Seahawks offense bounces back, highlighted by run game, explosive plays

Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald figured the defense’s strong practice Monday would inspire a faster start from the offense Tuesday. He was correct.

To kick off a red zone period early in practice, Sam Darnold and the first-team offense ended their drive with a touchdown reception by tight end AJ Barner. Drew Lock and the second-string unit found the end zone as well, thanks to a run by George Holani through the left side of the line. Rookie running back Damien Martinez scored on a goal-line carry for the third-string unit to make it three in a row.

“There’s going to be days where the D-line is getting off the ball a bit quicker, and you have to learn from that,” first-round rookie left guard Grey Zabel said after practice Tuesday. “If we’re going to hang our hat on being physical and running the ball, we have to show up every single day.

“We’re process-driven, we’re not result-driven. It’s going to be a roller coaster, up and down some days. You just want to have that trend going linear in a positive direction. … If the head coach is saying (we need to respond), we need to look in the mirror and figure out how we can get the horses turned in the right direction and run the ball north.”

Let’s get into additional notes and takeaways from Tuesday’s practice, which was the second padded session of camp.

1. The defense is still without inside linebacker Ernest Jones IV because of a personnel matter. Patrick O’Connell and Drake Thomas have been taking turns replacing Jones in the starting lineup. Running back Ken Walker III didn’t participate in Tuesday’s practice. Macdonald didn’t speak to the media afterward, so it is unclear whether Walker was resting or dealing with an injury.

The two starting units had good battles, particularly in the early team periods. Outside linebacker Derick Hall and defensive tackle Leonard Williams blew up a run by Zach Charbonnet, then on the next snap, Darnold launched a 35-yard bomb to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who got a step on cornerback Josh Jobe. Smith-Njigba’s catch was an example of something he might do more of this year with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett gone: stretch the defense vertically from the outside.

“I definitely wouldn’t categorize (Smith-Njigba) as just a slot receiver — he’s one of the best receivers in the league,” safety Julian Love said. “He has every skill set you need to be a top-end receiver in this league. Speed, route running, catch radius, yards after catch.”

When the two starting units went at it again later in the drill, Macdonald fooled the offense and schemed up a free run at the quarterback for Devon Witherspoon, who forced Darnold to toss the ball into the dirt. Darnold got rid of the ball quickly, but Witherspoon was flying at him so fast it might have been a sack in a live setting. Witherspoon chirped at the offense afterward.

Two other plays stood out from the team periods between the starting units. Holani had a run ruled down after about 10 yards because he was tapped by a defensive back, but in a live setting, he might have taken it much further, barring an excellent open-field tackle. The other play was a needle-threading throw from Darnold to Smith-Njigba that avoided the outstretched arms of multiple defenders deep over the middle. Smith-Njigba didn’t make the catch, but the throw was really sharp.

2. This was the most active day of camp for fourth-year wide receiver Dareke Young. During a one-on-one period with the entire team watching, Young caught a 35-yard pass from rookie Jalen Milroe for a touchdown over the head of cornerback Damarion Williams. The defender was in position to make a play on the ball, but Young leaped and snatched it away. (Elijah Arroyo caught a touchdown over D’Anthony Bell in the same drill.)

Young and Lock hooked up for a first down over the middle, again with Williams in coverage, to keep a drive alive during a situational team period. Later in the day, Young caught a long play-action pass from Milroe over the head of cornerback Kam Alexander.

This is a critical training camp for Young, whose deal expires after his season. Because of all the offseason additions at receiver, Young will likely need to string together more strong days (and play well on special teams) to secure a spot on the 53-man roster.

3. Tory Horton, a fifth-round rookie whose presence could make a guy like Young expendable, continues to flash in practice. Tuesday, he made two grabs that jumped out to me. First, he took cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett deep for about 30 yards in a seven-on-seven drill, catching a nice ball from Lock.

Not long after that, Horton got a step on cornerback Riq Woolen and caught a strike over the middle from Darnold. The second catch was more impressive because it came against Woolen, who has been tough to beat in camp (Woolen picked off Darnold on Monday).

4. The defense responded well after the offense came out hot. Three defensive backs had interceptions, and a few other defenders delivered pass breakups to prevent big completions.

Pritchett picked off an ill-advised throw by Lock during a team period. Lock rolled out and threw across the field to receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but the cornerback was all over it, and the receiver didn’t have much of a chance.

Safety AJ Finley made a great break on a ball over the middle and intercepted Milroe during seven-on-seven. Milroe has now thrown interceptions in consecutive practices.

Cornerback Tyler Hall ended practice by picking off Milroe in a two-minute drill. Milroe appeared to signal afterward that his elbow was hit, which would explain why the throw fluttered a bit and didn’t come close to reaching any eligible receivers.

Damarion Williams ended one team period by knocking away Lock’s deep pass over the middle toward Horton. Safety Ty Okada robbed Arroyo of a long touchdown at the end of practice by fighting through the tight end’s hands on the goal line. The 6-foot-5 Arroyo has the clear size advantage over the 5-11 Okada, but the defender did exactly what the coaches preach in that situation: Reach your hands in there and rip the ball out.

Okada doesn’t get mentioned much because, as a deep safety, he’s not around the ball very often. But much like Coby Bryant, Okada is a very good communicator who operates like a coach on the field. So, it’s not surprising he made a textbook play in coverage.