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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Tim Weaver

Seahawks 2023 training camp: 7 takeaways from Day 1 of practice

Seahawks Devon Witherspoon Pete Carroll Bobby Wagner Alton Robinson Jarran Reed Evan Brown Olu Oluwatimi Tre Brown Abe Lucas

Yesterday the Seattle Seahawks held their first of nine training camp practices that are open to the public this year. The usual beat reporters were also on-site, taking in the team’s next step towards the 2023 NFL season.

Here are seven takeaways from the team and the media at the VMAC.

Seahawks 2023 training camp: Sights and sounds from Day 2

Updated Seahawks 90-man roster after Ben Burr-Kirven return

1
Pete Carroll not sweating Devon Witherspoon's absence

Every new season brings surprises that nobody saw coming, from the most die-hard homer fan to the most dedicated IRL journalist. This year is no different, as Seattle fans received an unpleasant surprise going into camp.

Adam Schefter at ESPN first reported that the team’s first draft pick this year – No. 5 overall pick Devon Witherspoon – would not be expected to show up due to a contract dispute. A few hours later that reporting proved true, as Witherspoon was absent.

After practice, head coach Pete Carroll seemed unbothered as usual and told reporters he imagines Witherspoon will be back soon.

Pete Carroll acknowledged that first-round pick Devon Witherspoon isn’t here today. Also says he imagines Devon will be here sometime soon.

— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) July 26, 2023

Witherspoon is the only player in the league that has not signed his rookie contract yet.

Apparently the sticking point on his contract is the signing bonus. That amount ($20.171 million) is set in stone, but when and how much of it a player gets is up for negotiation. For example, the top two draft picks C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young both got 100% of their signing bonuses up front, but No. 3 pick Will Anderson Jr. got 85% now and the other 15% deferred.

To be continued…

2
Jarran Reed at nose tackle?

One of the positions that’s most unsettled going into training camp is nose tackle. To recap the team’s less-than-ideal situation, Al Woods is now on the Jets, Bryan Mone is recovering from an ACL injury, Jonah Tavai was just waived (NFI) and the guy who’s been taking the first-team reps at NT this offseason is rookie Cameron Young.

One can forgive the Seahawks for wanting a bit more security at that spot. On that note, one of the more interesting nuggets from Carroll’s conversation with reporters is that returning veteran Jarran Reed is playing nose tackle.

Of note from Pete Carroll’s press conference, he said Jarran Reed is playing nose tackle. Was listed as a DE at signing (that’s a 3-4 DE, not an edge guy).

— John Boyle (@johnpboyle) July 26, 2023

Reed has been playing as a traditional 3-4 defensive end. Our original depth chart projections had Reed and Dre’Mont Jones on either side of whoever winds up starting at nose tackle.

Time will tell if Reed in the middle is the long-term plan or just a stop-gap until another option becomes available.

3
The first-team offensive line

There’s still plenty of time to go before the Seahawks line up across from the Rams in Week 1, but their offensive line is beginning to take shape.

Yesterday the first-team unit up front went as follows: Charles Cross at left tackle, Damien Lewis at left guard, Evan Brown at center, Phil Haynes at right guard and Abe Lucas at right tackle.

Seahawks starting offensive line day 1 of training camp: LT Charles Cross, LG
Damien Lewis, C Evan Brown, RG Phil Haynes, RT Abe Lucas @thenewstribune

— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) July 26, 2023

As for the second-string unit, it went Stone Forsythe at left tackle, Greg Eiland at left guard, rookie Olu Oluwatimi at center, rookie Anthony Bradford at right guard and Jake Curhan at right tackle.

A few quick personnel notes from Seahawks camp today: The starting OL was as expected, going left to right — Cross, Lewis, Brown, Haynes and Lucas. I saw no deviation from that with the 1 offense. 2 OL: Forsythe, Eiland, Oluwatimi, Bradford, Curhan. ….

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) July 26, 2023

Our hope is that Oluwatimi eventually takes over for Brown at center – and the sooner the better. Center is a difficult spot for any rookie to play, but Oluwatimi won’t get the experience he needs on the sidelines.

