything.

Now Macdonald wants to see the 220-pound safety Seattle traded up 17 spots to the top of round two to draft this spring do all that in a game.

Same with Zabel as the Seahawks’ new starting left guard, the emerging Horton who again on Tuesday was with Kupp, Smith-Njigba and Darnold on the starting offense.

Milroe has made big progress from rookie minicamp in May through the first dozen practices of training camp. His accuracy throwing passes down the field has greatly improved, as has his zip and precision on shorter throws.

Expect new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to split roughly half the game Thursday between veteran backup Drew Lock and Milroe.

And expect Kubiak to call quarterback runs for Milroe, to get it on game film for the rest of the NFL to see and have to prepare for — beginning with the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners come to Lumen Field Sept. 7 for the Seahawks’ season opener.

“You want to see how guys handle, live and in color, schemes that they haven’t been necessarily seeing in the last x amount of practices,” Macdonald said. “Going against other people is going to be really exciting. Being in front of the 12s is going to be a lot of fun.

“And we want to win the game. That’s how we’ll call it, and that’s how we’ll handle all the situations.”

Kenneth Walker returns

Kenneth Walker assuredly will not play Thursday.

Macdonald and the Seahawks will be happy their lead back returned to practice Tuesday instead.

Walker was full go in position drills with running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu and in 11-on-11 scrimmaging. He had missed the previous three practices with what Macdonald said was a sore foot.

Olu Oluwatimi injury changes O-line—again

Olu Oluwatimi missed practice for the second consecutive day with a back issue. He was watching on the sideline in a white team cap.

“Yeah, Olu, his back tightened up a little bit,” Macdonald said. “We don’t think it’s (serious). Really, day-to-day at this point.”

Second-year man Jalen Sundell has been the starting center the last two days; he got all the snaps with the first team Tuesday. Given he’s yet to start there in an NFL regular-season game, the 2024 rookie free agent from Zabel’s North Dakota State is likely to start next to Zabel against the Raiders Thursday.

Anthony Bradford is the clear choice over Christian Haynes now as the starting right guard. One week in full pads convinced coaches of that.

Bradford is a physical blocker. He has had problems in pass protection over his first two NFL seasons with Seattle. Tuesday in a one-on-one pass-rushing drill, defensive tackle Byron Murphy easily sped around Bradford to the quarterback on their first rep.

Haynes was the first right guard in the initial days of camp. He is now practicing as a backup left guard. Sataoa Laumea has replaced him as a backup right guard.

Sundell was the center for the first- and second-team offenses at times Tuesday. Rookie international player Federico Maranges was the third-team center.

Haynes had been backing up there. But multiple bad snaps in multiple practices this last week has ended his time as a backup center, at least for now.

Charles Cross again practiced individual drills with a protective pad over his surgically repaired ring finger on his right hand. Veteran backup swing tackle Josh Jones was the left tackle in team scrimmaging.

Jones, acquired in the spring as a free agent from Baltimore, may play early in the game Thursday.

Mike Jerrell, Seattle’s sixth-round pick from Findlay in 2024, is likely to play a lot at left tackle this preseason. Jerrell made his first NFL start at right tackle last October, at Atlanta.

Run blocking slow going

Abe Lucas had an accurate assessment for how the offensive linemen are catching on to Kubiak’s new outside-zone run-blocking system.

“Slowly,” the starting right tackle said, “but surely.”

There should be an accent on slowly. Many times in short-yardage situations, the Seahawks’ offensive line has failed to push the defensive front off the ball. Defensive tackles, ends, safeties and linebackers have ruined short-yardage running plays almost as they start.

Macdonald was noticeably and vocally displeased with the physicality in his offense’s run blocking over the first days in full pads.

The blocking has improved in recent practices.

Suffice to say, the new system new offensive line coach John Benton is installing daily is a work in progress — work that is likely to last well into the season.

Starting LB hurting

Tyrice Knight missed practice after leaving it Monday with a right-leg issue. Macdonald said his starting weakside inside linebacker “got a little tangle with his knees. So we’ll get an image, and kind of go from there.”

Third-year man Patrick O’Connell from Montana was next to Ernest Jones in the middle of the starting defense Tuesday. O’Connell and Drake Thomas are likely to be the two off-ball inside linebackers Thursday night.

Reserve linebacker Josh Ross had hand surgery. Macdonald said he should be back soon.”

Shaquill Griffin rejoins

Shaquill Griffin was on the practice field watching for the first time since the second day of camp. He’d been away since July 24 because of an unspecified personal matter. The 30-year-old cornerback signed back this summer to the team that drafted him in 2017 will slowly work into practicing for the first time.

“We have a plan for Shaq,” Macdonald said. “He’s back. He’s missed some time, so you can’t just throw them in and let them, you know, rock with the wolves.”