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Red Zone Precision & Other Observations From Day 4 Of Seahawks Training Camp

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

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The Seahawks wrapped up their fourth practice of training camp Saturday, and players will now get to enjoy a day off Sunday before the intensity ramps up on Monday for the first padded practice of camp.

Here are five observations from Saturday's practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

1. Sam Darnold and his tight ends were in sync in the red zone.

As has been noted in past previous days, the Seahawks defense, which has the benefit of continuity both in terms of personnel and scheme, has had a lot of good moments early in camp, but Seattle's offense has shined at times as well. And on Saturday, Sam Darnold and company looked sharp for nearly the entire two-hour session, and especially during a red-zone session midway through practice.

In the span of a handful of plays, Darnold fired a dart to the back of the end zone to tight end AJ Barner for a touchdown on an impressive contested catch, then when the drill switched from 11 on 11 to 7 on 7, Darnold found Barner again for a touchdown. After Nick Emmanwori broke up a pass to Cooper Kupp—the defense is still making plenty of plays too—Darnold hit rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo for a touchdown.

Arroyo appeared to have another touchdown, this time from rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe, not long after, but that was called back by an offensive pass interference call.

Overall, it was a very busy day for Arroyo, who had several nice catches throughout, including a long gain down the middle of the field on a well-placed pass from Darnold in a two-minute drill.

2. The interior line rotation continues, with Christian Haynes in the mix at center.

While it was clear coming into camp that the Seahawks would have competition at center and right guard, one of the more interesting developments has been the amount of reps that Christian Haynes, a guard in college and as a rookie last year, has been getting at center. That continued on Saturday, and while Olu Oluwatimi and Jalen Sundell appear to the top two candidates, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said a day earlier that Haynes could also factor into that battle.

"Yeah, he's in the mix," Macdonald said Friday.

Asked when Haynes started factoring into that competition, Macdonald added, "He started getting some snaps towards the end of spring. (We'll) keep the competition open and see what happens. I'd say right now (Oluwatimi and Sundell) are ahead of Christian at center."

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3. The safeties keep making plays, with Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori showing up on Saturday.

As much talent as the Seahawks have on their roster, one of the best and deepest groups might be their secondary, which features four players with at least one Pro Bowl on their resumes in Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, Julian Love and Shaquill Griffin, as well as a ball-hawking playmaker in Coby Bryant, and an intriguing rookie, second-round pick Nick Emmanwori. So it should come as no surprise that that position group has had a lot of highlight plays, particularly the safeties. In the previous two days, free-agent signing D'Anthony Bell had an interception and a forced fumble, and Love added an interception on Friday. On Saturday, Love flashed again, crashing into the backfield to blow up a running play for what would have been a tackle for loss, while Emmanwori made a nice play in coverage, swatting away a pass intended for Cooper Kupp at the goal line.

4. Rookie receiver Tory Horton keeps showing up.

After missing most of the on-field work in minicamp and organized team activities, rookie receiver Tory Horton has been a full go in camp, and the fifth-round pick out of Colorado State seems to turn in an impressive play or two just about every day in camp. On Saturday, Horton had a few nice grabs, most notably hauling in a pass in the corner of the end zone from Drew Lock during a red zone session.

"He's healthy, he's feeling good," Macdonald said after Friday's practice. "I think he's moving really well, playing decisively out there… He's in the right spots and really sharp, so he's off to a good start."

5. An unfortunate injury to start practice.

Saturday's practice unfortunately featured an injury early in the session, with running back Kenny McIntosh going down with an apparent knee injury on a return drill. McIntosh had to be helped off the field by athletic trainers and did not return to the field. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald did not address the media Saturday so there was no official update on McIntosh's status.

Seahawks players picked up the intensity for Friday's training camp practice on July 25, 2025 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

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