RENTON – The Seattle Seahawks took the field at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Monday afternoon for their fourth OTA practice and their first that was open to the media.
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It’s difficult to glean too much from what happens on the field at this stage of the offseason, especially since no live contact is allowed. But here are some notes and observations from what transpired during a picture-perfect afternoon on the shore of Lake Washington.
Darnold’s day
Sam Darnold had an up-and-down afternoon in what was the media’s first chance to watch the 27-year-old quarterback since he signed a three-year, $105 million deal with the Seahawks in March.
Darnold kicked off the first 11-on-11 red-zone session with an 8-yard touchdown pass over the middle to fellow newcomer Cooper Kupp.
But later on, Darnold threw two interceptions in a three-play span during 7-on-7 red-zone drills. Veteran safety Julian Love came up with the first pick when he hovered in zone coverage and then undercut a pass intended for Kupp. Cornerback Josh Jobe came up with the second pick on a play where no receivers were open and Darnold forced a throw to the end zone.
During that same 7-on-7 red-zone drill, Darnold also had back-to-back passes that were behind the intended receiver.
However, Darnold bounced back with several more TD passes later on. One was a well-thrown ball to 6-foot-5 undrafted rookie wideout Tyrone Broden, who fought through contact to haul in the TD pass in the back corner of the end zone. Another came on a TD strike over the middle to receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Lock shines
Backup quarterback Drew Lock, who took all the second-team reps, delivered the play of the day during an 11-on-11 session. Lock rolled out to the left and – while throwing across his body and on the run – tossed a perfectly placed pass some 30 yards downfield to wideout Stevens Sims along the left sideline.
Lock also threw a back-to-back TD passes to receiver Cody White during an 11-on-11 red-zone session. On the first one, Lock made an off-balanced throw that White caught in the front corner of the end zone. And on the second one, White made a nice grab in the back of the end zone that occurred right in front of general manager John Schneider, who gave White a congratulatory fist-bump.
The O-line rotation
In general, the first-team offensive line consisted of Charles Cross at left tackle, rookie first-round pick Grey Zabel at left guard, Olu Oluwatimi at center and Abraham Lucas at right tackle, while second-year pro Christian Haynes and third-year pro Anthony Bradford appeared to split time at right guard.
For the most part, the second-team offensive line typically featured second-year pro Michael Jerrell at left tackle, second-year pro Sataoa Laumea at left guard, second-year pro Jalen Sundell at center, either Haynes or Bradford at right guard, and veteran Josh Jones at right tackle.
Injury-related notes
Rookie fifth-round defensive lineman Rylie Mills didn’t participate, as he continues to recover from a torn ACL that he suffered in the College Football Playoff with Notre Dame last December. But Mills was still very engaged. At one point, he could be seen coaching up undrafted rookie nose tackle J.R. Singleton during a positional drill.
Rookie fifth-round wide receiver Tory Horton took part in positional drills, but appeared to sit out the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. He’s working his way back from a knee injury that wiped away half his season last fall with Colorado State.
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