Camp Takeaways: Ernest Jones, Seahawks’ Defense Dominates One-Sided Red Zone Session
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Seattle Seahawks linebackers Ernest Jones (13) and Drake Thomas (32) listen to instructions before a drill during the third day of training camp. Credit: Corbin Smith/Emerald City Spectrum [/caption]
RENTON, Wash. - Steadily drawing closer to the return of pads later this week, the Seattle Seahawks turned in an energized third training camp practice amid rising temperatures on Monday, culminating with an emphatic win for Mike Macdonald’s defense to close out the afternoon.
While Macdonald felt the Seahawks turned in another strong practice even without the crowd cheering them on from the berm, as expected from a Super Bowl-winning head coach, he also provided a bit of a challenge for his players with one more practice remaining on Tuesday before a deserved day off.
“Those days when the 12s are all out here. It's really special. But today was still great. Weather's awesome. Guys are in good spirits. A lot of stuff we need to work on. A long way to go,” Macdonald told reporters moments after practice concluded. “But let's focus on what we got to do next. So I'd like to finish practice a little bit better tomorrow to finish out this ramp period and then get a day off and be back at pads on Thursday.”
Who and what stood out from Seattle’s third camp session? Here are five takeaways from the VMAC:
1. No room to breathe, operate for Seattle’s offense in final moments of lopsided red zone session.
In the early stages of camp practices, which tend to carry the same tempo as OTAs and minicamp without shells or full pads and strict contact prohibitions, the offense typically has the advantage. But that hasn’t been the case in the first three practices thus far, and Ernest Jones and company turned in their most dominant effort thus far in Monday’s session, putting the cherry on top with all three defenses keeping the Seahawks’ offenses out of the end zone in a lopsided red zone period.
Playing his part in the shutout to wrap up practice, Jones stuck to tight end AJ Barner like glue as he tried to come open on a seam route, reaching his right hand in front of the intended receiver in the end zone to deny Sam Darnold a potential touchdown pass. Two plays later, the quarterback tried to hit his standout tight end again, but this time, cornerback Noah Igbinoghene had tight coverage and a throw towards the front left pylon proved to be too far for Barner to bring in on a diving catch attempt.
Sticking to the mantra that the “standard is the standard,” Jones and a talented, experienced defense that returns most of the starters from last year’s Super Bowl squad don’t have any interest in letting the opposition in the end zone, whether it’s late July or in the heat of a playoff contest.
“We love the game. We love to come out here and practice. We love to compete,” Jones said after practice. “You know, it's a little hotter than what we're used to today, but guys are out here grinding, man, doing what we love to do. So it's easy to do this job when you love it.”
The first-team defense set the tone and the other two groups that subbed in behind them followed suit with their own dominance. Most notably, a trio of youngsters from the past two draft classes shined going against the second and third-team offenses.
Back healthy after missing most of his rookie season with a torn ACL, defensive tackle Rylie Mills deployed a smooth swim move to rocket into the backfield and “two hand tap” running back Jadarian Price for a tackle for loss. On the next play, rookie safety Bud Clark came on a blitz and forced Jalen Milroe into a rushed throw as he tried to scramble out of the pocket. Finishing the shutout in style, rookie cornerback Michael Dansby read Milroe like a book in the end zone and secured a gimme interception to lead to the final two whistles to end the work day, continuing his encouraging start to his NFL career thus far.
2. Three days in, albeit with limitations for running back evaluation, Jadarian Price continues to impress.
Still without defenders even attempting to wrap up in non-contact practices, as Macdonald continued to caution after Monday’s practice, the Seahawks won’t get a real taste for what they have in the backfield until later this week. This includes for Price, the hyped first round pick out of Notre Dame who finds himself under the microscope with every movement he makes on the practice field.
Until Price shows what he can do in more game-like scenarios as tacklers try to bring him to the turf, it remains to be seen what Seattle can reasonably expect from him as a rookie. But at the same time, the talented ball carrier has tantalized at times even with evaluations being spotty at best in these type of practices, even drawing praise from Macdonald on his attentiveness in pass protection thus far.
“Is it tough to evaluate right now? Kind of, without the tempos and things and seeing how the runs finish. But you can see the decisiveness, you can see the movement ability, the quickness, the speed, doing a lot of great things in pass protection, which I appreciate. So it's positive right now. Just really excited about him. He's got a great opportunity in front of him.”
At this point of camp, run plays still carry an asterisk with backs running through the line and not having to take on a would-be tackler, often running untouched for 50 yards to get extra conditioning in. But there are areas where backs can be assessed this time of year, including out of the backfield as receivers, where Price has kept making a solid first impression after having few opportunities to get involved as a pass catcher for the Fighting Irish.
