Key Storylines to Watch in Seahawks’ Second Preseason Game vs. Chiefs

SEATTLE, Wash. - Returning to Lumen Field for their second preseason dress rehearsal, the Seattle Seahawks will give at least a handful of their starters some run against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night.

According to Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald after Wednesday’s practice, quarterback Sam Darnold will be under center, though it remains to be seen how many snaps he will be on the field before giving way to Drew Lock. Plans for other starters weren’t specified, but with joint practice coming up in Green Bay next week, if Seattle wants to give them any game reps, it will likely have to happen tonight.

“There might be a couple of guys that will vary based on whether they get out there or not,” Macdonald said. “We’re still working through it right now, but, our guys are going to start the game out. We'll see how long it goes.”

Heading into Friday’s contest, here are six storylines to watch at Lumen:

1. How will Darnold look in his first game action in a Seattle uniform?

This jumps out as the low-hanging fruit considering Seattle’s starters will be expected to play at least a series or two on Friday night, if not more, but nobody will be under the microscope more than Darnold, who fans will be curious to see in action running Klint Kubiak’s offense. The veteran signal caller won’t have his full arsenal at his disposal, as it would be a stunner if running back Ken Walker III plays after being held out for a big chunk of training camp for precautionary reasons and the offensive line will be without left tackle Charles Cross and Olu Oluwatimi.

Still, based on Mike Macdonald’s comments on Wednesday, the Seahawks likely will be giving the duo of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp a spin in a game for the first time along with the tight end duo of A.J. Barner and Elijah Arroyo, giving Darnold plenty of weaponry to throw to for a series or two. It will be interesting to see how Kubiak dials up plays in an exhibition setting with more starters on the field and if the run game pops with Zach Charbonnet and George Holani as it did during the preseason opener last week, the door will open for play action, particularly the bootleg game that fits the quarterback’s strengths quite well.

Regardless, while six points would be quite the hype generator for the 12s, a successful preseason outing for Darnold doesn’t have to have a touchdown. Simply leading a quality drive or two with a few first downs, not turning the football over, and not being under much duress from Kansas City’s defensive front would be a positive stepping stone towards the regular season and finding the end zone would be a great cherry on top of the exhibition sundae.

2. Can Jalen Sundell pull off a Wally Pipp at the pivot position?

Recovering from surgery to repair a dislocated finger, Cross doesn’t have to worry about his spot as Seattle’s blindside protector being in jeopardy with Josh Jones and Mike Jerrell handling left tackle snaps in his stead. But that may not be the case for Oluwatimi, who has now missed more than a week with a tight back, allowing Jalen Sundell an extended audition as the center in the middle of John Benton’s offensive line during the final stages of camp and the preseason.

Before the injury, Oluwatimi appeared to have the starting center job on lockdown even with Macdonald refusing to name a starter, and injuries typically aren’t used as a reason for demotion. But the fact that the competition has been kept open throughout this process suggests the athletic, intelligent Sundell could still supplant the incumbent. With a strong exhibition performance in pass protection and as a run blocker against the Chiefs on Friday, especially considering his already well-established chemistry with rookie left guard Grey Zabel, who was his college roommate for three years at North Dakota State before the two teamed back up in Seattle, things could get interesting making a decision at a key spot up front.

3. Who rises to the cream of the crop in a crowded receiving corps?

If Smith-Njigba and Kupp play as anticipated on Friday night, neither of those players obviously will be battling for their spot on the team and they will have brief runs before turning their helmets in for ball caps. Based on his sensational play at camp and in the preseason opener, rookie Tory Horton need not fret on that front either, as he has secured his ticket to the roster and now will be vying to lock up the third receiver slot, if he hasn’t accomplished that already.

That’s where drama may still exist on the outside, however. At this point, Jake Bobo’s special teams talent and blocking ability should have him on the safe side of the bubble, but a few catches wouldn’t be a bad thing for him against the Chiefs. Speedy veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who did not play in the exhibition opener, saw more time with the first-team offense in practice this week and may need a couple big plays to ensure that he remains on the roster with Dareke Young, Cody White, and others nipping at his heels while offering far more special teams value.

