How much will Russell Wilson, starters play, what else to expect in Seahawks at Raiders
Russell Wilson is likely to spend more time in the team hotel’s pool than in the game.
Seattle’s franchise quarterback and fellow veteran starters are poised for cameo-like appearances in the Seahawks’ first of three preseason games, Saturday night against the Raiders here in Las Vegas. Pete Carroll has routinely played his first-stringers for a series or two at most on offense and defense in exhibition openers during his previous 11 preseasons as Seattle’s coach.
He and how the team practiced this past week gave no indication Carroll’s pattern would change this month.
That new offense first-time play caller Shane Waldron is installing this summer? We aren’t likely to see much of that in Nevada, either. Seattle and most NFL teams stay very vanilla, not even French vanilla, during preseason games. That’s to keep the truly new and competitive schemes from the rest of the league’s viewing of game films.
Waldron and Wilson are putting in the Seahawks quicker, more-run-based and shorter-passing system daily in training camp on the practice field in Renton. Other NFL teams can’t see the films of those.
Yet there are veterans and newer players who have much to gain from these three preseason games, one fewer this year because of the league adding a 17th regular-season game for the first time.
Those with the most to gain in Las Vegas:
Darrell Taylor: It’s the long- — I mean, long- — awaited Seahawks game debut for the team’s second-round draft choice last year. The edge-rushing end missed all of last year after not fully recovering from lower-leg surgery in January, three months before Seattle selected him.
With K.J. Wright still unsigned and unlikely to return to the team in 2021, Taylor has moved into a hybrid outside-linebacker-end role. He practices position drills with linebackers, pass-rush drills with ends. Taylor has been the strongside linebacker in base 4-3 defense, usually on early, run downs, during training camp. On passing downs and in nickel defense (with five defensive backs and one fewer linebacker), Taylor has been a rush end in a rotation with Carlos Dunlap and Benson Mayowa.
Still learning his new linebacker job, Taylor is likely to be the one starter who plays more than others against the Raiders. He needs game reps.
After all, he entered Saturday with as many in the NFL as you do.
Stone Forsythe, left tackle: He was supposed to be learning.
Instead, the rookie is starting.
Duane Brown remains in camp to only watch, not practice. The Pro Bowl veteran left guard who turns 36 this month wants a new contract beyond 2021. Jamarco Jones, a fifth-round draft choice by Seattle in 2018, was playing for Brown this month until he got hurt. Then coaches moved veteran Cedric Ogbuehi, the former first-round pick by Cincinnati, from backing up Brandon Shell at right tackle to filling-in for Brown and Jones at left tackle. Then Ogbuehi got an oblique injury.
Forsythe, the 6-foot-8 draft pick from Florida this spring, had to get through a sore ankle to play in the team’s mock-game scrimmage last weekend. He’s been raw. He is a NBA-sized tackle still searching for consistency in getting low enough for leverage against speedier edge rushers. His start Saturday is another reason Wilson isn’t likely to play long.
Yet Forsythe’s gotten far more time with Wilson and the starting offense that he was supposed to. As in, all year.
“Shoot, it’s worked out great for him to be in the huddle with Russ and hear all of the stuff and communications,” Carroll said of the rookie he’s called “a monster.”
“He’s handling this opportunity really well and hopefully he will make the most out of it,” Carroll said.
“We will see how he does against other people, but so far he’s been probably better than we could have anticipated this early because he knows his stuff. He’s making good calls, and he’s responding well. So it’s real positive.”
Expect Forsythe to remain in the Raiders game after quarterback Geno Smith enters and the others starters leave, likely in the first quarter. That’s so the coaches can see as much of how Forsythe does against other people as possible, while he can.
