5 things to watch in Seahawks’ preseason opener vs. Cowboys

It’s finally here! Seattle Seahawks football is back, albeit in preseason mode, but would you rather watch preseason Seahawks football or no Seahawks football at all? I thought so. And we get another year of Michael Bennett and Michael Robinson on the mic.

While the key starters will be out for the opener against the Dallas Cowboys, there’s still plenty to monitor throughout preseason. The Seahawks maintained much of their Super Bowl roster from last season, but it’s the bottom-end depth chart battles that will be super fascinating to see play out. Here’s what I’ll be watching closely throughout tonight’s game at Lumen Field.

How much Jalen Milroe plays and who he plays with

Mike Macdonald already indicated on Friday that Sam Darnold won’t play and Drew Lock will start, but a change from last year is a planned rotation of Lock and Milroe throughout the game. In other words, Milroe won’t just be coming in with the third-team unit at some stage in the third quarter.

While Milroe won’t be playing with “established starters” in preseason, we could see him handing the ball off to George Holani, or throwing the ball to Elijah Arroyo, and that would be a step up from throwing almost exclusively to guys who did not crack last year’s 53-man roster.

Having seen him plenty at training camp, Milroe looks improved in a controlled intrasquad environment. Can he take that next step in his development against actual opposition? The biggest task for Milroe is to show enough development as a passer to justify being an active game day quarterback. There can’t be a Milroe package if he’s no threat to throw the ball. This is the opportunity to add a new wrinkle to the offense.

Will anyone stake their claim for the sixth wide receiver spot?

If we assume Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp, Tory Horton, and Jake Bobo are the main five receivers, who’s going to be that sixth guy? Will there even be a sixth receiver? Let’s assume there is or else I’ve wasted a paragraph.

Cody White is the mainstay who has oscillated between practice squad and active roster for a couple of years. Ricky White III and Montorie Foster have both been very impressive in training camp. All three of these players also are special teams factors. Emmanuel Henderson Jr. is the sixth-round rookie with deep kick return experience, albeit with not the best training camp in terms of wide receiver work.

The only complicating factor for WR6 is if the Seahawks opt to roster an extra tight end or running back or even another defensive back, in which case we’d probably see a lot of practice squad elevations for multiple receivers. Otherwise, WR6 is up for grabs.

Is the Rylie Mills hype real or should we be sued for false advertising?

Throughout our week at training camp and just reading reports from Seahawks beat writers, it’s clear that Rylie Mills has stood out for his performances on the practice field. Mills wowed everyone with his Super Bowl sack, but the big picture with the former Notre Dame standout is this is his first normal camp and healthy offseason. The ACL tear is behind him and he looks stupidly strong against Seattle’s first-team OL.

Rylie Mills is going to get preseason reps and frankly, he should. Mills played a grand total of 34 defensive snaps last season (including the Super Bowl), so he shouldn’t get “established starter” protections. There’s plenty of room for development for Mills and there’s obviously going to be demand to see him prove it on a more consistent basis, even if versus preseason opposition.

If Mills is, bare minimum, another viable interior pass rushing threat, that’s a bonus for the Seahawks defense given they don’t have (at least I don’t think) a generational superstar edge rusher on the team. It also can justify more rotation on the d-line if there’s another playable body who can function as a 3- or 5-tech.

Can Velus Jones Jr make a shock push for a roster spot?

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Seattle Seahawks running back room is a bit banged up.

We’re not even into the first preseason game yet and there are some players on the mend. Jadarian Price, Emanuel Wilson, Jacardia Wright, and Zach Charbonnet are all hurt. Charbonnet won’t be around until October at the earliest, whereas none of Price, Wilson, or Wright is due to play on Saturday.

Assuming George Holani has a limited role as someone whose roster spot is not under threat, who’s going to be running the ball for the Seahawks in their preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys?

Enter Velus Jones Jr.

Justifiably cast off by the Chicago Bears after doing very little as a receiver and returner, struggling with fumbles and drops, Jones has seemingly reinvented himself as a “Joker” type of RB/WR hybrid who can also return kicks. Velus is by no means suddenly an every-down back, but his prior WR experience combined with his speed could make him a sneaky change-of-pace option for a handful of snaps.

If there is any avenue for Velus to crack the 53 (at least while Charbonnet is out), it’s while the other backs ahead of him are either unavailable or will have minimal preseason carries.

The crowded Seahawks secondary

This room is so crowded even without Terrion Arnold in the mix. Now that he is part of the team, that complicates matters a bit for some roster bubble players at cornerback. In the meantime, it looks like replacing Riq Woolen might not be as simple as it may seem. Arnold is part of the equation, as are Nehemiah Pritchett, Noah Igbinoghene, Michael Dansby, Andre Fuller, and even Shamar Jean-Charles. Jordan Washington is also on the roster but he’s the definition of a camp body.

At safety, it looks like Ty Okada has the starting job alongside Julian Love on lock. Bud Clark will presumably get some reps here and there, while Nick Emmanwori will eventually be back from his ankle injury. If Seattle keeps five safeties, then there’s one spot for D’Anthony Bell, Maxen Hook, A.J. Finley, and Rodney Thomas II. Those will be some tough decisions for Mike Macdonald and staff to make.

Who will you be most interested in watching in Seahawks vs. Cowboys? Tell us below in the comments!