Turning in one of the few offensive highlights for the Seahawks on Monday, Price got the better of Jones during a 7-on-7 period, leaving the linebacker gushing about his talent and dynamic skills afterward. The back made a smooth cut against the veteran as he glided out of the backfield, getting a few steps on Jones to beat him on a wheel route as Darnold lofted a perfect strike to him in stride for a touchdown.
“He’s good, man. Mature for his age. You don’t get too many words out of him, but he’s working. He got me today. He had a hell of a route on me today. He’s good,” Jones smiled. “I think he’s going to help us. He’s doing everything right and he’s got a great group of backs in front of him that are kind of teaching him the way.”
3. Expanded opportunities along ‘Hawks offensive line as John Benton continues to play musical chairs.
Just three days into camp, there’s not an ounce of drama when it comes to Seattle’s offensive line, which returns all five starters from last year’s Super Bowl team. Three of those players, including tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, currently are under contract through 2028, giving the franchise rare continuity in the trenches that it has sorely lacked for much of the John Schneider era.
But in the reserve ranks, the Seahawks could have some enticing camp battles shaping up for a handful of reserve spots, particularly in the interior. Third-year guard Christian Haynes received the lion’s share of reps with the second team offense during the offseason program and that trend has largely continued in the first week of camp practices, while rookie Beau Stephens has gradually been getting his feet wet in his first camp with the likes of Bryce Cabeldue, Mason Richman, and Federico Maranges getting longer looks early.
From that group, while Cabeldue has been a guard only, Richman and Maranges have been dipping into other spots away from their natural positions. Building off the work he put in last summer, Richman - a tackle by trade at Iowa - saw snaps as a center in the first two camp practices, only for the Seahawks to rotate him in as a right guard on Monday. As for Maranges, the second-year center has been rotating in at both the pivot position as well as left guard, trying to develop a bit more versatility to aid his cause as he vies for a reserve spot himself.
Like the backs, until the pads come out and physicality returns to practice, the Seahawks won’t have much to go off of trying to assess and evaluate the second and third string offensive lines to figure out who will make the team in September. However, these early practices provide a chance for players to show their mettle in the mental and technique aspects of the game, and both Richman and Maranges have done enough to earn themselves some snaps at secondary positions as a means to help their pursuit of a roster spot.
4. Seahawks “feeling” Dante Fowler Jr.’s presence as he ramps up activity in first camp with team.
Reunited with veteran defensive end Demarcus Lawrence and defensive coordinator Aden Durde, Fowler opted to join the Seahawks this offseason over other potential opportunities, but he wasn’t on the practice field when camp opened on July 25. At the time, without disclosling the injury, Macdonald indicated that the team had a plan in place for managing his workload on a potential return.
Fortunately, the injury Fowler has been dealing with doesn’t appear to be serious at all, as he practiced for a second straight day on Monday and put his speed and quicks on display on several occasions in individual and team drills. As Jones described it, he brings different “burst off the line” that complements the bevy of talented defensive linemen already up front for Seattle, which showed up on a pair of rapid fire pressures on Darnold before he had to slow down to avoid hitting the quarterback and allow him to throw.
Thankfully for Macdonald and the rest of Seattle’s defense, Fowler won’t have to pull back hunting after Drake Maye and other quarterbacks on the schedule once the real bullets start flying in a few months, and the coach has been quite pleased with what he’s seen from the veteran newcomer thus far.
A known commodity with a pair of 10-plus sack seasons on his resume, including just two years ago in Washington, Fowler has been around the block long enough that the Seahawks won’t have to force the issue having him practice every day. But based on comments from Macdonald and the player himself, it sounds like whatever ailment he was dealing with coming into camp isn’t a big deal at this point, which is good news for the team as they slowly start to build up for the regular season.
5. Late July bumps and bruises starting to settle in, including for latest crop of rookies.
As Macdonald acknowledged afterward, the Seahawks have several players battling through the typical soreness that comes with practicing three straight days to open a new training camp. Not surprisingly, rookies entrenched in their first camp experience haven’t been exempt.
Already without defensive tackle Deven Eastern, who opened camp on the PUP list and has yet to be activated, third-round pick Julian Neal left the field for a few moments on Monday and returned with a wrap around his leg standing on the sideline. Macdonald didn’t provide any specifics on the injury, but did indicate that the medical staff conducted tests on him and it didn’t appear to be anything serious.
During the course of practice, nose tackle Brandon Pili came off for trainers to stretch him out as he battled cramps and Milroe had his throwing hand looked at briefly after he hit a defender’s helmet at the end of a follow through on a pass attempt. Both players returned to action for the remainder of practice.
In additional injury news, receiver Tory Horton didn’t practice on Monday after participating in the first two days of camp, with Macdonald simply saying the Seahawks were following a planned ramp up period for the second-year wideout as he works back from a shin injury that ended his rookie year last November.
