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5 Observations From Day 1 Of 2024 Seahawks Training Camp

News, notes and observations from the first day of Seahawks training camp.

Training Camp Observations

The Seahawks kicked off 2024 training camp on Wednesday, their first under Mike Macdonald, making this a significant day for Seattle's new head coach.

"This is a special time," Macdonald said. "We do a great job, everybody behind the scenes setting up training camp, getting the 12s out, man, you can't take the smile off your face. To be in this setting, this organization, this city, these fans, our guys, it's a special day. It's awesome. Great start with the guys, day one in the books. A long ways to go, but we're off to a great start."

As for the on-field action, here are five observations from Day 1 of camp:

1. Geno Smith was dialed in on Day 1.

Maybe it's just his talent and experience, or maybe it was the work he put in this offseason, traveling to places like Los Angeles and Dallas to work with his teammates, but whatever the reason, Geno Smith looked very sharp on his first day of camp.

There were a couple of batted balls at the line of scrimmage and one pass in which he and his intended target clearly were not on the same page, but other than those miscues, the ball rarely hit the ground all day when it left Smith's right hand. After declaring he is “still getting better” heading into his 12th season, Smith showed it on the first day of camp.

It should hardly come as a surprise but some of the biggest plays of the day came when Smith targeted veteran receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, each of whom had several nice catches.

"I think it just shows you what type of guy Geno is, the type of guys we have on our offense, him as a leader, the mission that he's on," Macdonald said of Smith's offseason workouts with his teammates translating to camp. "Just really respect how he's approached everything. We're on the record with how much we love him, how much of a great worker he is, and he looked really good today."

Macdonald liked what he saw not just from Smith but also quarterbacks Sam Howell and PJ Walker..

"Man, I thought they were sharp," he said. "I'm really impressed with those guys. Working through progressions, (the) poise. I thought the accuracy was good, you saw us connect on some deep balls. I'm really excited about them."

2. Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson are back in action.

You can't evaluate too much off of just one day of practice, especially when players aren't yet in pads, so while it will take some time to learn what linebacker Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson will bring to Seattle's defense, what was clear on Day 1 is that it was encouraging to see both on the field early and often in practice. Free-agent signings who are both expected to contend for starting jobs, Dodson and Baker both missed most of the offseason workout program due to injury. Both were then placed on the physically unable to perform list last week when injured players reported early, but both later passed their physicals, clearing the way for them to practice.

"It was great," Macdonald said when asked about the two linebackers returning to action. "All the guys who have come back, and to see the smiles on their face. Lance Boykin made a play out there. He was all fired up. Those guys have been working really hard, and it's great to see it start to pay off for them."

3. Coaches want to see versatility from cornerbacks early on.

Throughout his career coaching defenses, Macdonald has deployed his cornerbacks in different ways, be it having them stick to one side of the field, or have one cornerback match up with an opposing receiver, or having boundary and field cornerbacks, meaning one who plays the wider area of the field and one who plays the narrower part relative to which hashmark the ball is on.

As Macdonald explained, those decisions can be made based on the skills of the cornerbacks on the roster, as well as on how teams use their different receivers. And while it's far too early to know how the Seahawks will use their outside cornerbacks this season, what Macdonald wants to do early is move them around a bit to get them comfortable playing different spots, which can mean Riq Woolen, normally a right cornerback in his first two seasons, will get some action on the left side, while Tre Brown, who has played both sides during his career, will also move around.

"We've done several things," Macdonald said. "We've matched guys, we've played field and boundary, we've played right and left. I think it depends a lot on who you're playing and their operation. If they're going to be hiding guys and moving a lot and you're matching, that's a little bit tougher. If one guy's on one side, it's a little bit easier to match the skillset of the guys on your team, so those are things that we'll consider as we go. Right now, the guys are playing right and left, and we do the same thing with safeties. As camp starts to declare and the roster starts to declare, then we start to move them around and get a little bit more specialized."

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4. Tie goes to the receiver?

In what will surely go down as most memorable contested catch in Seahawks history, Smith connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a long gain, one of several connections between those two. Cornerback Michael Jackson, however, did not agree with the call, thinking instead that he had an interception. On the play in question, Smith fired a long pass down the left side of the field and Jackson immediately began tracking the ball for a potential pick, but just as he leapt to make the grab, Smith-Njigba arrived to also go up for what was suddenly a jump ball. Both players went to the ground still hanging onto the ball and after a brief struggle, the play was ruled a catch for the offense.

Again, it was definitely the most noteworthy occurrence of a receiver and defensive back fighting over a catch in franchise history… or not.

5. Mike Macdonald is wasting no time connecting with fans early.

On his way onto the field for his first training camp practice as a head coach, Macdonald stopped to give a few high fives to fans and even sign some autographs before getting to work. And he wasn't done showing some love to the 12s, making plenty of time for them after practice as well. Macdonald first had some business to attend to, holding his post-practice press conference, but for the fans on the berm who waited, Macdonald went over more than a half hour after practice ended and spent a long time signing and chatting with fans.

Check out the Seahawks 53-man roster for the 2024 season.

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