Camp Takeaways: Tempers Flare as Seahawks Spar With Packers in Joint Practice
Moments before kicking off their joint practice on the fields next to Lambeau Field, the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers huddled all of their players and coaches together to lay the ground rules for the next few hours, more than likely urging everyone to keep post-whistle scuffles to a minimum.
But in the heat of mid-August, tempers have a tendency to flare with players more than ready for the real games to start and those words of caution can ring hollow. That proved to be very much the case on Thursday morning, as it didn’t take long for frustrations to boil over once Seattle and Green Bay began partaking in drills against one another.
With the Seahawks’ offense facing off against the Packers’ defense on one field and the Seahawks’ defense facing off against the Packers’ offense on another, multiple fights broke out between the two teams, including linebacker Ernest Jones and cornerback Devon Witherspoon landing blows on opponents after a red zone snap. The benches cleared and bodies went to the ground before coaches could stabilize the situation, and the barking continued after practice had concluded.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald doesn’t condone fighting, but things do tend to get a “little chippy” in joint practices by nature, and he felt that his team did a good job of not crossing the line while staying physical and backing up their teammates in an intense environment.
“It's hard to tell what happened. Who said what? You want your guys to defend their guys,” Macdonald explained after practice. “There's a line. Whether we go past the line, I don't think we did, which is good. Our guys stayed composed, but some of these things do tend to happen, and however it gets started, who knows how it works? Hopefully it's not our guys, but people are going to react to a certain extent. Our guys handled it pretty well.”
Though the on-field sparring matches drew significant interest on social media, Macdonald felt those theatrics didn’t impact the quality of work Seattle received going against a talented Green Bay squad. Spending the entirety of his time watching the defense during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 scrimmage periods, he in particular loved what he saw from his first-team defense, which stepped up to the competition.
Specifically, cornerbacks Riq Woolen and Shaquill Griffin reportedly got their hands on several pass breakups, playing stingy coverage on the backend. While Woolen did give up a long reception to tight end Tucker Kraft, he broke up multiple targets in the skeleton period, while Griffin had his best day since re-joining the Seahawks as a free agent and caught the attention of his head coach, including during the two-minute drill period.
“I thought Shaq had a good day. Showed up, made some plays. Felt him down there in the red zone,” Macdonald said. “I thought in two-minute, he had a PBU (pass break-up) if I remember right. He keeps climbing. We're on a good little track here.”
Offensively, Macdonald didn’t have any comments to make based on the fact he wasn’t watching what transpired on the other field. But running back Ken Walker III, who has been in and out of practice throughout July and August as maintenance for a foot issue, participated in full and plunged his way into the end zone during a red zone period, which was followed up immediately by another scuffle in the end zone. Per Mike Dugar of The Athletic, Zach Charbonnet also ripped off a long run that might have been six points in a game situation.
On the outside, Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued his strong camp with several big plays against Green Bay’s starting defense, while tight end Elijah Arroyo hauled in a one-handed grab with his left arm fully extended from quarterback Sam Darnold on a throw that looked poised to sail over his head.
“He’s been doing it all camp,” Darnold said of Arroyo. “He's been making incredible catches like that, so it didn't necessarily surprise me. Incredible play, though, when he went up there with one hand, that big mitt, I knew that it was over a 50% chance of catching it. It was an incredible catch.”
If there were any noteworthy negatives coming out of Green Bay, Darnold’s day ended with an interception to Packers safety Evan Williams during the two-minute drill session. Based on video posted from fans, the quarterback was under duress when he lofted the ball downfield, allowing for Williams to jump it for the pick to close out practice.
What else stood out from Thursday’s joint session? Here are a few other notes coming out of Lambeau:
Offensive Line Starters Should Be Known Soon
Up to this point, Macdonald has stayed coy when it comes to Seattle’s plans at center and right guard, maintaining that the competition has remained open at both spots. But with the preseason finale looming on Saturday, he knows that decisions will need to be made soon and hinted that the starting five should be announced “sometime next week.”
