The Emerald City’s own Super Bowl champs rolled into Nashville this Friday for a joint practice with the Titans, ready to get some real work in, but what started with promise took a gut punch when wide receiver Jake Bobo went down with a serious right knee injury, getting carted off the field. This was supposed to be the most productive work for our starters against another team’s starters all preseason, a critical step just weeks before the opener.
Championship Chill vs. Desperate Drive
You know our Hawks, right? Just won it all six and a half months ago. They showed up in Nashville, for the second time in three preseasons, on a sauna-like Friday ready to work. The Titans? They’re on the other end of the league, coming off a brutal 3-17 season, with a new coach and desperate for an identity. Their 2025 All-Pro defensive tackle, Simmons, was yelling at his teammates: “They’re out of gas! Super Bowl champions? Blah, blah, blah!” He summed it up later, “They may be hungry, but we’re starving.” And you saw it on the field. Our guys, like Devon Witherspoon and the defense after Ty Okada picked off Cam Ward and ran it back for a touchdown, celebrated, sure, but then it was back to business. Meanwhile, after their own plays, especially Alontae Taylor’s pick-six on Sam Darnold, the Titans were jumping around and screaming like they’d just won the whole damn thing themselves. We got our deep completions from Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Elijah Arroyo, but the vibe was definitely different.
The Backfield Breakdown and Finding Our Groove
Despite the injury setback, there were bright spots. Sam Darnold and new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury are working to define this offense, and as Darnold put it, “We’re continuing to find our identity.” A huge part of that early identity is how our running backs are stepping up. George Holani was the first back in 11-on-11 scrimmages, and rookie first-round pick Jadarian Price, who missed last week with a sore upper leg, alternated in with the starting offense. Both of them found the end zone against the Titans’ pass defense and snagged a ton of passes from Darnold in the middle of the field. Darnold highlighted their versatility, saying they’re “in the slot, being able to catch and do all the things that we ask them to do.” He also noted how they’ve had to “step up in whatever position we ask them to play” when other position players go down in camp.
This trip was all about getting work and staying healthy. We got the work, but unfortunately, we failed the health test with Bobo’s serious injury. Coach Mike Macdonald’s starting defense and Darnold’s offense are showing incremental progress, but 2 1/2 weeks before our opener on September 9 against New England, they’re not quite where they want to be. It’s a long season, but this team has to quickly adapt after the Bobo injury and keep building that identity if they want to keep the trophy in the Emerald City.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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