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Five Observations From Day 2 Of 2025 Seahawks Training Camp

News, notes and observations from Day 2 of Seahawks camp.

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The Seahawks were back on the field Thursday for Day 2 of training camp, a practice in a quieter environment, as this one was not open to the public, but that also featured a bit more intensity after easing into things on Day 1.

1. The offensive progression is evident.

Throughout organized team activities and minicamp, the Seahawks defense often got the better of the offense over the course of any given practice. And that was to be expected. After all, the defense, which returns 10 of 11 starters from the end of last season, was one of the best in the league in the second half of last season, and is back enjoying the benefit of continuity, both from a personnel standpoint and in Mike Macdonald's scheme. The offense, meanwhile, is starting over with a new coordinator, Klint Kubiak, starting quarterback, Sam Darnold, and several new pass catchers, including veteran receivers Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

And while the defense might still be ahead of the offense early in training camp, that gap is closing as the offense continues to grow.

A day earlier, Macdonald said the offense is "right on schedule" and there were plenty of impressive throws from Sam Darnold to show that progress.

The work done in OTAs and minicamp are the biggest reason for that improvement, but what also helped the offense hit the ground running in camp were the informal workouts Darnold organized with receivers and tight ends in Southern California during the break between minicamp and training camp.

"It speaks to the connection," Macdonald said. "We talk about 12 as One around here, and it isn't like I was going to Sam telling him to get the guys together, and that was totally driven by Sam and the rest of the guys. I don't know how many routes they ran, or how well it went, but it's just important for them to be together, talk through those things, and I think it sets them up to have a better start to camp, and that's really important."

2. Rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo looks like a playmaker.

With the Seahawks deciding to move on from starting tight end Noah Fant before the start of camp, there will be more opportunities for tight ends like AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo and Eric Saubert, and all three have made plays in the first two days of camp. Arroyo, a second-round pick out of Miami, has been particularly impressive in the passing game, hauling in a couple of nice catches, including a sliding grab at the sideline on Wednesday, and a few nice catches on Thursday, one of which featured a combination of concentration and good hands as he hauled in a pass that was nearly intercepted by Riq Woolen.

3. D'Anthony Bell made the play of the day on defense.

As mentioned earlier, the offense is making strides, but Seattle's defense also continues to make plays. On Thursday, the defensive play of the day came from veteran safety D'Anthony Bell, a free-agent addition, who dropped into a passing lane to undercut a Darnold pass intended for Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

"He came to work," cornerback Devon Witherspoon said. "He came to prove himself. He's coming out here and making plays. Shout out to D-Bell, he's going to have a good year."

4. Rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe demands a lot from himself.

Rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe, a third-round pick out of Alabama, has continued to show progress since arriving in Seattle, which ultimately is the goal for a rookie quarterback who isn't expected to start right away, and that showed up again in a practice performance that looked a lot cleaner than what was on display earlier in offseason workouts.

Coaches and teammates have praised the rookie quarterback's work ethic, which no doubt factors into the improvement, and it's also evident that he is likely his own harshest critic. An example of that was on display Thursday when Milroe rolled to his left, and delivered a nice pass on the run to fellow rookie Ricky White III, who made a sliding catch near the sideline. It was a good throw on the run, but a slightly better one would have allowed White to keep his feet and gain some yards after the catch. Knowing that, a frustrated Milroe went to the ground and did a few pushups as his penance.

5. Mike Macdonald's defense swarms to the ball.

Until pads go on next week, the defense can only be so physical, and even then, there won't be live tackling until preseason games. But despite not being able to tackle, the defense is still swarming to the ball quickly, something that really shows up on short passes when, almost without exception, there is one or more defenders right there when the catch is made. A good example of that Thursday came when, on a checkdown to Kenneth Walker III, Julian Love came flying down from his spot at safety for what, in a game, would have been a big hit, drawing a big reaction from teammates and coaches.

"It's important to practice how you play," Witherspoon said. "Once you do that over and over again, by the time gameday comes, it's easy. We've been doing this for a long time, so we just have to do it consistently, over and over again, and not get bored with it."

Seahawks players participated in their second practice of training camp on July 24, 2025 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

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