Why is Geno Smith Getting More First Team QB Reps Than Drew Lock for Seahawks?
When the Seattle Seahawks traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, one of the biggest returns in that deal was 25-year-old quarterback Drew Lock, who still holds immense potential at the position despite an inconsistent start to his NFL career.
And following the deal being finalized, it appeared as if Lock had already been penciled in as the starter for 2022.
However, through the first few days of training camp, that has not appeared to be the case, with veteran Geno Smith getting the majority of first-team reps while Lock has been relegated to mostly second-team reps.
But according to offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, the Seahawks have an organized plan for the quarterback situation moving forward, and the split of reps should not be seen as an indicator of who leads for the job.
“We have a plan there,” Waldron said. “There are also a lot of different things with the walkthroughs and everything we have going. There have been a few scenarios out here where there has been some overlap. We are just going with our plan here of evaluating those guys and evaluating everything that they are doing. Right now, the way that it has worked out, Geno has been a little bit more with the one’s than Drew, but there is some mixing and matching going on and we will continue to do that throughout camp and until the time that we make the decision.”
Logically, it should be no surprise that Smith has seen the majority of those reps either, having spent the last two seasons in Seattle as Wilson's primary backup.
And while Smith does have the knowledge advantage, Lock should eventually win out based on his tools and talent.
Not to mention, Locks understanding of the system is progressing nicely, with Waldron being complimentary of Lock and his ability to learn the Seahawks' system
“I think that (Lock) has done a really nice job of picking up the offense. I think, as a whole, with the ebbs and flows of training camp, especially going against a good defense where sometimes they are going to get our number and sometimes we are going to get their number, but it’s about how you finish the practice. I thought today really exemplified for Drew just finishing strong and keeping a levelheaded mindset throughout the course of a day.”
Either way, it seems like an open competition in Seattle.
So when could the Seahawks make their choice for the starter?
“Denver,” Waldron said.
You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan
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