The Seahawks are deep into training camp and getting ready for their second preseason game, which means we're overdue on opening up the mailbag to answer some questions from you, the fans.

As always, thanks to everyone who asked questions this week, and apologies if I wasn't able to get to yours this time around. And remember, the mailbag is always open for submissions at Seahawks.com/mailbag.

From Twitter/X:

@MrEd315 asks, "In your estimation, how big of a distraction has Hard Knocks been so far?"

A: Honestly, I really don't think it has been much of a distraction at all. Players seem to be having fun with it while also not letting it get in the way of what they're trying to get done, and as Sam Darnold noted earlier in camp, they have not seen anyone acting differently in front of the cameras, meaning they're just being themselves even with Hard Knocks documenting a lot of what they do.

If anything, players seem excited for the way the show is showcasing some of the different personalities on the team, especially head coach Mike Macdonald, who is emerging as a star of the show even after describing himself as "one of the most awkward guys in the history of America" in a team meeting captured by Hard Knocks. A big part of Macdonald's message to the team when it came to Hard Knocks is that he wanted people to see how the Seahawks operate and for the players to be their authentic selves, and three episodes in, it feels like we're seeing exactly that.

@curtis93969 asks, "Anything you can share regarding the Week 1 game? Concert, banners, halftime show, anything?"

A: Nothing I can share yet, though I think we can all safely assume there will be a banner revealed, not to mention a great overall celebration of last year's Super Bowl win. I've heard a few other details, and it sounds pretty great, but nothing we can announce just yet. Stay tuned.

@osopiz asks, "Is Rashid Shaheed still returning kickoffs?"

A: Hard to say given that Shaheed, like most veterans and starters, did not play in the preseason. He has still fielded some kicks and punts in practice, but it's hard to know if that is him preparing to do so on a regular basis this season, or to just stay ready in case he is needed. Shaheed is undoubtedly one of the best returners in the game, but it's clear his role is also growing on offense, so it's entirely possible that the Seahawks will want to take some of the special teams workload off his plate to help keep him healthier. A decent comparison would be Tyler Lockett, who started his career as an All-Pro returner, but who eventually was taken off of return duties as he became of the team's top receivers. The Seahawks have a lot of good return options even if they don't want to use Shaheed on a regular basis, including Tory Horton, who had a 95-yard punt return touchdown last season, Cody White, who has experience in both return jobs, and several other young players battling for roster spots. And even if Shaheed isn't the primary returner all season long, the Seahawks will know they have a great option if they need a spark in a big moment.

From Instagram:

@poison.0805 asks, "Who is the scariest to get tackled by?"

A: Thankfully, I don't know the answer to this, because, well, I'd probably be dead, or too injured to type, were my old self to actually get tackled by an NFL player. Pretty much any defensive lineman or outside linebacker would be a good answer for this one, but if I had to pick I might go with DeMarcus Lawrence, who plays with so much effort and violence, or Leonard Williams, who as seen in Hard Knocks, is able to wrestle Derick Hall, another imposing player, to the ground.

Maybe this is recency bias after watching him deliver so many hard hits in Saturday's preseason opener, but getting tackles by Tyrice Knight also seems rather unpleasant, and we know Ernest Jones IV and Drake Thomas can also deliver a hard hit. The secondary features several big hitters as well, including one, Nick Emmanwori, who is built more like a linebacker, but despite being one of the lightest guys on the team, I might have to say Devon Witherspoon for the way he can fly downhill before delivering the type of hit you'd expect from a 220-pound safety, not a 185-pound corner.

@kyle_roden71 asks, "Is Witherspoon the goat? (The only answer is yes!)

A: Um, you answered it for me, but yes.

@keithc73932 asks, "Why extend Witherspoon's contract now?"

A: I'm assuming this questions has to do with the fact that, thanks to the fifth-year option, the Seahawks still had Witherspoon under contract through 2027 before they got an extension done over the weekend. So why extend him now rather than in a year? There are a couple of reasons. Teams cannot negotiate new contracts with rookies until they are three years into their careers, so this was the first offseason in which Witherspoon, Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Derick Hall were extension eligible. As first-round picks, the Seahawks could have waited longer on Witherspoon and Smith-Njigba, but getting them done now is a positive for a lot of reasons. First off, it's just good business to keep people happy, and signing them to life-changing deals now rather than making them wait another year is a great way to keep two star players happy, not to mention to show other young, up-and-coming players, that they too will be rewarded as soon as possible if they earn it. While Witherspoon was a great teammate and didn't miss a thing during offseason workouts or training camp, dragging contract negotiations on too long can lead to conflict/holdouts/hurt feelings, etc., something all teams would rather avoid. And lastly, it's just good business if you know you want a player around for the foreseeable future to get that deal done as soon as you can, because the market is only going to go up. Had the Seahawks waited until later in the season or even into next offseason to extend Smith-Njigba or Witherspoon, the price would have surely gone up. Players, meanwhile, are willing to get the deal done now, knowing they might be worth even more in a year, because of the security provided by signing now vs. in the future.

