The Seattle Seahawks were dominant in their first preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Although it’s the preseason and doesn’t matter towards the standings, it gives backups a chance of showing that they deserve snaps during the regular season. The Seahawks have a highly competitive roster, so it will be tough for backups to gain snaps and fringe roster players to make the roster. Here are five players that stood out for the Seahawks during their first preseason game.
Seattle Seahawks Preseason Game One Stars
1. Kasen Williams
Kasen Williams may have made the roster after today’s performance. The former Washington Husky has been on the Seahawks practice squad, but is now looking to crack the 53-man roster to start the season. Williams was a star during the beginning of his college career, but his career was derailed with a major foot injury. When he returned, he was a shell of his former self. Now healthy and looking like the player that was once projected as a first round pick, Williams dominated the Chargers secondary with four phenomenal catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. All four of his targets were jump balls and Williams came down with all of them. He’s always been a talent tease, but now looks like he’s putting everything together.
2. Trevone Boykin
Trevone Boykin had a fantastic game. Although his last throw was an ill-advised jump ball that was underthrown and intercepted, Boykin turned in a nearly flawless performance. He was 12-15 for 189 yards and a touchdown. One of his incompletions was a dropped pass in the end zone that was perfectly thrown. Boykin has struggled during the off-season to the point that fans and media have been talking about him getting replaced (potential Colin Kaepernick destination). As commentators Brock Huard and Curt Menefee pointed out, Boykin is more of a gamer than a practice player. His improvisational abilities are very Russell Wilson-esque, but his passing ability has often underwhelmed. He looked like a quarterback today, not just an athlete that occasionally throws the ball. This game will give him a chance of winning the backup quarterback job.
3. Chris Carson
Chris Carson has been one of the most talked about Seahawks rookies during training camp. With Thomas Rawls, Eddie Lacy, and C.J. Prosise locking down the top three running back positions, Carson made a case for being the fourth running back on the roster. All three of the Seahawks top running backs have suffered injuries in the past, so they’ll likely want to keep four running backs on the roster. Last year the fourth running back was Alex Collins, but he’s been pushed behind Carson on the depth chart. Collins scored a touchdown, but didn’t look as explosive as Carson. Carson scored two touchdowns and looked like he has starter potential down the road. He made a great case for making the 53-man roster.
4. Terence Garvin
Anytime you get a pick six, you’re having yourself a great game. Garvin was able to intercept a deflected ball and take it 37 yards back to the house. The Seahawks have two elite linebackers in Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright, but are missing a third linebacker to play in their base defense. They’ll mostly play in nickel with only two linebackers, but will need a third starter at times. Michael Wilhoite is likely the leader in the clubhouse, but Garvin made a statement that he should be the defense’s third linebacker. Wilhoite was able to deflect the pass that led to the pick six, so Garvin will need to continue to play at a high level if he wants to see the field during the regular season. But today’s performance was a great start.
5. Offensive line
The Seahawks offensive line has been crucified by fans and the media for a few seasons. Although it’s only a preseason game, this was a great night for the Seahawks offense. The O-line was a major reason why the offense was clicking on all cylinders throughout the game. The starters and backups were dominant during the majority of this contest. There were a few mistakes, but that’s going to happen in the preseason. It’ll probably happen in the regular season, but the Seahawks offensive line needs to focus on being more consistent. They were consistently protecting the quarterbacks and opening holes for the running game. If Seattle’s offensive line can continue this level of dominance during the regular season, the Seahawks will have a great chance of making a deep playoff run.
