By Bob Condotta / The Seattle Times
RENTON — After artfully attempting to dodge a handful of questions concerning how many starters might play in the Seattle Seahawks preseason opener Thursday night — and for how long — coach Pete Carroll paused.
“How come I feel like Bill Belichick here all the sudden,” Carroll joked after Wednesday’s practice, referencing the Patriots famously taciturn coach.
Not that Carroll is probably too worried about the result of a preseason game. But why tip a hand if you don’t have to?
Even if Carroll wouldn’t say it, the team’s recent precedents as well as common sense and the way the NFL as a whole treats preseason games anymore make clear Seahawks fans shouldn’t expect to see many starters play against the Vikings in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Lumen Field — and even if some do, they probably won’t for long.
That means that as always, what fans will see — and what coaches will mostly be evaluating — are younger players and backups trying to earn or reinforce their hold on their roles and roster spots.
Here are five things Carroll and his coaches will surely be watching:
1. The progress of Drew Lock
Lock has a firm grip on the backup job behind Geno Smith, no issue there.
But Lock hasn’t played since last Aug. 26 in the final preseason game at Dallas, when he had a somewhat scattershot performance, going 13-for-24 for 171 yards and a touchdown but also three interceptions, after which Seattle announced Smith as the starter.
That game was in stark contrast to his sharp outing in the preseason opener against Pittsburgh (11-for-15, 102, two TDs, though also losing a fumble).
In both, he came off the bench, having missed his chance to start in between against the Bears due to COVID-19.
Lock may start against the Vikings — Carroll wouldn’t say. But Carroll did say Lock will play significantly. That’s something the team promised to Lock when he re-signed as a free agent in March to allow him to continue to develop. The Seahawks also will be hoping to see that a second year in Seattle’s offensive system will prove to have made a difference in Lock’s game, as well.
“It’s really important (or Lock to play significantly),” Carroll said. “Drew is going to play a lot of football during the preseason.”
2. The battle at receiver
The suspension of Dee Eskridge for the first six games of the season means there could be an opening-day roster spot for someone who might not have gotten one previously.
Seattle has three sure things — Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Dareke Young seems to have a pretty good hold on a spot as well, though he is dealing with a groin/potential sports hernia issue and won’t play.
But that leaves one or two spots apparently up for grabs, with the leading candidates appearing to be veterans Cody Thompson and Cade Johnson and undrafted rookie free agent Jake Bobo, who all got snaps with the number one offense this week.
Thompson, who was having a good camp last year before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in the preseason game against the Steelers, may be atop that trio at the moment.
“Cody has just been tremendous for us in terms of doing things right,” Carroll said. “He knows all the spots. He can do anything, and he’s been a factor on special teams as well.”
3. Assessing the depth in the secondary
Devon Witherspoon’s hamstring injury this week means Coby Bryant has moved back to nickel after mostly playing safety last week. And the ripple effect of that has meant undrafted rookie free agent Jonathan Sutherland of Penn State has gotten some work with the ones in the dime package.
“We’re just trying to make him well-versed in many areas — he seems to be handling it well,” Carroll said of Bryant playing a lot of different spots so far. “He’ll play a lot in the game.”
Carroll said of Sutherland: “He’s a fun player. I’m anxious to see how he does.”
Starting corners Michael Jackson and Tre Brown also figure to play little, if at all, which could give a lot of time for veteran Artie Burns — a standout in the mock game — to further prove his worth. Injuries at cornerback this week have had undrafted free agent Lance Boykin of Coastal Carolina playing substantially with the second unit, and he figures to get a lot of snaps as well.
4. The return of Ben Burr-Kirven
Burr-Kirven, a former standout at the University of Washington, hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury in a preseason game on Aug. 21, 2021, that also included nerve damage that threatened to end his career. Burr-Kirven was re-signed early in camp and has worked regularly at both inside linebacker spots with the backup units in camp.
The news this week that fellow inside linebacker Vi Jones will miss a few weeks with an ankle injury opens the door that much more for Burr-Kirven to potentially make the roster if he can show he’s back to his pre-injury form.
“He’s looked really good, looked very comfortable, and looked full speed,” Carroll said. “He’ll be involved in special teams and will get plays with the defense. It’s an inside and personal deal for all of us, to see him have made it back after it was such a long haul for him. Excited for his chances.”
5. The rookies
Two of Seattle’s much-heralded 2023 draft class have been ruled out due to injury — Witherspoon (hamstring) and running back Kenny McIntosh (knee).
But Carroll indicated they’d like to get a look at the rest. For some, such as Smith-Njigba and second-rounders Zach Charbonnet and Derick Hall, whose spots if not their roles are secure, it would be a chance to get their feet wet.
And for mid-rounders such as fourth-round guard Anthony Bradford, fifth-round defensive end Mike Morris, fifth-round center Olu Oluwatimi and sixth-round safety Jerrick Reed II, the game marks a chance to show coaches exactly where they are in their development.
Oluwatimi had been in a battle for the starting center spot with Evan Brown. For now, Seattle has settled on Brown. But an impressive game by Oluwatimi could keep the door ajar.
“We need to see all of the new guys,” Carroll said. “We’ve got really competitive spots that we need information on. Everybody needs to play football and these games are hugely important. For the guys we haven’t had the chance to see before in our uniforms and playing for us, it’s crucial. They’ve got to show something. They’ve got to show that the buildup and all of the prep to get us to this point, we’ve taken every step in a fashion that’s in order. This next step is full running and hitting, and we have to see how it goes.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.