@seahawksfan2016go12 asks, "How do you think Rashid Shaheed will perform?"

A: Reall well, hopefully. One of the more encouraging storylines in camp has been how much more involved Shaheed looks in the offense compared to last season when he joined the team midway through the year. Sam Darnold and Shaheed appear to be really in sync with their timing, something they've had an offseason to develop, which is different than last season when Shaheed arrived in an October trade. As we covered in an earlier question, it remains to be seen if Shaheed does less in the return game as his role in the offense grows, but he will obviously be a big-play threat any time he touches the ball in that phase of the game as well. Shaheed was a difference-maker for the Seahawks on their way to a title last season, but he should be an even bigger part of what Seattle does in 2026.

@cshinn13 asks, "What is your favorite blitz call?"

A: It's got to be the one that results in Devon Witherspoon smacking Drake Maye in the Super Bowl, leading to a pick-six for Uchenna Nwosu, right?

But in a broader sense, I'd have to go with just about any blitz call that sends Witherspoon, because he's just such a fun player to watch doing, well, just about anything, including getting after the quarterback.

@loganraines2, @luvv.lila and several others asked about the Seahawks agreeing to terms with Terrion Arnold.

A: There were a lot of questions about the Seahawks agreeing to a deal with Terrion Arnold, and while I appreciate fans' questions on that topic, I will defer to head coach Mike Macdonald on this one:

"It was an opportunity to bring on a player that we felt strongly about during the draft process," Macdonald said. "We also understand that it's a serious situation with a legal matter. There's a process behind it, so we respect that. That's how we'll operate, just letting that process play out and let the league decide if and when his return to play is. We'll understand that that's at play, but there's also an opportunity to bring him and give him an opportunity to earn a position here.

"We feel really strongly about our locker room and our team. We had a great visit with Terrion. Obviously, we knew him going throughout the process. I referenced the folks that have been in his corner throughout the whole process as well, and we respect those people. We're not going to ignore those folks that we really respect and have a strong opinion about it as well. When we put all of those things together, we felt like it was a good opportunity for the team."

@dkmwjn asks, "Best wing spot in Seattle?"

A: I'll preface this by saying that I by no means consider myself a wings expert, so you're probably asking the wrong person, but I'll go ahead and answer anyway.

Off the top of my head, the best wings I can remember having in Seattle were at Ba Bar in Capitol Hill (they have a couple other locations), and by the way, don't just go there for wings, just a great restaurant overall. Close to me, I'm a fan of Island Soul in Columbia City and Billiard Hoang, a really good Vietnamese restaurant that doubles as a pool hall. I haven't tried it yet, but I've heard nothing but good things about Vindicktive Wings, so if you're on a hunt for good Seattle wings, try that too.

@gt.16._ asks, "Is Jadarian Price the RB1?"

A: Right now, it's hard to say the pecking order at running back because the Seahawks haven't been fully healthy at that spot for the past couple of weeks of camp. Coming into camp, it looked like George Holani, Price and Emanuel Wilson would all be competing for the top spot, but Price and Wilson have both missed time, making it harder to determine the pecking order. Price was back at practice this week and appeared to be a full-go, and there's a good chance he makes his preseason debut this weekend (we'll probably get an answer on that from Mike Macdonald after Friday's practice in Nashville).

Price does have a real chance to earn that starting role if he can be healthy and productive for a next few weeks leading up to the opener, but regardless of who is on the field for the first snaps of the game, it seems quite likely that the Seahawks will rotate backs, especially early in the season.

@kcycle96 asks, "Who is your favorite play to mess with for social media videos?"

A: For this question, I went straight to the source, asking our social media folks, AKA, "the admins" as folks on social media like to call them (you've seen them getting lots of camera time on Hard Knocks, which we definitely don't give them a hard time about… or screenshot to post on group chats). The No. 1 answer from my very informal survey was defensive lineman Mike Morris, who received three first-place votes, followed by Derick Hall and rookie safety Bud Clark.