4
Cornerbacks in flux

With Devon Witherspoon holding out and Riq Woolen beginning camp on the PUP list with a knee injury, the Seahawks had to shuffle their cornerback rotation.

Yesterday the starters on the boundary were Mike Jackson (RCB) and Tre Brown (LCB).

Michael Jackson and Tre Brown the starting corners.

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) July 26, 2023

Our expectation has been that Witherspoon will eventually take over on the left side. However, he did some work in the slot late at OTAs and Carroll told the media yesterday that when Witherspoon arrives he’ll be competing with Coby Bryant for that spot.

… Coby Bryant was back after missing minicamp and worked with starting defense at nickel. Carroll said he'll compete there with Witherspoon once Witherspoon arrives. Jackson and Tre Brown were the starting RCB and LCB, respectively….

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) July 26, 2023

Fascinating.

5
Alton Robinson 'wasn't ready to go'

Before camp got started, the Seahawks made a flurry of moves inteded to free up some salary cap space and churn the bottom of their roster. The list included extending Uchenna Nwosu, restructuring Quandre Diggs’ contract and signing several new players.

To make room for them, Seattle had to cut somebody and the biggest name to fall was outside linebacker Alton Robinson.

Orginally a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, Robinson showed a lot of promise in his rookie season. However, he fell out of favor after that and didn’t get much playing time in 2021. He missed the entire 2022 season due to a knee injury.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Carroll said it just didn’t work out with Robinson and he wasn’t ready to go.

When asked about #Seahawks releasing Alton Robinson yesterday, Pete Carroll said, "It just didn't work out. He wasn't ready to go."

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) July 26, 2023

It’s a crowded and confused picture at OLB below the team’s clear No. 1 in Nwosu. However, if any one player benefits most from Robinson’s getting cut it’s likely last year’s fifth-round pick Tyreke Smith, who also missed the entire season due to injury.

6
Bobby Wagner back in the right colors

The most comforting sight on the field was undoubtedly No. 54 returning after a one-year layover in Los Angeles.

Already a beloved franchise legend, Bobby Wagner is now more popular than ever with the fanbase. After practice was over Wagner addressed the crowd and thanked them for their support.

Bobby Wagner addressed the crowd after practice ended. Thanked them for all their support and mentioned how excited he is to be a Seahawk again.

His parting shot: “I got the right colors back on.”

— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) July 26, 2023

Wagner offers more than just good vibes, of course. Last season Pro Football Focus graded him out as the best off-ball linebacker in the league. He also brings a ton of experience and football IQ to the table, which will be critical for a linebacker corps that would be pretty thin without him.

On that subject, Wagner was spotted coaching up one of the team’s young linebackers who could certainly use his help: Devin Bush.

Bobby Wagner could be seen coaching up new linebacker Devin Bush during individual drills. Those two would be the starters without a healthy Jordyn Brooks currently. #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/uyA7fbgn0z

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) July 27, 2023

It remains to be seen what happens with Jordyn Brooks as he recovers from his ACL injury. He’s also begun camp on the PUP list. If he’s not ready to go by Week 1, there’s a chance Bush will be starting next to Wagner.

7
WR depth on display

If Seattle fans are looking for reasons to be excited about this coming season, the team’s remarkable talent and depth at the wide receiver position should be at the top of the list.

Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf will get most of the attention – but these days Seattle finally has some real firewpower beneath them on the depth chart. Yesterday that depth was on display, as No. 20 overall pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Dee Eskridge and undrafted rookie Matt Landers all turned heads with big catches.

#Seahawks    first training camp practice is wrapped up.

Dee Eskridge and Jaxon Smith-Njigba both had impressive days with long receptions on screens, while Matt Landers scored from 50-plus yards on a crosser from Drew Lock.

More notes coming soon.

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) July 26, 2023

One can make an exception for Cincinnati’s corps, but there’s also a strong case that the Seahawks have the best wide receiver group in the NFL this year.