The final preseason game is upon us. It used to be the one that mattered, now that’s not even a certainty anymore. Regardless, it still is a make-or-break for many members of the Seattle Seahawks.
Here are some of the biggest.
Bo Melton
The 7th round rookie led the team in targets in game one – and it was good!
Then the rookie led the team in targets in game two – and it was bad!
Melton was a paltry 4/11 against the Chicago Bears with the longest reception going seven yards.
Not encouraging, and it was right at the moment I said to myself “Melton seems to have a good knack for getting open” that he dropped the pass. Again. He needs to make some big time confidence-boosting plays for the coaching staff or he could be in roster trouble.
Coby Bryant or Tariq Woolen
It seems like the team has trended towards Artie Burns and Sidney Jones as the frontrunners for the cornerback starters. But Burns might still be injured, and this Michael Jackson fellow is making a push for time. Either rookie can continue their impressive summer against the Dallas Cowboys, perhaps enough to earn the nickel corner spot for Bryant or a temporary look at CB for Woolen with some injury-created opportunities ahead of him.
Shane Waldron
I still do not believe we will come out of Friday’s game with the starting quarterback for the 2022 season.
However, if Pete Carroll has at least decided who will start Week 1, if they will be the starter for the entire game, and if it is a short leash / long leash type scenario, then Offensive Coordinator Waldron can proceed with confidence.
Preseason has shown, if nothing else, that these are very different quarterbacks. Drew Lock and Geno Smith do not simply run the same playbook with ease or make predictably similar decisions. Gotta be a bit of a challenge balancing all of this on a weekly and inconsistent basis, for both Waldron and the rest of the offense.
Travis Homer
I’d be surprised if this isn’t locked up yet, but here’s one final opportunity for Homer to massively outplay DeeJay Dallas once again. With Kenneth Walker’s debut likely pushed back a bit, Homer could have one of those career-defining seasons ahead of him. He’s not earned it yet, but there’s a window for him to beat Dallas outright, and then play well enough behind Rashaad Penny for another team to give him a shot and a contract somewhere.
It might be better for the team if that doesn’t exactly happen, as he’s a special teams superstar, but he’s played this summer like a complete back and I’m sure has been working his tail off with a starting role in mind.