As for where things stand, Anthony Bradford has been in firm control of the right guard competition against Christian Haynes for most of this month, receiving the lion’s share of reps with the first-team in practice and starting both preseason games, playing quite well against the Raiders and Chiefs. The situation at center changed significantly when Olu Oluwatimi suffered a back injury midway through camp, opening the door for Jalen Sundell to start both preseason games.
On Thursday, Oluwatimi did see a handful of snaps with the first-team offense in his first practice back in action after missing two weeks. But Sundell still played most of the snaps at the pivot spot, and after impressing during the preseason in Oluwatimi’s stead by showcasing his elite athleticism in the zone blocking run game that is a staple of Klint Kubiak’s offense, it would be a surprise if he isn’t tabbed as the starter for Week 1.
Don’t Expect to See Starters at All on Saturday
When it comes to the biggest reason why teams do joint practices, they allow coaches to have more control over the elements than in a preseason game with quicker whistles and not taking ball carriers to the ground, which in theory is supposed to protect players from injury. Just as they did last year after joint practice with the Titans, Macdonald confirmed the Seahawks aren’t going to throw their starters into the fire on Saturday, seeing their reps on Thursday as a great final tuneup for the regular season in a more controlled environment.
In fact, Seattle will take things a step further, at least at quarterback. Per Macdonald, both Darnold and Drew Lock are not expected to play against the Packers on Saturday, as rookie Jalen Milroe will start and play the entire game to provide valuable reps for the third-round pick. This likely won’t be the only position where the Seahawks deploy such a strategy, as key backups who are expected to be on the team will see limited snaps before the bottom of the roster plays the remainder of the final exhibition match.
Away from Milroe, most of the Seahawks’ rookie class should play, though first-round pick Grey Zabel and second-round pick Nick Emmanwori could be held out with each player expected to be a major contributor right out of the gate. Receiver Tory Horton likely will be out as well as he continues to nurse a sprained ankle, but the team remains optimistic he will be ready for Week 1.
As for what Macdonald hopes to see from Milroe, he didn’t dive into specifics, only wanting to see him capitalize on the experience along with the rest of Seattle’s rookies that do play on Saturday.
“It’s a great opportunity for him to get great experience. All rookies, they need reps, they need experience, and Jalen was right there. I know he's excited for the opportunity, and he's going to do a great job. Go out and operate the offense and go play ball the way you know how and let’s go.”
Macdonald Provides Mostly Positive Injury Updates
As is always the case with training camp practices, particularly joint practices against another team, teams want to come out of these sessions without any significant injuries. For the most part, the Seahawks successfully dodged bullets on Thursday, with Mike Morris potentially being the lone exception.
According to Macdonald, Morris got a bit “dinged up” during the practice with the Packers and will undergo further evaluation. The coach didn’t disclose specifics on what type of injury the third-year defensive end suffered, so his status will be one to monitor moving forward.
But while Seattle awaits an update on Morris’ status, the team did receive “great” news on linebacker Tyrice Knight on Thursday morning, setting the stage for him to begin working his way back onto the field. The second-year linebacker has been out for most of August nursing a knee injury and dealing with an unspecified medical condition.
“We'll see how long it takes, but a really positive day on T-Knight front this morning,” Macdonald said, adding that the Seahawks would have to be cautious starting him back up because he hasn’t worked out for the past week.
Aside from Knight, left tackle Charles Cross participated in some of the team drills on Thursday, working his way up from only doing individual work following surgery to repair a dislocated pointer finger. Macdonald won’t commit to him being ready for Week 1 against the 49ers, but he appears to be trending in the right direction to be ready to roll for the regular season.
“There's never any absolutes, but that's a fair assumption that he’ll be ready to go,” Macdonald said. “Not being able to play in the game and then coming in and having this is why we do the practice so you can be in this environment and have good physical competition and test it out. They said it went all right.”
In addition, defensive end Uchenna Nwosu, who was activated from the PUP list on Sunday, took the next step in his return to game action, conducting an individual workout in full pads with defensive coordinator Aden Durde before practice. There’s still no timetable for him to suit up, but this was another excellent sign as he further ramps up his activity with hopes of playing early in the regular season.
