Connor Williams partakes in first practice with Seahawks

Connor Williams partakes in first practice with Seahawks

When the Seattle Seahawks signed free-agent Connor Williams on August 6th, questions over when he’d be fully healthy loomed. Williams suffered a season-ending torn ACL injury in Week 14 with the Miami Dolphins last season, and had yet to practice or play since. Good news arrived on Monday evening as he participated in his first Seahawks practice since signing his contract approximately one week ago.

Williams received snaps with the first-team offense. He was eventually replaced by Olu Oluwatimi, who has worked as the starting center ever since Leroy Harris was traded to the Cleveland Browns. The Seahawks are simply easing Williams into their lineup. He did some position drills as well as he began acclimating back to the physical aspects of practice.

Williams served as the starting center at the start of Monday’s scrimmage. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald commented on Williams’ involvement following practice. Clearly a plan is in place.

“We have a plan for him to ramp him in, and it’s good to see him get a few reps today,” Macdonald said about getting Williams back at practice. “Hopefully we’ll keep that process growing as we head towards the season.”

Macdonald has consistently said that he hopes for some starters to play in Saturday’s preseason finale versus the Browns, though he’s still working through the details. That obviously won’t include Williams. Williams appears on schedule to be healthy for Seattle’s regular-season opener with the Denver Broncos though.

Williams took a big step on his path to integrating into Seattle’s offense on at Monday’s practice.

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Seahawks defense dominating Titans offense in red-zone period

Seahawks defense dominating Titans offense in red-zone period

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Madonald is a defensive-minded leader that brought his exciting, complex scheme to the team. As the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens last season, Macdonald’s defense led the league in sacks (60), points per game (16.5), and takeaways (31). The Seahawks saw early returns on their investment during a dominant performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 of the preseason.

The Chargers managed three points and were held to 198 total yards of offense. LA went 2-for-13 on third-down attempts, and converted just nine first downs the entire contest. Jim Harbaugh’s offense was held to 21 measly yards throughout their first six possessions.

That dominance carried over into Thursday’s joint practice with the Tennessee Titans. After both teams agreed to work more individual reps and team periods during Wednesday’s practice, Thursday’s session featured significantly more red-zone work. The Seahawks were downright dominant, holding the Titans to zero touchdowns on 12 consecutive red-zone plays.

Here’s a play- by-play breakdown of just how dominant Seattle’s defense was in the red zone.

Titans starting quarterback Will Levis

– Back-shoulder completion to Tony Pollard
– Calvin Ridley catch for gain of 10, moving the chains
-Riq Woolen intercepts Levis in the end zone
-Tyjae Spears four yard run
– Incomplete to Ridley

Titans No. 2 quarterback Mason Rudolph

– UDFA TE David Martin-Robinson drops would-be TD
– Checkdown to Tyjae Spears
– PBU on a ball intended for rookie WR Jha’Quan Jackson
– Incomplete to WR Mason Kinsey

Titans No. 3 quarterback Malik Willis

– 10-yard completion to UDFA WR Sam Schnee
– Incomplete check down to UDFA RB Jabari Small
– PBU in the end-zone, tight coverage by Seahawks DBs

Seattle’s defense dominated Tennessee’s offense on Thursday. Macdonald will be pleased with his unit’s performance in the final joint practice against the Titans. If it was any indication, the Seahawks defense will be a top five unit in the NFL this season.

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5 Seahawks missing second joint practice with Titans

5 Seahawks missing second joint practice with Titans

The Seattle Seahawks are on the practice field in Nashville on Thursday morning for their second and final joint practice with the Tennessee Titans. The competitive session is a useful dress rehearsal for Saturday’s preseason game versus the Titans, which will feature fewer starting-caliber players given the physicality of joint practices. Both teams find these shared practice sessions to be more practical for preparation purposes than exhibition games are.

Unfortunately, a handful of keynote Seahawks talents aren’t practicing versus the Titans on Thursday. Some of the absentees feature players who exited Wednesday’s practice, and others are injured players who didn’t feature in either practice. The following five Seahawks aren’t practicing on Thursday.

Jerome Baker & Jon Rhattigan, LB

The Seahawks are without off-ball linebackers Jerome Baker and Jon Rhattigan for a second straight practice. Baker is still being sidelined by a hamstring issue that has afforded rookie defender Tyrice Knight more reps with the first-team defense. The Seahawks were so light at the position heading to Nashville that they re-added undrafted linebacker Easton Gibbs to the 90-man roster after waiving him earlier this summer.

Zach Charbonnet, RB

Zach Charbonnet is missing his second consecutive practice, which means he won’t be afforded an opportunity to practice against the Titans at all. Kenneth Walker III continues to be the workhorse back, and George Holani and Kenny McIntosh are continuing their RB3 position battle. Charbonnet is missing crucial reps here.

