Snap Reactions: Seahawks snap counts from preseason opener

Saturday night the Seattle Seahawks got their 2022 preseason started in an atmosphere that almost didn’t feel like a preseason game. Whether it was fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, who played his college football for Pitt or whether it was simply fans ready for some football after a long offseason, the crowd likely could have fooled a lot of people about whether it was a preseason game or a regular season game.

In any case, the game gave Seattle fans their first opportunity to see not just much of the 2022 draft class on the field for the first time, free agent additions like Uchenna Nwosu and Austin Blythe, as well as the return of Quinton Jefferson and Justin Coleman. Without wasting any time, here is how the snap counts looked on the offensive side of the ball.

And then this is how the playing time for the defense broke down.

And lastly, here are the players who only saw the field on special teams.

The biggest takeaway from the snap counts appears to simply be how much playing time was given to the newer players, whether that is rookies or free agent additions. This is particularly noticeable on the offensive line, where the projected starters at center and left guard, Blythe and Damien Lewis, each played 28 snaps, while rookies Abraham Lucas and Charles Cross played 52 and 37 snaps respectively.

Interestingly, the team also appeared to give extended playing time to those players who may be competing for the final spots at their position, such as Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas, as well as the entirety of the wide receiver group. With Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf getting the night off as veterans, and Dee Eskridge and Freddie Swain resting injuries, the receiver group featured Dareke Young and Bo Melton, with Cade Johnson, Aaron Fuller and Penny Hart also grabbing snaps.

Up next is the first round of roster cuts, which are due prior to 4 PM New York time Tuesday, and a quick turnaround with the Chicago Bears visiting Lumen Field Thursday.