Seahawks Training Camp 2018: News and notes from day 14

The Seattle Seahawks completed training camp on Thursday, wrapping up the 14th and final day. The team will have a walk-through on Friday before flying to L.A. for Saturday’s game against the Chargers.

Despite a reported addition on Wednesday, there were no transactions made official on Thursday. If/when Erik Walden’s signing is made official, the Seahawks will need to make a corresponding move to make room on the 90-man roster.

With the second game of Seattle’s preseason just a few days away, they remain banged up. Dion Jordan, Ed Dickson and Clayton Wilson remain on the PUP list, where they have been since the first day of camp.

Several other absences of note include Marcus Smith, missing a second consecutive day with what Pete Carroll called “A family issue” on Wednesday. Tyler Lockett went down after being kicked in the calf on Wednesday and missed Thursday’s practice as a result. Finally, although the Seahawks got Mike Davis back on Thursday, Gerald Holmes missed practice, leaving Seattle short on running backs.

Practice Notes

• In the secondary, Byron Maxwell made his full return to practice. Eased into a return on Wednesday, Maxwell was back starting opposite Shaquill Griffin on Thursday, as Tre Flowers returned to the second team. Carroll said on Wednesday he expects Maxwell to play on Saturday, and his full return would indicate he’s on track to do so.
• Elsewhere in the secondary, Maurice Alexander also made a full return after being eased into things on Wednesday. Alexander stayed with the second team, where he was in his limited return. Like Maxwell, Alexander’s full return should put him on track to make his preseason debut against the Chargers.
• Veteran Dontae Johnson, who seemingly slipped out of the team’s plans in the secondary as he recovered from a broken foot, saw reps with the first team for consecutive days. With Flowers, Griffin and Justin Coleman roster locks, it would appear as though Johnson is competing with Maxwell for the starting corner spot opposite Griffin, while the other is likely to be cut.
• Amara Darboh, who returned to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday, remained limited Thursday. Darboh’s status for Saturday is in serious doubt, having missed over a week of practice. As the wide receivers around him on the depth chart continue to draw praise from Carroll, Darboh’s roster spot is in doubt as long as he remains sidelined.
• Forced to miss the preseason opener after his hip flared up last week, C.J. Prosise was a full participant in practice on Thursday and should feature heavily against Los Angeles. With Rashaad Penny out, and Prosise immediately slotting in ahead of J.D. McKissic in his limited return, Prosise could be the second running back in the game behind Chris Carson. As long as Prosise can make it through the remainder of August healthy, his roster spot should be secure.

Bradley McDougald’s Press Conference

• McDougald’s presser opened with a question on what he has seen out of Tedric Thompson: “He’s growing. I just see growth. Continuously growing, not making the same mistake twice. He had a great play coming from the middle of the field today, breaking up a pass. Just gaining confidence. I think that’s what the first game did and he’ll gain even more as he goes through these preseason games and onto Week 1.”
• McDougald was then asked if continuity is important in the secondary: “For sure. Any type of continuity, any type of cohesion with guys, just working with some repetitively, rep after rep after rep. You get to a point where you don’t have to speak, you can just give a hand signal if you have that relationship. That doesn’t happen overnight, that’s something we work towards everyday.”
• On how Chris Carson looks this year compared to last: “Chris Carson looks like a monster. He’s running hard. You can tell that time off last year did something to his mentality. He doesn’t really say much when he gets out there, he just goes out there and plays balls to the wall, and I love it. He’s been doing a lot of great things in the running game. One thing I noticed of him, he’s picking up on his pass protection. We all know he can run well, he runs hard, but his pass protection has really been stepping up.”
• McDougald was asked how Tre Flowers is coming along: “He’s coming. The thing I like about Tre, it absolutely irritates him when the receivers catch the ball. He has a defensive mind, he doesn’t want anybody to touch the ball and if they do, he’s trying to get it out the whole way. Those types of plays mess up his day and that’s good for a football player. You want a guy who is out there and he doesn’t want his man to touch the ball all game, not one play, and I just love his attitude. He’s young, he’s going to make some mistakes, but the thing about him, I just want him to keep that fire under him, keep the motor going, keep trying to make plays and it’s going to show up.”
• Finally, McDougald was asked if his mindset is fully at strong safety now: “Yeah, at this point yeah, I’ve totally transitioned my mind to strong safety. I mean, I know free safety, there’s times if the offense gets to the line too fast that I will have to actually line up and play free safety, and Tedric will play strong safety. As long as you have two safeties that know the defense, that are really smart and versatile you can kind of play them either way, and I feel that with Tedric. Sometimes I’m too far away to line up at strong safety, I can put him down there and play my position. You want that balance and Tedric has that, but going into it I would say (my mind is at) strong safety.”

Russell Wilson’s Press Conference

• Wilson was asked how comfortable he is throwing to Brandon Marshall: “It’s one of those things where you can throw it anywhere and he’s going to catch it, that’s a good thing. He makes the quarterback look good, that’s for sure. He makes all the plays and you just want to give him the chance to make plays, and he’s doing that.”
• Wilson was then asked how much his offense has missed Doug Baldwin throughout camp: “I think about how sharp we’ve looked over the past few weeks, and unfortunately Doug hasn’t been here playing. But fortunately, we look really good, and when I say that — I mean we’re missing one of the best receivers in the National Football League in Doug Baldwin, in my opinion the best slot receiver in the game and one of the best receivers in the game overall, he’s done it all — but he’s been out. But, we know he’s going to be super sharp when he comes back in. He knows the offense like crazy and he’s ready to roll. He’s a great leader, he’s been leading our guys in that way and that’s been good for us.”
• On how he thinks the offensive line is coming along: “For the first time in a while, in my opinion really since the year we won the Super Bowl, we’ve had a consistent offensive line in practice. That consistency is huge. Obviously guys fill in once in a while, but from the left side to the right side, we’re really solidified on our line and what we’re doing, the calls and everything else. It makes a difference, it makes a big difference in terms of communication, how guys step up, and how they play.”
• And finally, Wilson was asked if the team notices Earl Thomas’s absence in the locker room: “Of course, we love Earl. He’s a brother to us, he’s a guy who has put so much blood, sweat and tears into our organization here for the Seahawks. He’s a great friend, I get to see Earl every once in a while, the kids get to hang out a bunch and just to see him, and be around him. But I think also, anytime in sports, there’s business too it, and I think a lot of people forget that. This is our livelihood and everything else. This is fun, and it is games, but it’s not just fun and games if that makes sense. It’s real life and I think that Earl is working his way through that, whatever that may be. Hopefully we can get him back out here. I know one thing about Earl Thomas he is, in my opinion, the best safety to ever step on the field arguably, and I believe that he’ll be ready to play if he decides to come back.”

Although the Seahawks have broken camp for 2018, they will return to practice on Tuesday at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.