Brown will almost certainly be back for the opener. Veterans in contract years need real games to show their real value to the rest of the league for next year. Sitting out only results in missed changes, and more important, missed game checks
Aaron Fuller and Cody Thompson, wide receivers: Top rookie draft choice D’Wayne Eskridge hasn’t practiced yet in camp. The speedy receiver remains on the physically-unable-to-perform list, though Carroll said Friday the team expects Eskridge to come off the PUP list and practice next week following a big-toe injury two months ago.
“We are going to take the wrapping off next week. We are excited to get him back,” Carroll said. “He looked fantastic in his workouts. ... As far as his power, strength, and COD (change of direction), he’s back, and we are really looking forward to that.”
With only two preseason games after this one until full preparation begins for the opener at Indianapolis Sept. 12, Eskridge is going to need his speed to catch up in his quest to be the third wide receiver behind Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. Those starters will be mostly watching Saturday.
Fuller, the undrafted former Washington Huskies receiver and kick returner, will get plenty of opportunities to fill both roles against the Raiders in his first NFL game of any kind. Thompson, a former Ohio high-school quarterback, was on Seattle’s practice squad last season. This is his first NFL game since he started for the Kansas City Chiefs in their final exhibition of 2019, against Green Bay.
“I’m excited to get to Vegas and to get it going again,” Thompson, 25, said. “It’s been a while.”
Fuller, 23, and Thompson have been establishing a noticeable rapport with Wilson this month while taking what would be Eskridge’s reps with the starting offense.
Seizing opportunities as Fuller and Thompson have in Las Vegas is how Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse went from undrafted and fighting to make the Seahawks years ago to Super Bowl-champion starting receivers for Seattle.
Josh Johnson, running back: Every Seattle summer, an undrafted rookie takes full advantage of an early preseason chance and turns it into unexpectedly making the roster. It’s happened at running back; remember Thomas Rawls in 2018***?
Rashaad Penny remains out with yet another injury. The team’s first-round pick in 2018 has a thigh issue. That’s derailing the start of his final season under contract.
No one is calling Penny Rashaad Prosise yet, but he is getting to be as promising but frustrating and undependable as C.J. Prosise was for years at running back.
Travis Homer has yet to practice this month, though Carroll said he is likely to come off the PUP list with Eskridge and practice next week.
Johnson has stepped into the void of those absences, and has stepped well. The 5-9, 209-pound rookie free agent from Louisiana-Monroe has been getting valuable time doing what Penny hasn’t: putting Waldron’s new system they’ve been learning virtually and in other meetings since April into practice on the field. Johnson has been the fourth runner behind Chris Carson, sleeker-looking Alex Collins and second-year man DeeJay Dallas, a former University of Miami wide receiver who is more of a third-down back for the passing game.
This week in practices running-back coach Chad Morton ran Johnson and first-year free agent Cameron Scarlett (6-1, 218, from Stanford) exclusively through some position drills and runs with pads hitting them. Carson, Collins and Dallas just stood and watched them do it, an indicator that’s what will happen Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Ben Burr-Kirven, linebacker: Entering his third season since Seattle drafted him, the former UW middle linebacker has played exclusively on special teams in his NFL career. All-Pro Bobby Wagner isn’t yielding middle linebacker to anyone anytime soon, so Burr-Kirven doesn’t get many chances to call defensive signals and actually play defense.
He will Saturday.
This week Nick Bellore, a fullback and Pro Bowl selection for special teams last season, moved to middle linebacker where he played early in his NFL career. That was after Cody Barton and undrafted middle linebacker Jon Rhattigan got hurt and missed practices all week. Thursday, Bellore made a standout play in a red-zone drill knocking a quick pass by Wilson away from Metcalf.
Burr-Kirven needs to establish he and not Bellore can be the primary backup to Wagner. Both play special teams. If the Seahawks need a roster spot at some other position, such as crowded cornerback and wide receiver, this could be where they take one.
This story was originally published August 14, 2021 at 4:58 PM with the headline "How much will Russell Wilson, starters play, what else to expect in Seahawks at Raiders."
