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Six Observations From Day 11 Of Seahawks Training Camp

News, notes and observations from the 11th practice of Seahawks camp.

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The Seahawks were back in action after a well-deserved day off, and their 11th practice of camp featured plenty of highlight plays for the offense, physical hits from the defense, and with a preseason game approaching, lots of crowd noise blaring on speakers to help players get ready for Thursday night's game against the Raiders.

Here are six observations from Monday's practice:

1. A nice Darnold to Kupp touchdown highlighted a productive day for the passing game.

Monday's practice was a good one for all three of Seattle's quarterbacks, with Sam Darnold, Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe all completing multiple throws downfield for big gains. Milroe, who figures to see the most playing time in the preseason, prepared for Thursday's game by completing long passes to Cody White, Elijah Arroyo and others, while Lock connected with White for one of the day's best throws and catches. Darnold, who along with most of the starters is not expected to play Thursday, was sharp, moving the ball well and hitting the likes of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and tight ends Elijah Arroyo and AJ Barner for big gains. But for all the long completions, a short pass from Darnold to Kupp might have been the best throw and catch of the day, with Darnold rolling left in a red zone drill before firing a low pass that only Kupp could reach, allowing the veteran receiver to secure the catch while getting two feet in the corner of the end zone.

2. The physicality was evident after a well-deserved day off.

The Seahawks practice six consecutive days last week, and were in pads for five of them, before enjoying a well-deserved day off. Back in action on Monday, that rest day showed up in the energy and physicality players brought to the practice. While, as noted above, there were a lot of highlights for the offense, the defense had plenty of nice moments as well, several of which showed off the physicality of the front seven. Whether it was Ernest Jones IV meeting a running back in the hole with a big hit, or Mike Morris powering into he backfield to stuff a run, or DeMarcus Lawrence powering his way through a tackle, the defense showed it is ready to start upping the physicality with preseason games approaching.

Another play that illustrated that came from the secondary when cornerback Riq Woolen put a shoulder into Cooper Kupp after a sideline catch, knocking the receiver off his feet and out of bounds. It was nothing overboard or malicious, just a bit harder of a hit than one usually sees at practice, and one that led to Woolen quickly reaching to offer Kupp a hand up. Kupp, unphased by the hit, flashed a grin and patted Woolen on the back as he jogged back to the huddle.

3. AJ Barner continues to be "tough and swaggy" and Elijah Arroyo just keeps making plays.

A common theme in this year's camp has been strong play from the tight end group, especially second-year tight end AJ Barner and rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo. That continued Monday with Arroyo hauling in several nice catches, while Barner again looked like a very valuable target in the middle of the field.

When it comes to Barner, this camp has continued to show that he is a player primed to build off a strong rookie season. As general manager and president of football operations John Schneider explained last week on Seattle Sports 710AM, Barner has been something of a surprise when it comes to the juice and swagger he brings to the team, at least to Schneider. Special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh, who coached Barner at Michigan, saw it in Barner, but Schneider has been pleasantly surprised about certain elements of the second-year tight end's game.

"He was so respectful in the interview process, I don't know if I saw the juice and the leadership," Schneider said last week on the Wyman and Bob show. "Other people did, but didn't realize he was as juicy and as tough and swaggy. So that's really cool to see. He has really stood out as a guy you can see taking a step forward as a leader in his second year."

4. Cody White is yet another name to watch in a loaded receiver competition.

While Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp are the clear-cut top two receivers, the competition beyond that, both for playing time and roster spots, is pretty wide open. Recently, rookie Tory Horton and Dareke Young have had standout practices to state their case, and on Monday, Cody White served up a reminder that he too plans to be a factor. A member of Seattle's practice squad for most of last season, White had a breakout game as a practice squad call up, blocking a punt and hauling in a deep pass, a performance that, along with his work in practice, helped him earn a spot on the 53-man roster. And on Monday he again showed the big-play ability he hopes will get him a spot on the roster again, running under a lofted deep pass from Drew Lock, a pass that showed perfect touch, and securing a contested catch in the end zone. Earlier in practice, White hauled in a long touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe on a strong throw that hit him in stride.

5. Charles Cross and Christian Hayes were back.

When Charles Cross was absent last week to have surgery to repair a dislocated finger, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said the starting left tackle was targeting a return to action sometime between the final preseason game later this month and the season opener against the 49ers. But while Cross may need time to be all the way back to full contact, he was on the field and in uniform on Monday. Cross was limited in what he was allowed to do while his hand was in a protective cast, but it was still an encouraging sign to see him back on the field so soon after surgery.

Also back in action was guard Christian Haynes, who missed Saturday's practice with what Macdonald said was a minor pectoral injury.

6. Leslie Frasier and Aden Durde fill in for Mike Macdonald.

The Seahawks practiced without head coach Mike Macdonald, who was away due to a personal matter, and is expected back soon. As was the case last year when Macdonald missed time due to the birth of his son, Jack, assistant head coach Leslie Frazier helped run the show on Monday, while defensive coordinator Aden Durde took over running Macdonald's defense. Frazier also addressed the team as players huddled up after practice, something Macdonald would normally do.

Check out photos of the Seahawks active roster during training camp.

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