As for wild cards to watch, undrafted rookie Tyrone Broden Jr. has developed quite the rapport with Jalen Milroe in their first camp together and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him come through with a few big receptions when the third-team offense takes the field. Seventh-round pick Ricky White III has also come on strong over the past week and may be making a late push for roster consideration.

4. What will Jared Ivey and undrafted defensive line trio do to cap off a strong week?

Much like the receiver position, even with a dynamic trio of Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and Byron Murphy II anchoring the starting lineup, the Seahawks may still have a few spots on the depth chart left unspoken for along their defensive line. With veteran nose tackle Johnathan Hankins and fifth-round pick Rylie Mills on the Non-Football Injury list and potentially being out for the first four games of the regular season, depth in the interior in particular may be cause for concern with Week 1 only a few short weeks away.

However, if there’s a silver lining, Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde have been pleased with the progress of a rapidly improving undrafted rookie crop in the trenches. Leading the charge, Ivey tallied six tackles in his preseason debut last week and the former All-SEC performer from Ole Miss continued to create problems for the offense in practice this week lining up all over the line of scrimmage, but he’s had more help from his undrafted cohorts as they’ve started to build chemistry playing together, including J.R. Singleton and Anthony Campbell.

Singleton, a multi-year starter for a stellar Iowa State program, has sneaky penetrating ability from 1-tech and 3-tech alignments, and he and Ivey have started to become a nuisance for Seattle’s offensive line groups in practice running twist stunts. As for Campbell, the former Miami standout came on strong out of nowhere in practice this week, blowing up a couple of runs in team periods and pancaking sixth-round guard Bryce Cabeldue twice in one-on-one drills. Both players will be aiming to further bolster their stock as at least viable practice squad options on Friday.

5. Will inside linebacker depth stand up with more hands on deck?

Now back with the team following the passing of his father, Ernest Jones IV may or may not play at all for the Seahawks on Friday night, while Tyrice Knight has yet to come back from an undisclosed medical condition and won’t be available. This means that at least one, if not both, inside linebacker spots will have backups in the starting lineup against the Chiefs, with Drake Thomas and Patrick O’Connell the likely replacements.

Unlike obvious projected starters like Williams or cornerback Devon Witherspoon, that means Thomas and O’Connell should be ready for at least a half of action, if not playing well into the third quarter on Friday night, receiving some much-needed game experience in Macdonald’s defense. This will be a great opportunity for both players to secure their roster spots, especially with Josh Ross (hand) not yet back in action, but if either plays poorly, others on the roster may have a chance to capitalize, including hybrid linebacker Jamie Sheriff.

Unable to play last week due to an injury, Sheriff has yet to have a shot to show how much progress he has made learning the off-ball linebacker spot, a position he had never played at any level before transitioning to that role this spring. After starring as an edge rusher last preseason, if he can go out and prove that he has made major strides adapting to playing off the ball and deciphering run plays against another opponent while also still contributing on a handful of edge rushing opportunities, his odds at fighting back into contention for a roster spot would improve significantly.

6. Do the Seahawks provide a taste of Nick Emmanwori joining Julian Love, Coby Bryant?

Preseason games will always be vanilla schematically by nature, even if Macdonald has said on multiple occasions that he doesn’t view them in that light and tends to be a bit more aggressive than other coaches. Not every starter will suit up, as some will be held out, which makes it trickier to gauge what an already plain preseason game plan menu will look like defensively.

If either Julian Love or Coby Bryant doesn’t play much - or at all - on Friday night for the Seahawks, fans will have to wait to see how Emmanwori fits playing next to them until Week 1 when the Niners roll into town and this narrative becomes a moot point. But more likely than not, both of those starters will see the field for at least a handful of snaps, and the linebacker depth situation has led to Emmanwori playing as a pseudo-linebacker on the practice field, so it would be a surprise if the three players aren’t on the field together for at least a handful of snaps against the Chiefs.

Does that mean that Seattle will open the playbook up and mix in a bunch of exotic blitzes? Probably not. But Macdonald has been eager for the chance to evaluate his newest weapon in Emmanwori, so the urge may be there to unleash him a bit more than you would typically see in a preseason game, which may provide a sliver of context in regard to how the team plans to deploy those players together in nickel and dime sets once the real bullets start flying.