Dre’Mont Jones, DE

Defensive end Dre’Mont Jones recently returned to practice after missing approximately two weeks with a hamstring injury. The veteran lineman exited Wednesday’s practice after feeling a flare-up. Head coach Mike Macdonald indicated it wasn’t a serious setback, but the Seahawks are wisely being cautious with their $51 million pass rusher. Jones is not practicing on Thursday.

Noah Fant, TE

Starting tight end Noah Fant did not finish Wednesday’s practice. Head coach Mike Macdonald declined opportunities to specify why he exited practice early. Macdonald and his staff must be playing things safe because Fant isn’t present for Thursday’s session with the Titans. Pharaoh Brown and Brady Russell should see increased reps in his absence.

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Seahawks WR Jake Bobo embarrasses Titans CB Roger McCreary during one-v-one rep

Seahawks WR Jake Bobo embarrasses Titans CB Roger McCreary during one-v-one rep

The Seattle Seahawks were in Nashville for their first of two padded joint practices with the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday morning. The second session will occur on Thursday, leading up to Saturday’s preseason game versus the Titans. One-versus-one reps are often the most exciting aspect of these practices, particularly those that feature wide receivers against cornerbacks.

Both defenses had productive days on Wednesday, but sophomore Seahawks wideout Jake Bobo claimed one of the more eye-opening wins for Ryan Grubb’s offense. Pictured below, Bobo had Titans nickel cornerback Roger McCreary looking the complete opposite way after hitting him with a move. Geno Smith completed the pass for a sizable gain.

This was a fairly notable rep because the Titans believe McCreary is developing into one of the better nickel cornerbacks in the league. Pro Football Focus assigned him a coverage grade of 72.2 and overall defensive grade of 71.3 for his play as a sophomore last season. Bobo’s route-running prowess doesn’t back down from high-end competition.

Bobo has had an outstanding summer. He’s undergone a flawless acclimation to Ryan Grubb’s new offense, which is going to make big-time passing plays down the field (if the offensive line can hold up in protection). Bobo’s performance throughout camp and the preseason thus far is confirming his role in the offense as the No. 4 receiver behind D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

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Position battles to monitor during Seahawks-Titans joint practices

Position battles to monitor during Seahawks-Titans joint practices

The Seattle Seahawks are set for their first joint practices this week since 1991. The Seahawks traveled to Nashville early ahead of Saturday’s second preseason game for joint practices with the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday and Thursday. Competitive practices against rival teams are often more useful for roster evaluation purposes than exhibition contests are, and head coach Mike Macdonald has already stated that few (or no) starters will play Saturday.

With competitive joint practices versus the Titans beginning on Wednesday, we’ve identified position battles you should be monitoring.

Seahawks WRs vs. Titans CBs

The Seahawks arguably have the league’s best trio of wide receivers. D.K. Metcalf, Jaxon-Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett should give Tennessee’s cornerbacks all they can handle. These head-to-head battles should be fun and competitive because the Titans are talented at cornerback after acquiring L’Jarius Sneed in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this offseason. His opposite starter Chido Awuzie may miss practices with a calf injury, but Roger McCreary is a talented No. 3 cornerback.

There’s also a fun side-quest here given that Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson was Macdonald’s defensive backs coach with the Baltimore Ravens last season.

Seahawks DL vs. Titans OL

We’ll especially be paying close attention to the Seahawks’ defensive line versus the Titans’ offensive line. The Seahawks should have the upper hand on the interior with Dre’Mont Jones, Leonard Williams, and Byron Murphy II squaring off with Titans sophomore left guard Peter Skoronski and their new starting center Lloyd Cushenberry. The Titans are holding an uninspiring competition at right guard between Dillon Radunz and Andrew Rupcich.

The EDGE versus offensive tackles should be fun and unpredictable. Both sides have a lot of youth. How will Derick Hall, Boye Mafe, and Uchenna Nwosu fare versus Titans rookie left tackle JC Latham, and third-year right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere?

In a fun storyline, Murphy will reunite with fellow rookie defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat, who was drafted by the Titans. Murphy and Sweat played together at Texas last season.

Seahawks CBs vs Titans WRs

The Seahawks are deep at cornerback with Devon Witerspoon, Riq Woolen, and Tre Brown helping spearhead Macdonald’s defense. The Titans revamped their wide receiver room this offseason by signing Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd in free agency to build around sophomore quarterback Will Levis. It’s a shame DeAndre Hopkins will miss these practices with a knee injury, but these battles should be fun nonetheless. Levis is a gunslinger that will want to test Seattle’s cornerbacks in coverage.

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