Notebook: Seahawks get back to work without coach Mike Macdonald

RENTON, Wash. – The Seattle Seahawks returned to the practice field at the VMAC on Monday morning after taking Sunday off, a well-deserved rest after having practiced six straight days last week, five in pads.

As they returned there was one notable absence – coach Mike Macdonald.

Macdonald was away from the team a personal matter.

He is expected back as soon as Tuesday, when the Seahawks are scheduled for an afternoon practice at the VMAC.

Assistant head coach Leslie Frazier spoke to the team afterward, a role usually held by Macdonald, while defensive coordinator Aden Durde took over Macdonald’s on-field role of calling the defensive signals.

Fourth-year rush end Boye Mafe said Frazier’s talk to the team emphasized that “everyone was OK and making sure we’re all in a good, little head space.”

Here’s more of what we learned at Monday’s practice, the 11th for the Seahawks in camp and the sixth in full pads:

Milroe getting ready to play

Macdonald announced Saturday the Seahawks will not play their starters in the preseason opener Thursday against the Pete Carroll-led Las Vegas Raiders at Lumen Field.

That’s no surprise as starting QB Geno Smith played just one series a year ago through the entire preseason. The Seahawks have a joint practice set against Green Bay on Aug. 21 to get starters significant live work in a controlled setting. Sam Darnold may not play much, if at all, other than in the practice against the Packers.

That will leave the QB snaps in the preseason to backup Drew Lock and rookie Jalen Milroe.

Most probably figure to go to Milroe so the Seahawks can get significant work for a player taken 92nd overall – the highest they have taken a QB in the draft since Russell Wilson at 75 in 2012.

Milroe appeared to be getting well-prepped Monday with significant work with backups and others who would logically be expected to play against the Raiders.

Along the way he turned in a couple of highlight plays, notably a long pass down the team to fellow rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo, what was about a 30-yard TD pass to Cody White during a team session, and a couple runs.

Milroe alone will make the preseason interesting.

Sundell in at center with Oluwatimi absent

Center Olu Oluwatimi was absent from practice for undisclosed reasons – no coaches talked to media afterward so there was no official word on personnel matters.

Oluwatimi took part in Saturday’s practice at Lumen Field and has been sharing the center spot with Jalen Sundell.

Oluwatimi’s absence meant Sundell appeared to take all of the snaps at center with the starting offense.

In fact, the number one O-line seemed the same throughout, featuring Abe Lucas at right tackle, Anthony Bradford at right guard, Sundell, Grey Zabel at left guard and Josh Jones at left tackle.

Jones is filling in for Charles Cross, who had finger surgery last week.

Cross was in pads and took part in individual work with a cast on his right hand (with which he signed some autographs after)

Christian Haynes, who was limited on Friday and Saturday because of a pectoral injury, was back working in team drills Monday but worked solely with the backups at right and left guard and did not appear to take any snaps at center. Rookie Federico Maranges, listed third on the depth chart, appeared to take all the center snaps with the backups.

Bradford has appeared to work more often with the ones at right guard and seems to have the upper hand on winning that spot.

Haynes and Sataoa Laumea typically handled the guard spots with the twos on Monday with Maranges at center, Michael Jerrell at left tackle and Amari Kight at right tackle.

Hall clears air after Darnold hit

There was a brief tussle late in practice when rush end Derick Hall ran into Sam Darnold up high on a pass rush and wrapped him up.

Offensive linemen quickly rushed over to defend Darnold, leading to some pushing and shoving before it was quickly broken up.

Quarterbacks are off-limits to contact and wear the blue throwback jerseys to differentiate themselves from the rest of the players.

Hall spoke to the team briefly afterward, apparently to take blame and apologize.

“It was all love,” receiver Tory Horton, who was one of two players designated to talk to media afterward, said of Hall’s message to the team. “We had a little bit of an incident, but at the end of the day we love each other and we have a strong team chemistry. So it wasn’t really nothing much. Just kind of cleared the air. It looked bad out there and it wasn’t nothing like that. Full accountability and everybody moved on. It was a great speech.”

Holani gets significant work behind starters

Running back Kenneth Walker III sat out again Monday, the third straight practice he has missed to rest a sore foot, an injury that dates to the spring.

That had Zach Charbonnet working as the starting running back. It also had second-year running back George Holani of Boise State splitting reps with Charbonnet with the ones and working as the next running back ahead of rookie Damien Martinez, a seventh-round pick out of Miami who typically worked with the backups.

Walker and Charbonnet don’t figure to get much, if any, action in preseason games, which will leave a lot of carries for Holani and Martinez to battle for the third running back spot, a position that became open when Kenny McIntosh suffered a season-ending ACL injury in practice.

Their use in practice the last few days indicates that Holani has the lead in that competition.

Notes

• Cornerback Shaquill Griffin remains away from the team his ninth missed practice.

• Snapper Chris Stoll was not on the field, missing another practice after his back locked up on Friday. Backup tight end Brady Russell handled all the snaps, including what appeared to be mistake-free snaps during Jason Myers’ regular field-goal session during team drills. However, after practice the Seahawks announced they have signed snapper Zach Triner to fill in while Still is sidelined. Triner, 34, has played in 84 NFL games including nine last year with Miami and Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl ring with the Bucs following the 2020 season.

• Nose tackle Johnathan Hankins (back) remains sidelined with no set ETA for his return.

• Linebacker Tyrice Knight left late in practice with an apparent leg injury.

• Rookie linebacker Jared Ivey sat out with an undisclosed injury.

• Receiver Steve Sims, whose main role has been expected to handle returns, sat out with an undisclosed injury.

• White caught a TD pass from Lock during a team session late in practice and had continuing what has been a strong camp. He figures to get a lot of work in preseason games.

• Zabel showed some of the athleticism that helped get him drafted 18th overall when he got out on the edge quickly to lead the way for Charbonnet for a sizable gain on a screen pass.

• The Seahawks placed safety AJ Finley on injured reserve after he suffered a knee injury Saturday and waived linebacker Seth Coleman. They filled one of those roster spots by signing Triner. With the other spot, they signed linebacker Michael Dowell, who spent time on the practice squad last season.