Dave Boling: Flashy? Not really. But Drew Lock looks the part of a capable backup, something valuable for the Seahawks

SEATTLE – Some people scoff at those straining to glean meaningful observations from NFL preseason games.

It depends on your expectations. One can’t look for polished performances or midseason efficiency.

Here’s what coaches say they really hope to see in these contests: Guys who “flash.”

A flash is sometimes indefinable. Sometimes it’s a noticeable burst of speed, a tackle with a particular degree of violence – players who “sell-out” on special teams. A great catch, a pancake block. Rabid-dog pursuit on defense or in coverage. Scheme awareness.

It can be almost any kind of extraordinary effort that hints of big-time potential.

There was some of that Thursday at Lumen Field when the Seahawks opened this nonessential portion of the 2023 season.

But my goal for the night was to focus on a player with the most ambiguous possibilities on the entire team.

This guy may be entirely irrelevant, as in not playing a single down all season – as was the case last season – or he might be the single-most valuable resource the Seahawks have in the case of an emergency.

Drew Lock.

He could be Geno Smith’s inconspicuous understudy at quarterback, or the Seahawks’ season-saving insurance policy.

Did he give much evidence of being a start-worthy NFL quarterback on Thursday? At times, maybe.

Lock’s career resume hints of inconsistency, the kind of thing you can’t see in small samples. At 26, Lock is entering his fifth year. He started 21 games for Denver, completing slightly less than 60% of his passes and offset 25 touchdown passes with 20 interceptions.

His last action in a game was the final preseason game against Dallas, in which he threw three interceptions. In fairness, he was coming off missing a game with COVID.

At the least on Thursday, he looked very much like what he needs to be – a short-term backup who might help win a couple of games if Smith gets injured and enough other guys play great.

If all goes according to plan, Lock need to do exactly what he did last season: Watch Geno Smith operate efficiently and productively. By all accounts, Lock is a good teammate who is fully supportive of Smith.

Smith was the surprise of the NFL last year, the league’s Comeback Player of the Year, setting team records for completion percentage and yards. He made the Pro Bowl after being a nonfactor in the previous six seasons.

And with that effort, Smith showed Lock a possible blueprint for his career.

Although he knew he was not going to get a shot at starting without a Smith injury, Lock chose to stay as a free agent. The Hawks wanted him to do so enough to give him another year for $4 million.

Coach Pete Carroll calls him athletic and confident, with quick feet and arm.

He started this one with no distinction. After all, the man hasn’t played in a year.

In the second possession, he was competent under pressure, squirming well enough in the pocket to find receivers.

The next possession was better, finding quicksilver rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with a couple of open completions over the middle, but on another shot to JSN, he badly overthrew him and was saved an interception by the receiver’s batting down the errant pass.

Lock shook off the rust in the fourth possession with his best pass of the game, the kind that would look good if Smith or any other top-flight NFL quarterback would be proud of.

He spotted former Washington State player Easop Winston Jr. through a tiny window in tight coverage and gunned it in for a 12-yard touchdown.

But late in the first half, near the Hawks’ end zone, he wildly attempted a pass under pressure that resulted in a fumble. This is the historic downside for Lock. Nice play followed by a pick or fumble.

Fortunately, on that play, rookie back Zach Charbonnet recovered the ball. Charbonnet was one of the guys who flashed, at least in my mind. Late in the first half, on a 9-yard rush, Charbonnet took a big hit right to the face, but he drove through it and when he went down, it appeared as if he was trying to commando crawl under the defenders for a couple of extra inches.

That’s a man who wants extra yard so much he’ll crawl if he has to get it. Yeah, that’s a flash.

Coby Bryant, a cornerback seeing action at safety, made some flashy hits, as did linebacker Devin Bush.

So, did Lock flash? At times. Equally important for Lock, though, is the fact that he didn’t flame out.