The Seahawks kick off training camp Thursday; here's what we're going to be watching for from the sidelines.
Name that defensive lineman
With defensive tackle Jarran Reed suspended for six weeks for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, the Seahawks’ thinnest position gets even more desperate. Defensive end Frank Clark and his 14 sacks were traded to Kansas City leaving the injured Ezekiel Ansah and rookie L.J. Collier, who was drafted in the first round from TCU, with a heavier load to carry. Defensive tackle Poona Ford also will see an increased role in Reed’s absence.
Running wild
Can the Seahawks running backs repeat their performance from 2018, when they led the NFL with 160 rush yards per game?
Chris Carson was the breakout star of the bunch – rushing for 1,151 yards (fifth in the NFL) with nine touchdowns (seventh in the NFL) while averaging 4.7 yards per carry.
Mike Davis, second on the team with 514 yards rushing, signed a two-year $6 million deal with Chicago, leaving 2018 first-round pick Rashad Penny to carry a bigger load. Penny impressed with a 4.9-yard per carry average, albeit for just 419 yards.
Backup quarterback
Luckily for the Seahawks, quarterback Russell Wilson has been as durable as any QB in NFL history; he has never missed a single practice, let alone a game. But if he goes down in 2019, the question is: who would replace him? It’ll be the training camp battle to watch, with Geno Smith (31 career starts, most of them unimpressive for the Jets) owning a slight edge over 2016 first round bust Paxton Lynch (four career touchdowns, four career interception), who’s still 6-foot-7.
Bye, bye Doug
Replacing wide receiver Doug Baldwin off the field is impossible, and replacing his production on the field is a nearly equally-difficult task. Over his career, Baldwin averaged 62 catches for 820 yards and six touchdowns per season. Those numbers are deflated by a slow start before coming into his own a few years into the league.
With Baldwin battling injuries last year, the Seahawks ranked among the NFL’s worst teams with only 193 passing yards per game. Without him, it’s an even scarier proposition for Wilson, who will try to use rookie D.K. Metcalf (second round, Ole Miss) as a deep threat. Metcalf is a physical specimen – 6-foot-3, 229 pounds – who runs a 4.3-second 40-yard dash.
Cinderella story
Will linebacker Shaquem Griffin’s storybook tale find another chapter in Seattle?
The Seahawks are loaded at linebacker, and Griffin may be fighting for a roster spot at weakside linebacker. Making it even thornier for hard-core Seahawks fans – his chief competition could wind up being another fan favorite, the undrafted former UW star Ben Burr-Kirven.