Seattle

Seahawks

Howell started for the Seahawks with most of the established starters resting and did not look comfortable, going for a lowly 4.8 yards per attempt and taking two sacks. The sacks could be a regular occurrence once the starters take to the field as well considering the questionable state of the offensive line in Seattle. Even so, Howell started and played more than half of the game before fellow veteran backup PJ Walker entered the contest, a potential nod to where the depth chart stand at present.

Grubb, who coordinated a Washington Huskies offense that was among the best in college football over the past two seasons, has been effusive with his praise of Smith, 33, during spring and summer practices, calling Smith “an elite quarterback.” “He has the traits to be able to push the ball down the field, quick release to get accurate, underneath throws and great understanding of the protection scheme,” Grubb said. “That’s one of the biggest assets: You come in and you have a guy like Geno that can execute your protection and scheme and take care of himself.” Dugar said Grubb believes Smith is “gifted enough, mentally and physically, to unlock everything Seattle wants to accomplish.” Rotoworld’s Denny Carter recently wrote about why Geno is among the league’s most underrated signal callers.

Fant did not finish Tuesday’s practice, leaving with “some sort of foot injury”, according to The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta. He left midway through the practice with no further update as head coach Mike Macdonald did not speak to reporters on Tuesday. Now penciled in as the team’s starting tight end, Fant re-signed with the Seahawks in the offseason. Updates on his health will likely come later this week to see how much time Fant will miss, if any.

Williams took visits with the plan to sign by training camp and now joins the Seahawks on a one-year deal. He spent last season with the Dolphins, though he suffered an ACL tear to end his season in Week 14. The 27-year-old has been one of the league’s better interior offensive linemen during his time with the Cowboys and Dolphins. PFF ranks him fourth among centers since 2022, with a 86.4 PFF grade. The Seahawks take a chance on his recovery, giving him $3 million guaranteed on a deal worth up to $6 million for 2024. Williams will join the starting center competition when healthy.

Smith-Njigba received praise for his route-running heading into year two. “He’s got this, like, fluid explosiveness about him,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Monday. “He can run the entire route tree, incredible ways to track the ball, body control, explosive in and out of his cuts. I talk about this tacit stuff all the time, but this competitor in him, the mentality of what we want, he has that. I encourage him to keep doing those things.” Smith-Njigba is still in line to be the Seahawks’ No. 3 receiver, but continuous praise from the coaching staff indicates he could see an expanded role with new OC Ryan Grubb. D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett will lead the way with Geno Smith throwing the ball, but Smith-Njigba is headed for growth out of the slot position.

Smith sustained a hip injury last week during practice that required testing, but was considered short term in nature. Smith’s return to practice in such short order suggests it’s not an ailment that will linger into the middle and late parts of August. Smith, 33, told reporters last week that he intends to run more in 2024. Smith in 2023 had a mere 55 yards on 37 carries after rushing for 366 yards on 68 carries as Seattle’s starter in 2022. He said he “can add an extra element to what defenses have to account for if I get a couple extra first downs or a couple extra touchdowns” on the ground.

Diggs can earn up to $5 million on his new contract and rejoins former Seahawks teammate Jamal Adams in the Music City. Last season, Diggs totaled 95 tackles, one interception, and five pass breakups while starting all 17 games he appeared in. Diggs has played in and started every regular-season game over the last four seasons and earned a PFF coverage grade of 55.4 on over 1,100 defensive snaps.

Smith had just 155 yards on 37 carries in 2023 after rushing for 366 yards on 68 carries the year prior, including just 10 rushing first downs after amassing 24 in 2022. “Last year, really midway through the season, I felt I could have used my legs a little bit more,” Smith told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “That’s something I want to continue to do. I’m still very athletic. I play within the pocket, that’s the base of my game, but I think I can add an extra element to what defenses have to account for if I get a couple extra first downs or a couple extra touchdowns.”

Condotta reports a “source confirmed that Smith’s injuries are not considered significant, as first reported by ESPN Friday morning. But the team will know for certain once the test on his hip is completed Friday.” He carefully reiterated that it “is still the expectation that Smith won’t miss much time. But the team will have a firmer idea of all of Smith’s ailments after the hip imaging on Friday.” Smith appears highly likely to suit up for Week 1 but this remains a situation to monitor. Backup Sam Howell reportedly “took all of the snaps with the first team offense on Thursday... and did so during the early portion of Friday’s practice, as well.”

Smith underwent imaging on his knee and hip after he missed back-to-back practices and is expected to remain sidelined on Friday. Whatever he’s dealing with, it’s encouraging that the imaging didn’t reveal anything of major concern. Until we hear something different, it sounds like it’ll just be a matter of time before Smith returns to the field. The 33-year-old quarterback is in the second year of a three-year deal he signed last offseason and is hoping to bounce back to his 2022 form after throwing for 3624-20-9 last season. Smith finished as the QB23 in fantasy points per game (18.0) last season and has more value in 2QB/Superflex leagues than he does in traditional 1QB leagues.