Seattle Seahawks Training Camp Takeaways: Geno Smith Leads Day Three Air Assault

Continuing to play with confidence and great command of a new offense, Geno Smith launched several long touchdown passes to highlight the Seahawks third camp session.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith takes a snap during a drill at training camp. / Corbin Smith/Seahawks On SI

RENTON, Wash. - Now three days into his 12th NFL training camp, and his third as a starter for the Seattle Seahawks, quarterback Geno Smith thinks the team still has a long way to go installing a new offense under coordinator Ryan Grubb and isn't getting the wagon ahead of the horse.

If that's the case, however, Friday's fireworks display at the VMAC provided an enticing taste of what Smith and the Seahawks may be able to accomplish torching opponents this upcoming season and defensive players such as Jarran Reed witnessed it first hand.

"Geno looked great," Reed told reporters after practice concluded. "He looks so focused this year. His timing is good. His reads are good. Everything he’s doing right now is elite."

Continuing to shine and demonstrate excellent command orchestrating Grubb's offense, Smith turned in another outstanding practice on Friday, launching the ball downfield with great success all afternoon. Early in the first team session, DK Metcalf hauled in a 60-yard touchdown after creating separation against cornerback Tre Brown on a skinny post and only a few plays later, Jaxon Smith-Njigba sprung open on a slot fade route down the sideline for a 50-yard score to the delight of the crowd on the berm.

Smith wasn't just proficient throwing the ball downfield on Friday either. During the red zone period towards the end of practice, he connected with Metcalf again on a quick out route for six points after the receiver beat rookie cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett and followed up with a touchdown toss to tight end Noah Fant in the flats. On the second series, Tyler Lockett reeled in a diving catch in the back right of the end zone on a well-placed goal line fade for a third score, capping off a fantastic practice overall for the veteran quarterback.

Not surprised by his success, Smith believes he's still getting better as he approaches his 34th birthday, improving in every facet of his game. So far, the results in camp back up such statements, as he has been firing darts all over the field with a quick release and tight spiral, and he's pleased with where things stand as an offense learning the new system.

"It's a work in progress," Smith said of learning the offense. "You shouldn't be at your best right now. But I do feel like we're at a really good spot and like I said, we've just got to push each other every day, we've got to go in there and watch the film, clean up the mistakes we had on the field today, and take the practice field tomorrow with a vengeance and a purpose and try to get better."

Aside from Smith's splendid day, what else stood out in Seattle's third practice of camp? Here are four additional takeaways from Friday's session:

1. Starting to see a few more snaps during team sessions, PJ Walker outshines Sam Howell, at least for one day.

Acquired in March from the Commanders, Howell's job as Smith's primary backup isn't in jeopardy, and it's still way too early to judge how he will fare with his new team. But thus far in camp, he has been pretty erratic throwing the football, often overthrowing open receivers, particularly in the red zone, while his veteran counterpart has been a steadying presence with far better accuracy in limited opportunities.

On Friday, as has been the case throughout the first three days, Howell made a couple of solid throws, including linking up with Jake Bobo for a touchdown during the red zone period. However, that scoring toss was sandwiched between a trio of bad misses where his throws sailed on him and flew over the head of his intended target. Earlier in the practice, he had a deep ball to Dareke Young get away from him, shooting 10 yards out of bounds and hitting the Boeing sign along the sideline.

As Howell has tried to find his footing and get more comfortable running Grubb's offense, Walker has played with poise and consistently delivered catchable footballs to his receivers, even flashing unexpected juice with his arm throwing downfield into tight windows. Completing one of the most impressive throws by any of the quarterbacks all day, he fired a 25-yard missile to tight end Brady Russell on a post route, hitting him in stride right on his hands with great velocity.

Only three days in, the Seahawks will give Howell every opportunity to find his groove, and he's at a disadvantage compared to Smith without previous relationships with any of the team's receivers. But Walker didn't sign until mid June and he seems to have better command of the offense right now, which could be a cause for concern if the gap between the two backups continues to shrink.

2. Standing out like a sore thumb, Mike Morris may have bigger role in Seattle's defensive line than anticipated.

With Leonard Williams re-signing in March and Byron Murphy II entering the fold as a first-round pick in April, Morris entered camp as a bit of an afterthought in a deep, crowded defensive line group. Now fully recovered from shoulder surgery, however, his massive presence at 6-6, 300 pounds has been noticeable in the early stages of camp and not just from a size standpoint.

In Friday's practice, albeit without pads on, Morris collapsed the pocket on several occasions from the 3-tech and end spots, making himself lean to split gaps and create penetration. He also got his long 33 1/2-inch arms extended into the passing lane on one those rushes and got a piece of Smith's pass, knocking it to the ground for the incompletion.

Previously playing for new coach Mike Macdonald at Michigan in 2021, Morris had a built-in advantage already knowing some of the coach's terminology, and he offers the type of versatility Seattle will prioritize up front. After primarily playing off the edge in college, he transitioned inside last year and spent most of training camp working with defensive tackles before going down with an injury, making him a viable candidate to see snaps at both spots in a rotational role.

3. No battle on the outside may be fiercer than Metcalf against Brown in early stages of camp.

As the saying goes, iron sharpens iron, and that mantra isn't more evident on the Seahawks practice field than watching a talented receiving corps headlined by Metcalf, Lockett, and Smith-Njigba dueling against Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, and a star-studded cornerback group. When one on ones arrive after the pads come out, those matchups will be must-see theater.

But even without pads on, the intensity was ratcheted up a bit on Friday, particularly with Brown going head-to-head against Metcalf all afternoon on the left side with plenty of chirping pre and post play. Metcalf struck first, beating the fourth-year corner off the snap and rocketing past him on an inside release, getting several steps on the defender to create a gift-wrapped touchdown for Smith.

Later in practice, Brown got a bit of revenge during the red zone period, however. On consecutive plays, Smith tried to squeeze the ball in to Metcalf on goal line fades, only for the defender to close the window with tight coverage on the first throw as it sailed out of bounds and knock away the ball on the second throw for a fantastic pass defensed.

4. Dre'Mont Jones exits late in practice with an injury, while several veterans receive rest days.

It may only be day three of training camp, but attrition sets in quickly and the Seahawks saw both sides of that in Friday's session. Coming off of wrist surgery in the offseason, the team gave Jerome Baker a day off after practicing the first to days, making sure he stays fresh and not overworking him as he acclimates back onto the field, and also gave tackle George Fant a rest day.

Without those two players on the field, Seattle slid McClendon Curtis back into the lineup with the first team at right tackle in place of Fant, while rookie Tyrice Knight got his feet wet at weakside linebacker alongside Tyrel Dodson in Baker's stead, providing both players invaluable reps working against starters. Rookie cornerback D.J. James also didn't practice only a few days after being cleared from the Non-Football Injury list, opening up more snaps for Artie Burns in the slot.

While Baker, Fant, and James were all held out for rest, the Seahawks also had a scary injury situation on defense during a team scrimmage period as Jones ran into a teammate and appeared to grab at his hamstring. He didn't return to practice, though he stayed on the sideline and exited the field with an ice wrap on his leg, suggesting the injury wasn't overly serious. With a day off looming on Sunday, the team may opt for a cautious approach and have him rest on Saturday.