> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Camp Takeaways: Big Plays Galore as Sam Darnold, Seahawks Torch Skies in Eighth Practice - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/camp-takeaways-big-plays-galore-sam-darnold-seattle-seahawks-torch-skies/ - Published: 2026-08-04T03:42:32.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-04T03:42:32.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Analysis, Seahawks, Sam Darnold, Rashid Shaheed, Velus Jones Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Nehemiah Pritchett, Abraham Lucas, Emanuel Wilson, Robbie Ouzts, Julian Neal RENTON, Wash. - Smoke descending upon the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Monday afternoon came from the unfortunate Spokane fires raging on the other side of the state, with expectations air quality will continue to worsen over the next few days. But putting the true serious nature of the flames in Eastern Washington aside, with Sam Darnold and company lighting up the skies all afternoon, an observer wouldn’t have been off basis for blaming a scorching hot passing game as the culprit for the increasingly hazy conditions in the Seattle Seahawks’ eighth training camp practice. Coming out firing on all cylinders early in Monday’s session, Darnold zipped a 20-yard bullet to Cooper Kupp on his first throw against Seattle’s No. 1 defense, soon connecting with Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a 50-yard touchdown after he came loose working against Nehemiah Pritchett with a subtle push off at the top of the route. On the next series, he ripped a 20-yard completion to Tory Horton on a post route between two tightly converging defenders and then hit Kupp on a 25-yard in-breaking route in a three-play span. Continuing to find success over the top against the normally stingy Seahawks defense in the next situational team drill, Darnold executed a play fake from under center and promptly set his back foot before launching a bomb down the middle of the field. Flying past rookie cornerback Michael Dansby and rookie safety Bud Clark on a skinny post, speedy receiver Rashid Shaheed had the pass land in his hands in strides for six points on a 55-yard touchdown reception. Trying to be complementary while also not being pleased that his defense allowed the long completion to begin with, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald indicated that seeking more opportunities to take shot plays to Shaheed has been a priority for Brian Fleury’s offense as camp progressed into the second week. “It was good. That was, uh, got thrown over our head finally. So that was a good wake-up call for us on defense,” Macdonald said with a wry smile. “But that's definitely a point of emphasis, after this first week, trying to get ‘Shid the ball on some of those deeper targets.” Everyone expects to see Darnold and Smith-Njigba dialed in, as they have been dynamic since they first started practicing together and the star receiver captured Offensive Player of the Year honors in their first season together. But chemistry wasn’t near as crisp for the quarterback and Shaheed out of the gate when the wideout came over from New Orleans at the trade deadline last October, as they failed to hook up for a single touchdown in 12 regular season and playoff games. Benefiting from their first offseason together, including spending time together throwing in the summer at Saddleback College in California, however, Darnold and Shaheed now find themselves on the same page. After linking up for several big plays during OTAs and minicamp, that momentum has carried over into training camp, with Monday’s long touchdown being the most notable connection between the two as they continue to build a stronger rapport. “It's just now there's new circumstances, way more banked reps underneath our belt,” Macdonald remarked. “I think both guys are in a really, really good place. So it's about, kind of the challenge of the camp is how far can we take it? And that's what we're focusing on right now is, how far can we take that relationship? How far can we take his route tree? You know, how great of timing can we create with those two guys?” On a day featuring no shortage of fireworks from the offense, what else stood out in Seattle’s eighth camp practice on Monday? Here are four additional takeaways from the VMAC: **1.Taking advantage of snaps at multiple positions, Velus Jones puts on a big play clinic as a running back and receiver.** Previously coming into the league as a third round pick out of Tennessee, Jones didn’t emerge as the offensive and special teams weapon that the Bears envisioned when they brought him on board in the 2022 NFL Draft. In three years with the team, the coaching staff tried to find a fit for his tweener skill set with previous college experience as a running back and receiver on top of returning kicks and punts, producing 300 yards of offense on 31 touches with a rushing and receiving touchdown. After that point, Jones bounced around, spending time with the Panthers and Saints before being signed to the Seahawks practice squad last fall. He eventually suited up for three games, seeing mop up duty in a couple of blow out wins with four carries for 32 yards, showing enough in that limited time for the team to re-sign him to a future/reserve deal in January, listing him as a receiver on the roster this spring after being listed as a running back last season. Since then, however, Seattle has released former seventh round pick Kenny McIntosh, and with Zach Charbonnet still a ways off from returning from a torn ACL, backfield depth suddenly became a pressing concern early in camp. Rather than scrounging for scraps as a receiver in a crowded room, the team shifted him back to running back on the roster late last week, and he followed up with his most impressive performance as a Seahawk on Monday, creating big play damage both as a runner and receiver. On the opening team series, he caught a dump off from Drew Lock and rocketed down the sideline to turn a short catch into a 20-yard gain. Moments later, Fleury motioned him out wide to the right as a receiver and he beat safety Brandon Johnson on a fade route, making a spectacular diving grab for a 35-yard reception. Only a few short plays later, cornerback Noah Igbinoghene got caught staring at Lock and picked up Jones too late on a wheel route out of the backfield, coming open as the quarterback hit him for a 40-yard gain before getting pushed out of bounds in the red zone. With rookie Jadarian Price, George Holani, and Emanuel Wilson, who made a few nice catches of his own on Monday, ahead of him on the depth chart, trying to notch a spot on the 53-man roster may be tricky for Jones. But his immense versatility with legitimate 4.3 speed makes him a highly unique weapon and if he continues to show up delivering explosive plays at multiple spots while pitching in on special teams, keeping a fourth back may not be out of the question. **2\. Balancing an old school approach, John Benton’s ability to connect with players has made all the difference for Seattle’s o-line.