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Sam Darnold's Competitive Spirit & Other Things We Learned From Day 1 Of Seahawks Minicamp

News and notes from the first day of Seahawks minicamp.

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The Seahawks kicked off their two-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, the final phase of the offseason workout program—for veterans at least, rookies stick around a bit longer—before players enjoy some time off before training camp kicks off in late July.

And though practices this time of year aren't quite as fast and physical as what will take place in training camp, especially when the pads go on, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has really liked what he's getting from his team so far this offseason, his second on the job.

"Guys are on it, the spirit of practice is right where we need it this time of year," "Macdonald said. "We've got another great opportunity tomorrow to stack another one and then off we go, but to make sure we take advantage of the time we've been given now. The guys are doing that I'm just really pleased with effort, attitude, intent, spirit. A lot of stuff to work on, we've got a long journey ahead of us, but for right now, I'm just really excited about the effort and enthusiasm of the team. It's a fun group to work with."

Here are five things we learned Tuesday at Seahawks minicamp:

1. Sam Darnold continues to grow in a new offense, and he's showing off his competitive spirit as well.

No player will have a brighter spotlight on him in training camp than quarterback Sam Darnold. That's just the nature of the position he plays, and when you're new to a team, a free-agent addition coming off a Pro-Bowl season, there's going to be a lot of interest in how you perform.

What the Seahawks are showing on offense this time of year under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is far from a finished product, but what is showing in the early stages is Darnold's ability to get better every day.

"Sam is doing a great job," Macdonald said. "Sam is a great feel for the offense right now in terms of growing every day. So you can feel the growth. You can feel the improvement, the confidence that we're doing on that side of the ball and that we're growing. It's exciting to work with. He's a heck of a competitor. You know, this time of the year it's hard with all the competition periods, you're trying to create a bunch of situations where there's technically no winner or loser, but you are trying to just try to get great situational work where you're making great decisions, and we're doing that on both sides. Those are fun periods when you feel his competitiveness, and really all three quarterbacks you feel the competitiveness and the sense of improvement every day."

When Macdonald talked about Darnold's fiery side and if that surprised him, Macdonald noted the Seahawks saw it up close last season when the Vikings came back to beat Seattle on a Darnold-led drive.

"We went against him," Macdonald said. "… The thing you love about Sam is he is just a dude, man. He's like one of the guys. There's a sense that he's one of the guys, so he's right there with them in all the things, but that's him. There is some (stuff) to him. Don't mess with him. He's got that edge to him, that competitiveness, and the guys respect that. But he's him. He's not trying to be anybody else, and you have to respect that about him."

2. June is offensive line tinkering season.

While nothing is set in stone, it would appear the Seahawks are pretty set at three offensive line positions heading into 2025, with veterans Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas holding down the tackle spots, and with first-round pick Grey Zabel likely to land the job at left guard. Center, as of now at least, figures to be a battle between Olu Oluwatimi and Jalen Sundell, while right guard looks pretty wide open with the likes of Anthony Bradford, Christian Haynes and Sataoa Laumea all in the mix.

And as Tuesday's practice showed, the Seahawks are willing to try out a lot of different combinations to get the right line combination figured out, using multiple different combinations at center and right guard with the No. 1 line, and even using Haynes, who played guard as a rookie, at center for a bit with one of the reserve units.

"We're mixing and matching right now," Macdonald said when asked about Haynes working at center. "It's a lot of great competition, and Christian has shown the ability to snap, so we've given him some opportunities to do so."

3. Rookie safety Nick Emmanwori will be a player to watch in training camp.

When discussing players coming by his office to talk ball, Macdonald mentioned that one frequent visitor has been second-round pick Nick Emmanwori.

"Nick keeps showing up, "Macdonald said. "I have to tell him, 'Hey, man, the door is closed. Knock.' No, Nick has been up there a bunch."

Emmanwori being an eager learner isn't surprising to teammates and coaches, it's just part of what the Seahawks loved about him, not to mention some impressive athletic traits and college production. And that work ethic, along with his versatility, could help him find his way on the field in multiple roles on defense.

"First thing is the vets in the room are really leading him, and they're doing a great job of setting the expectation, bringing him along," Macdonald said. "He's understanding he's a rookie, but, 'Hey, let's go. You're with us, but there's a certain standard that you're going to have to abide by.' Nick has the humility to do that and to operate that way. But to his credit, we're giving him a lot. The bullets aren't live yet. That's the next step for him is to show it he can handle it in those type of situations. He's going to be able to do that He's really poised. He has a great -- he just understands ball, and again, he really likes the process of doing football all the time, and Jeff (Howard) is doing a great job with him coaching him all the time. Really pleased."

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Value Tickets

Since 2002, the Seahawks have offered a limited number of Value Tickets at the lowest average price across the NFL each season. These tickets are available in the upper level of Lumen Field, with a limit of 4 per fan.

4. Macdonald loves the atmosphere that continues to build in year two.

As mentioned above, Emmanwori has made himself into a frequent visitor in his head coach's office, and he's not alone. Cooper Kupp said he is making frequent visits to bounce ideas off his head coach, and other players are frequenting the coaches' offices as well. And jokes aside about wanting his rookie safety to knock, Macdonald likes what it says about his team that players are so interested in learning and talking ball.

"Look, I'm proud of the atmosphere that we're creating where guys are in and out of the offices, talking to coaches," Macdonald said. "Not necessarily about football, but just what's going on. It feels a lot like we had going on at Michigan to a certain extent. That speaks to the guys that are in the building, our coaches, the job they're doing, the relationships they're building. Any time you're talking ball, especially with the guys, it doesn't get much better than that. I mean, Coop, he's gone against our defense, and he kind of knows how people attack us. Why wouldn't you run ideas by him to see what he thinks? I think we have proof on that front."

5. The Seahawks appreciate their "awesome" punter, Michael Dickson, who got a contract extension on Tuesday.

Seahawks punter Michael Dickson signed a four-year contract extension on Tuesday, and while punter news might not always make a big splash around the league, Dickson's talents are definitely appreciated by his teammates.

"Field position is kind of the name of the game right now," said safety Julian Love. "You see the stats, the analytics or whatever about when the offense starts at the 15 compared to the 35. It's the details within the details of how we play. It can get overlooked. No one's really saying, 'Oh man, our punter is awesome.' That's not really a common thing. But we realize in the building that our punter is actually awesome. Mike, he just gets after it, he's super consistent with his work, with his body, he's just a pro. He's a pro's pro. We're all happy for him. you don't often get a tatted-up punter going to work for you, and Dicko, he's the best."

The Seahawks kicked off day one of minicamp with a workout on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

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