What to Watch in Seattle Seahawks Annual Mock Game

From Sam Howell's first extended look in a game situation to positional battles on both sides of the football, Saturday's mock game has no shortage of storylines.

Quarterback Sam Howell prepares for a drill during the Seahawks fifth OTA practice at the VMAC. / Corbin Smith/All Seahawks

Taking their next step towards the September 8 season opener against the Denver Broncos, the Seattle Seahawks will host fans at Lumen Field for their annual mock game scrimmage on Saturday, providing an extended first look at the squad heading towards the 2024 season.

With Geno Smith still working back from minor hip/knee issues, the Seahawks likely will turn to new backup Sam Howell under center with the first-team offense, giving him another audition throwing to the likes of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The third-year signal caller's accuracy has been inconsistent at best in his first training camp with the organization, but he has played better as of late, including throwing three red zone touchdowns in Thursday's practice.

While there isn't a quarterback controversy and Smith isn't expected to miss much time, Saturday's scrimmage remains a critical checkpoint for Howell, who many tabbed as a potential future starter down the road when he was acquired from the Commanders in March. With two years left on his contract, coach Mike Macdonald and his staff may not have a better opportunity to evaluate the young quarterback with him playing with projected starters, at least for a short while, and gauge where he's at learning coordinator Ryan Grubb's offense.

Away from Howell, the Seahawks have several intriguing positional battles well underway, starting at the right guard position. So far, incumbent Anthony Bradford has remained entrenched with the starters, but rookie Christian Haynes has impressed with his physicality in padded practices and looked good at left guard in place of a resting Laken Tomlinson last week, so Saturday will be a great chance for him to put more quality play on film to gain ground in the competition.

At receiver, behind Metcalf, Lockett, and Smith-Njigba, as many as seven or eight receivers could be in the hunt for two or three spots at the bottom of the depth chart, including Dee Eskridge and Laviska Shenault, who should get their first crack at returning live kicks under the NFL's new format on Saturday. How they perform on special teams could have a strong impact on their standing making Seattle's 53-man roster later this month.

Hashing out rotations on defense remains an ongoing task for the Seahawks as well, starting up front with a defensive line that has dealt with a few injuries early in training camp to Dre'Mont Jones and Mike Morris. Even in the secondary, Macdonald has been experimenting with different starting combinations at corner, sliding Devon Witherspoon outside and plugging Artie Burns into the nickel position for several practices this past week, while the safety position could have as many as four players seeing the field at one time on Saturday.

What should fans be on the lookout for when Seattle exits the tunnel at Lumen Field for the first time on Saturday? On a new episode of Locked On Seahawks, hosts Corbin Smith and Nick Lee break down the importance of Howell's first game audition playing with the first-team unit, how the pecking order on the offensive line could receive more clarity in a scrimmage setting, and much more in a jam-packed podcast.

Listen to the latest Locked On Seahawks in entirety here or subscribe for free to the podcast platform of your choice here.

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