** Brought in as a part of a pairing with former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak before the 2025 season, Benton worked magic transforming a Seattle offensive line that struggled mightily in the prior season into one of the NFL’s most improved. After allowing nearly 60 sacks in 2024, the unit cut that number by close to half, allowing Darnold to be sacked just 27 times in the regular season, while the run game found traction in the second half with that momentum continuing into the postseason. Choosing to stay with the Seahawks instead of following Kubiak to Las Vegas, Benton welcomes all five starters back from last year's Super Bowl team, including right tackle Abraham Lucas. With every starter under 27 years old and three of the players under contract together through 2028, the organization is enjoying rare continuity in the trenches in today’s NFL, and the revered coach has kept pushing the right buttons this spring and into camp with the goal of taking the unit to the next level. While Lucas acknowledged Benton has an “old school” coaching style, but he also brings a giant personality to the field and off of it. As he did on Monday, he can be seen chuckling with players from time to time between drills, even forgetting tackle Logan Brown’s name at one point in OTAs to a sea of laughs from the group, demonstrating the balance of knowing when to coach his guys hard and when to lighten up as a means to build strong relationships with his players, which has made all the difference between the lines. Specifically, Lucas has been able to relate with Benton due to their similar music tastes, as both love to listen to metal and play the guitar. The fifth-year tackle raved about his coach’s shredding skills, which apparently belong on par with his coaching ability, once again illustrating the all-around person that players would run through a brick wall for. “It's cool that we can relate about it,” Lucas said. “If you've never seen him play before, that dude is a kick ass guitarist. It’s awesome, and I love it. We get to chat about the type of metal and music we like, so it's pretty cool.” **3\. Continuing to see extensive first-team reps, Nehemiah Pritchett sharpening iron battling against Smith-Njigba.** During his first two seasons, Pritchett got his feet wet as a reserve for the Seahawks, playing 151 defensive snaps as a rookie in 2024 and 91 snaps as an injury replacement last season. Those experiences yielded inconsistent results, as he allowed two touchdowns in coverage in a loss to the Buccaneers last season but also had a huge pass breakup in the end zone to deny Marvin Harrison Jr. a touchdown in a Week 10 win over the Cardinals, exhibiting the tools to be a quality cornerback in Mike Macdonald’s defense. Now entering his third season, following the departure of former starter Riq Woolen in free agency, Pritchett has never had a better opportunity to earn a significant role in Seattle’s defense than he does now. With Macdonald playing extensive nickel and dime looks with three cornerbacks on the field, the former fifth round pick finds himself right in the mix to replace Woolen alongside Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe in those situations, and he may have further helped his cause in Monday’s practice. Though Pritchett did give up the aforementioned 50-yard touchdown pass to Smith-Njigba, he had solid coverage on the play until the receiver extended his arm and subtly discarded the defender at the top of the route. That may have been a penalty in a true game situation, but the young cornerback quickly shook off the play and came back with a stellar play of his own to win the second matchup between the two players on the outside, sticking in the reigning Offensive Player of the Year’s hip pocket on a back shoulder throw and extending his right arm out in front for a pass deflection. “He’s really competing and really excited for the opportunity he has,” Macdonald said of Pritchett. “He’s making the most of it. He’s making a heck of a case for carving himself a role.” Now in the second week of camp, Pritchett has continued to get the lion’s share of first team reps with three cornerbacks on the field, and he hasn’t had to worry about third round pick Julian Neal vying for snaps just yet, as the rookie has missed five straight practices with a leg injury. But he will have to keep turning in strong days, as the Seahawks have plenty of capable competitors ready to push him, including veteran Noah Igbinoghene and rookies Michael Dansby and Andre Fuller, with the latter having a great practice with two pass breakups on Monday. **4\. A not-so-encouraging update on Robbie Ouzts headlines limited injury information disclosed by Macdonald.** Choosing not to wear pads on Monday, Macdonald hinted that the Seahawks catered their practice plan to the fact that the team has gotten quite banged up after the first week. Along with Neal remaining out, defensive end Mike Morris, receiver Jake Bobo, edge rusher Jamie Sheriff, and defensive end Jared Ivey remained sidelined, but the coach hasn’t sounded concerned or alarmed about any of them potentially being out for an extended period of time, including saying Neal’s injury is expected to remain a short-term absence. However, even with a short response that failed to offer any specifics per usual, the normally coy Macdonald’s words had more of an ominous tone in regard to Ouzts, indicating the team needed more info on his circumstances, which could mean a second opinion on the undisclosed injury. “Were going to try and find some more information with Robbie’s situation soon. I’ll just leave it at that right now,” Macdonald said. “We’ll have an update for you sooner than later.” As a rookie, Ouzts missed four games with a sprained ankle on injured reserve and he also had a neck injury later in the season that led to him missing the last two games of the regular season. It remains unknown if the new injury has anything to do with the neck issue, but until the Seahawks provide an update, that will certainly be on the back of minds for fans. In the meantime, with hopes it isn’t something long-term for the 2025 fifth rounder out of Alabama, Brady Russell will see all of the snaps as Seattle’s fullback on offense.