Much has changed for Grey Zabel since breaking into the NFL as a first round draft choice 12 months and change ago.
Once a wide-eyed rookie making the monumental jump from FCS powerhouse North Dakota State to the Seattle Seahawks, Zabel isn’t trying to stay above water this time around. Rolling into his sophomore season as a key cog in a much-improved offensive line with all five starters returning from a year ago, he now carries the titles of respected veteran, ascending star, and most notably, with a gaudy ring in tow as proof, Super Bowl LX champion.
Even if Zabel downplayed life being much different for him these days aside from being noticed in public more frequently, he’s felt the difference - to an extent - on the field in his first full NFL offseason.
“I think the game's just slowing down a little bit. Not by much though,” Zabel told reporters following the conclusion of Seattle’s mandatory minicamp on Thursday. “You still got a lot to learn, still got a lot to improve. If anything, you just got 20 something games now to go back and watch and figure out how you can improve and what to get better at. But I think JB [coach John Benton] does a great job with kind of having me learn and grow every single day to be the player I want to be come the first game of the season.”
Bringing another offseason program to a close, the Seattle Seahawks wrapped up mandatory minicamp with a spirited final practice session highlighted by strong defense, sending the team into summer break before returning to kick off training camp on July 25.
“I feel like it's been great,” veteran defensive tackle Leonard Williams said. “Great attendance from the leaders, from the older guys. Young guys working hard, trying to be sponges of the game, learn as much as possible. To me, I really just see our culture elevate to another level.”
Coming off an All-Pro season, Williams won’t have to worry about his starting job or roster spot being in jeopardy when Seattle returns to the practice field next month. However, several positional groups on offense and defense already have intense competitions well underway that will continue in earnest in training camp, whether for starting roles or one of the final spots on the 53.
Heading into a six-week moratorium, which competitions have emerged as ones to watch once training camp arrives? And where do things stand on the depth chart at those positions coming out of the offseason program?