What to watch as Seahawks face Cowboys in final preseason game

By Bob Condotta / The Seattle Times

The Seahawks quarterback competition will again take center stage Friday when Seattle closes out the preseason playing at Dallas.

It’s a competition that took a week off after Drew Lock tested positive for COVID-19 when he was slated to start against the Bears last Thursday at Lumen Field.

But the question remains — just how much of a competition is it really, with Geno Smith again getting the start and having been atop the depth chart all offseason?

That’s a good question that coach Pete Carroll has appeared to intentionally try to obfuscate as much as possible the last few weeks.

But, the QB battle — such as it is — is among our things to watch as Seattle plays for the last time before hosting Denver and that Russell Wilson guy to open the regular season on Sept. 12.

Here are six questions we’re pondering heading into Friday’s game:

So, is there really a QB battle?

Well, Carroll again held out that option on Thursday when he met with the media before the team left for Dallas.

Carroll reiterated that Smith will start but that Lock will play a lot with an opportunity to impress.

“I hope (Drew) has a great game,” Carroll said. “He’s going to get a lot of play time and get real comfortable out there. … We’ve got to make up a little bit of time and make sure that he gets his reps and we’ll see what happens.”

So if Smith plays the first series or two and Lock plays the rest of the game, could Lock really do enough to win the job?

Well, for what it’s worth, Lock split reps with the ones with Smith in practice this week, with Carroll noting Thursday that Lock has had just 12 fewer snaps overall than Smith in reps with the starters in practice and games.

If Smith outplays Lock on Friday, then game over. But if Lock outplays Smith? Then maybe game is still on …

Can the Seahawks tackle better?

Shoddy tackling has been the theme of the losses to the Steelers and Bears, in which Seattle has given up a combined 59 points. As Carroll has pointed out several times, Seattle has not played five defensive starters at all, and a few others sparingly, and the special teams have been littered with young players to whom the Seahawks have been giving their shot, which is what the preseason is for.

Carroll sent a strong message this week cutting veteran linebacker Iggy Iyiegbuniwe, who the team had signed in part because of what it thought he’d bring on special teams, though he also was credited with two missed tackles overall. And safety Marquise Blair, who has seen limited playing time the last two years due to injuries, missed four.

Defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt noted this week that the Seahawks added some tackling drills in the wake of missing 14 against the Bears (as charted by Pro Football Focus) after missing 15 against the Steelers.

“If you want to be a great defense, then you have to tackle,” Hurtt said this week. “It will stay a sticking point for us, and we will continue to work on through the course of the year, but it’s normal training camp and preseason growing pains. That’s why I like preseason games.”

So what’s up at cornerback?

With just one preseason game left, Seattle has yet to see either of the players who began camp as starters at cornerback — right corner Artie Burns and left corner Sidney Jones IV — play in a game due to injuries.

Burns is expected to play against Dallas on Friday with Jones still out while dealing with a concussion.

During the time Burns and Jones have been out, Tariq Woolen has emerged as a legitimate candidate to start at right corner. And unheralded Michael Jackson has also had a strong camp and has gotten consistent reps with the starters.

For now, all four appear to have a chance to start, or at least see significant playing time (Carroll has shown in recent years he is willing to rotate at the cornerback spot) when the season begins.

“Right now, the competition is on,” Hurtt said this week. “And I know that it may sound cliché or, ‘Hey, he sounds like Pete,’ but it is. None of that stuff has been sorted out yet and everybody has done a really nice job with the opportunities that they had. We will keep on battling this thing out and we will see where it goes. There is a lot of time left before we have to kick off against Denver.”

And how about the nickel spot?

The nickel corner position has also been perceived as in a tight competition between veteran Justin Coleman and rookie Coby Bryant, who moved there a few weeks ago and lately has appeared to play there almost exclusively.

Indications this week are that Coleman remains in the lead.

Still, a strong showing by Bryant this week could change things.

“There is still a competition going on right now between JC (Coleman) and Coby Bryant is doing a really good job as well,” Hurtt said. “So there is still a lot of football left to play and those guys will figure it out.”

Is there still a competition at right tackle?

Carroll has not yet stated that rookie Abraham Lucas will be the starter at right tackle ahead of second-year player Jake Curhan.

And Curhan has started the first two preseason games.

But each time, Lucas has come on to get most of the reps and graded out well. All indications this week in practice are that Lucas is now atop the depth chart. Curhan also has gotten more reps at guard with Damien Lewis suffering an ankle injury against the Bears that could mean he will not be available for the opener. This seems to indicate that for now, the job is Lucas’ to lose.

Anything else worth watching?

Receiver Dee Eskridge: Carroll said Thursday that Eskridge, the team’s first pick in 2021, will play. He has not played this preseason and has been on the field little during training camp while dealing with a hamstring issue. As a high pick a year ago, Eskridge’s spot on the team seems secure. But given how little he has played the Seahawks would like to see a little more to know what he can do heading into the season.

The back end of the receiver position: OK, so aside from Eskridge, the final spots remain uncertain after DK Metcalf and Tyler Locket, with places potentially there for the taking. Worth taking a close look at are seventh-round picks Dareke Young and Bo Melton. Young, whose 6-3, 220-pound size makes him particularly intriguing, probably has a better shot making the 53 than Melton. But both could sneak in depending on how the numbers shake out.

Linebacker Vi Jones: Jones, wearing K.J. Wright’s former No. 50 and looking pretty similar in stature, has had some good moments, and of late was moved to an edge rusher position instead of playing inside. The Seahawks can use all the pass rush they can get and if he can show more of it — he had a sack against the Steelers — he could get further on the radar.