Notes from Seattle Seahawks' 1st open OTA practice

RENTON – The Seattle Seahawks took the field at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Monday afternoon for their fourth OTA practice of the spring and their first that was open to the media.

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It’s difficult to glean too much from what happens on the field at this stage of the offseason, especially since no live contact is allowed. But here are some notes and observations from what transpired during a picture-perfect afternoon on the shore of Lake Washington.

Darnold’s mixed day

Sam Darnold had an up-and-down afternoon in what was the media’s first chance to watch the 27-year-old quarterback since he signed a three-year, $105 million deal with Seattle in March.

During the very first play of 11-on-11 red-zone work, Darnold kicked things off with an 8-yard touchdown pass over the middle to fellow newcomer Cooper Kupp.

But later on, Darnold threw two interceptions in a three-play span during 7-on-7 drills in the red zone. Veteran safety Julian Love snatched the first pick by hovering in zone coverage and then undercutting a pass intended for Kupp. Cornerback Josh Jobe came up with the second pick on a play where no receivers were open and Darnold forced a throw to the end zone.

During that same 7-on-7 red-zone drill, Darnold also had back-to-back passes that were behind the intended target.

However, Darnold bounced back with several more TD passes over the rest of the afternoon. One was a well-thrown ball to 6-foot-5 undrafted rookie wideout Tyrone Broden, who fought through contact to haul in a reception in the back of the end zone. Another was a strike over the middle to projected No. 1 receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Lock shines vs. 2nd-team defense

Backup quarterback Drew Lock, who took all of the second-team reps, delivered the play of the day. During an 11-on-11 drill, Lock rolled out to the left, threw across his body on the run and tossed a perfectly placed pass some 25 yards downfield to wideout Stevens Sims, who hauled in a catch along the left sideline.

Lock also threw back-to-back TD passes to receiver Cody White during an 11-on-11 red-zone period. On the first one, Lock made an off-balanced throw that White caught in the front corner of the end zone. And on the second one, White made a nice grab in the back of the end zone. The latter occurred right in front of general manager John Schneider, who gave White a congratulatory fist-bump.

The O-line rotation

In general, the first-team offensive line consisted of Charles Cross at left tackle, rookie first-round pick Grey Zabel at left guard, Olu Oluwatimi at center and Abraham Lucas at right tackle, while second-year pro Christian Haynes and third-year pro Anthony Bradford appeared to split time at right guard.

For the most part, the second-team offensive line featured second-year pro Michael Jerrell at left tackle, second-year Sataoa Laumea at left guard, second-year Jalen Sundell at center, either Haynes or Bradford at right guard, and veteran Josh Jones at right tackle.

It’s notable that Haynes and Bradford seem to have the early edge at right guard, which could end up being the most competitive position battle on the team. Laumea was ahead of Haynes on the depth chart last year, when he started the final six games of the season at right guard after Bradford went down with an injury. But for the moment, it appears Haynes has a leg up over Laumea under the new offensive coaching staff.

Injury-related notes

Rookie fifth-round defensive lineman Rylie Mills didn’t participate in practice, as he continues to recover from a torn ACL that he suffered in the College Football Playoff with Notre Dame last December. But Mills was still very engaged. At one point, he could be seen coaching up undrafted rookie nose tackle J.R. Singleton during a positional drill.

Rookie fifth-round wide receiver Tory Horton took part in positional drills – and at one point unleashed a nice juke – but appeared to sit out the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 sessions. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said during rookie minicamp last month that the team is being cautious with Horton as he works his way back from a knee injury that wiped out half his season last fall with Colorado State.

Notes from Seattle Seahawks’ 1st open OTA practice

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