Camp Takeaways: ‘Strong as S---’ Byron Murphy II Carrying Lofty Expectations For Seahawks
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Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II springs out of his stance during an individual drill at training camp. Credit: Corbin Smith/Emerald City Spectrum [/caption]
RENTON, Wash. - Though the Seattle Seahawks only have had three days on the field so far in training camp, players are well aware padded practices will be arriving on Monday and like a shark sensing blood in the water, the anticipation for the return of (somewhat) real football with hitting created a more fiery environment at the VMAC in Friday’s latest session.
On both sides of the ball, there was plenty of chirping in Seattle’s second practice open to fans. Things started to escalate and get chippy as the afternoon progressed with intense pass rushing line drills and hyper competitive 7-on-7 drills paving the way for animated red zone reps in the closing moments, giving those sitting in the berm a livelier environment to soak in even without pads on.
“It got real today,” veteran defensive tackle Jarran Reed said following practice. “You can tell it’s about time to start hitting for real.”
As padded practices draw closer, what went down in the Seahawks third training camp practice? Here are five takeaways, including lofty standards being set for two of the team’s top young defensive linemen:
1. Expectations couldn’t be much higher for Byron Murphy and Derick Hall heading into new season.
Coming into the league as a ballyhooed first round pick out of Texas, Murphy didn’t produce the statistical season most expected as a rookie, finishing with just a partial sack and two quarterback hits while suiting up for 14 games. While those numbers don’t paint a true picture regarding his impact, especially against the run where the Seahawks clearly missed him in three games on the sidelines allowing north of 173 rushing yards per contest, elite defensive linemen make their presence felt with impactful plays in the backfield and he simply didn’t provide much of that in his first season.
However, if there’s reason for optimism with Murphy gearing up for his sophomore season, the athletic defender arrived at the offseason program with a few extra pounds of muscle added to his frame and has looked noticeably more effective in the first few days of camp as a penetrator. On two different plays during the team periods on Friday, he rocketed his way into the backfield on what would have been tackle for loss opportunities if not for the non-padded, quick whistle fashion of the first few days of practice. He also generated a quick pressure on Drew Lock that forced the quarterback to immediately bolt the pocket.
Not shying away from applying pressure to his younger peer while repeating a colorful description of his skill set, Reed didn’t mince words when sharing what he believes Murphy can accomplish in his second season in coach Mike Macdonald’s defense.
“In my mind I can see him being Defensive Player of the Year,” Reed declared. “He’s strong as s—-, fast, and strong as s—-.”
Such a descriptor wouldn’t be limited to Murphy coming out of Thursday’s practice, either. During pass rush drills, Hall, who posted a career-high eight sacks last season and looks to have added some extra muscle to his frame as well, bullied veteran tackle Josh Jones with his raw power and lifted him up off the ground before the blocker wound up on the ground.
Rushing alongside Hall during the drill, Reed said that he had to dodge Jones, who the defender threw down directly in his rush path. Blown away by the third year player’s strength and tenacity, he compared his skill set and mentality to new teammate Demarcus Lawrence and said he couldn’t wait to watch the rep in the film room after practice.
“He's going to be a great player. The sky's the limit for him. I think D Law’s [DeMarcus Lawrence] the best thing that could have happened to him because mentality wise, I think they're the same. And football wise, I think they're the same.”
2. Jalen Sundell isn’t the only offensive lineman in the mix for multiple starting jobs.
Over the course of the first three camp practices, new Seahawks offensive line coach John Benton has enjoyed mixing and matching combinations up front, playing musical chairs with a number of players as he tries to assess where each of them fits best. Seventh round pick Mason Richman saw some action at right guard for the first time on Friday, but more notably, Christian Haynes continued to see reps snapping as a center along with being the primary right guard with the first-team offense.
Prior to being drafted by Seattle a year ago, Haynes’ experience as a center had been limited to a crash course in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, as he never played a single snap at the position at UConn. As a rookie, the coaching staff didn’t give him a look at the pivot spot, but that has changed in recent weeks, starting with his first exposure to the role in OTAs and mandatory minicamp, actively partaking in the same platoon that Sundell has between two positions.
Early on in training camp, it has felt like the Seahawks were giving Haynes those reps more as a means to see if he could play the position and add some flexibility to his resume. But in just three days of practice, he has already made noticeable improvement with his snaps to the quarterback, going from uncorking regular ankle biters to more consistently getting the ball to the signal caller’s hands. Plus, his natural movement skills running out of his stance to execute reach blocks has stood out, suddenly looking the part of a potentially viable center option down the road.
While Macdonald has generally kept tight-lipped about offensive line competitions for the most part and indicated that Olu Oluwatimi and Sundell are ahead of him right now, he acknowledged Haynes isn’t simply getting a look at center as a developmental strategy. Like Sundell, he’s “in the mix” at both positions and will have a chance to boost his momentum when pads come out next week, though winning the right guard job seems most probable since he has been seeing the majority of reps there thus far.
3. Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to find his groove snagging passes from Sam Darnold in Klint Kubiak’s offense.
Taking the torch as Seattle’s new No. 1 receiver after the departure of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett this offseason, in the aftermath of his first 1,000-yard campaign, Smith-Njigba has taken on a bit of a role reversal. Though only his third NFL season and just 23 years old, he’s one of the few returning established veterans in the receiving corps and has adopted more of a mentor role leading the likes of rookies Tory Horton and Ricky White III as the team learns a new scheme, feeling the onus to expand his leadership presence.
For his part, as he has helped younger receivers get up to speed, Smith-Njigba feels his own chemistry with Darnold has gotten better by day, which couldn’t have been better evidenced than during Friday’s practice. In the opening team session, as one of two catches during that sequence, with cornerback Riq Woolen sitting in trail coverage and no deep safety awaiting him, the rising star came open on a post route and Darnold fired a strike from the pocket to the receiver in stride, connecting with nothing but green in front of him for a long touchdown that drew loud cheers from the crowd on the berm.
“It’s building, it’s growing. I’m excited for what it could be,” Smith-Njigba said of his budding connection with Darnold.
Compared to May and June practices, Smith-Njigba has gradually become a bigger factor in terms of targets during team drills, including beating cornerback Devon Witherspoon on a couple occasions on in-breaking dig routes for first down receptions in Wednesday’s first session. He also has had a few close calls on big play opportunities, including narrowly missing out on a long pitch-and-catch from Darnold against Witherspoon on a fade route with his left foot barely clipping the sideline as he tried to drag both toes.
4. Don’t forget about Julian Love as the ringleader of a dynamic, deep defensive backfield.
An argument can be made that no position has demonstrated better depth through the first few days of camp than Seattle’s impressive safety group, with rookie Nick Emmanwori gradually starting to cut into first-team defensive reps as a Swiss army knife and veteran D’Anthony Bell jumping a pass from Darnold for an interception on Thursday. Ty Okada and AJ Finley have also made a few plays on the football and been active flying all over the place against the run while logging snaps with the second and third-team defenses as well.
“I think we got the best guys back there that you can play with,” Reed said of Seattle’s secondary talent, including safety.
But while the Seahawks undoubtedly have a wealth of riches at safety, especially after trading up for Emmanwori in April to further bolster the group, Love remains the most valuable member by a wide margin. Incredibly instinctive with the versatility to play outside cornerback, nickel cornerback, and both safety spots at a high level and even rotate up into the box to blitz from time to time, there’s a reason he ranked in ESPN’s Top 10 safeties recently as voted by scouts and executives.
For those who needed a reminder of what he can accomplish between the lines, Love made the play of the day on Thursday. In a rare instance so far this camp where Darnold made the wrong decision, the quarterback lofted a wobbly pass off his back foot without a clear target and Love promptly high pointed the ball for a pick and ran it back more than 25 yards going cross field before the whistle was blown. Teammates mobbed him on the sideline and the crowd went nuts on a play that seemed to turn the energy on the field up a few notches for the remainder of the practice.
5. With Jake Bobo on lock status, the perceived receiver competition may be down to one or two spots up for grabs.
In each of his first two seasons with the organization after signing as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA, Bobo has had to scratch and claw to stave off competitors and maintain a spot on Seattle’s active roster. But he has been able to outlast the competition due to his work ethic, strong hands, special teams contributions, and stellar blocking ability on the outside, and based on what Macdonald said after Friday’s practice, it sounds like he’s already cemented on the roster as one of the team’s receivers for Week 1.
“Jake's been an integral part of our football team,” Macdonald commented. “Talk about identity, how he plays on special teams, just clutch catching the ball. The guy's got incredible hands. And now with how we're going to be blocking on the perimeter, you're going to want 19 out there, push cracking safeties and doing all those things too. He brings a lot to the table.”
Given how well Bobo performed throughout open offseason practices and his strengths as a physical, tough-minded possession receiver, it honestly shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Seahawks seem to have a plan in place for him to be a significant contributor with Metcalf and Lockett now gone, and his skill set does mesh with the identity the team wants to establish. Kubiak’s offense will deploy a lot more two tight end sets than his predecessors did and an increased emphasis on the run game will demand strong blocking from the outside, an area where the 6-4 wideout has excelled in the past, including ranking second in Pro Football Focus’ run blocking grade by receivers as a rookie in 2023.
But if Macdonald’s words do declare Bobo a lock in July, with Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling also shoo-ins to be on the opening week roster, it’s possible that only one or two other receivers vying for snaps will make the team. Further muddying the picture for veterans on the bubble, Horton caught a long touchdown from fellow rookie Jalen Milroe and looks explosive after undergoing knee/hamstring surgery last winter, while Ricky White III has also snagged several passes in team drills. The special teams ability of those two draftees coupled with pass-catching upside on rookie contracts will make it tough sledding for Cody White, Dareke Young, Steven Sims Jr., and others to latch on.
