CHENEY – First-round draft pick Marcus Tubbs has missed the first eight days of Seattle Seahawks training camp, but an end may be in sight.
According to several published reports, Tubbs is expected to report to camp at Eastern Washington University today, when he will presumably sign a contract.
The team does not comment on contract negotiations until the player actually signs, and Tubbs’s agent did not return phone calls Monday night.
Tubbs, a defensive tackle from the University of Texas, was chosen with the No. 23 overall pick in the April draft. The team originally expected him to compete with Rashad Moore for a starting spot, although the eight-day absence will force him to catch up.
Tubbs showed flashes during summer minicamps but may have a tough time beating out Moore, who has been solid at training camp.
Tubbs is one of four first-round picks since 1999 to miss part of Seahawks training camp because of a contract dispute. The others – Lamar King, Chris McIntosh and Jerramy Stevens – were slowed by injuries early in their NFL careers.
Tubbs is one of just five remaining unsigned first-round picks from the most recent NFL draft.
The Seahawks have an 8:45 a.m. practice today, and it is unknown whether Tubbs will be there.
Who needs Walter?: When it comes to the left tackle position, the Seattle Seahawks’ depth chart has gone deeper than ever before.
Walter Jones is missing from training camp due to an ongoing contract dispute.
Wayne Hunter was going to get a shot at the position but failed his physical due to a wrist injury.
Floyd Womack opened camp as the starter but strained his calf on the second day.
Matt Hill, the fourth option, stepped in but struggled in Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage.
And now the Seahawks have put rookie Sean Locklear in with the starters.
Locklear is the third left tackle to be inserted into the starting lineup since camp opened nine days ago.
“He’s getting an opportunity that he wouldn’t ordinarily have,” offensive coordinator Gil Haskell said of Seattle’s third-round pick. “And he’s done very well.”
The coaches were impressed with the way Locklear performed in Saturday’s scrimmage while matched up with linebacker Chad Brown. In the same scrimmage, Hill had trouble with defensive end Omar Nazel, a rookie free agent from USC.
“He’s very good from his hips down,” Haskell said of Locklear. “He moves easily and quickly.”
Locklear played all over the offensive line while at North Carolina State, finishing his senior season at left tackle because of injuries to teammates. Most NFL teams saw him as a future guard, and the Seahawks drafted him partly because of his versatility.
Because Jones has missed all of Seattle’s summer workouts, Locklear had been playing left tackle with the No. 2 offense.
“I’m happy where I’m at now,” he said. “I’ve been flip-flopped so much that I don’t have a real position.”
Hunter is expected to be back from a wrist injury this week, so he could conceivably be the fourth left tackle to play with the No. 1 offense.
Receiver shines: Second-year wideout Jason Willis continues to open some eyes at training camp, but he’s still uncertain whether he’ll be opening a paycheck next month.
“I’ve seen time with the ones and twos, but it’s always a competition,” said Willis, who worked with the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses Monday. “The wide receivers are all looking good. You don’t know anything until that last day: judgment day.”
Willis caught a 20-yard touchdown pass in Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage, then he continued to shine in practices Sunday and Monday.
“When it’s your time to go in, you have to make the most of it,” Willis said. “If the ball’s coming your way, you have to go get it.”
Willis spent last year on injured reserve after breaking his thumb late in the Seahawks’ third preseason game.
He is among eight receivers at camp vying for two or three roster spots behind Koren Robinson, Darrell Jackson and Bobby Engram. Among the other candidates are Pro Bowl special teamer Alex Bannister, Taco Wallace, Jerheme Urban and recent draft pick D.J. Hackett.
“It’s going to be a tough situation,” receivers coach Nolan Cromwell said. “Unfortunately, you can’t keep everyone. I like the effort and the things that the young guys are doing.”
Quick slants: The Seahawks survived a scare Monday when guard Steve Hutchinson and linebacker Chad Brown were slow getting up after a hard collision. Both players eventually walked away on their own power. … A total of 16 players remained sidelined by injuries Monday – the same number that had to sit out the previous day.
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