Clayton: Who and what stood out in Seahawks’ scrimmage at Lumen Field

For the first time since 2019, the Seahawks played some football in front of fans in Lumen Field.

Will Seahawks be looking for Chris Carson to be a workhorse RB?

Sunday’s scrimmage went over big with an attendance of 15,578. Russell Wilson and the rest of the team seemed delighted in having the fans cheer in their behalf.

On the field, Wilson’s first team beat Geno Smith’s second team 22-3. The pace was fast and the quality of play was good.

Let’s break down some of thoughts from the scrimmage.

• Wilson looks great in new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s offense. He drove the team to one touchdown and four field goals. There might have been another touchdown or two but head coach Pete Carroll tested out certain plays in the red zone. Wilson unofficially completed 13 of 22 attempts for 196 yards.

There's no place like @lumenfield on a Sunday 🤩#SeahawksCamp x @Safeway pic.twitter.com/cNw4MznEZ7

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 9, 2021

• The opening drive was very impressive. Wilson fired a 45-yard pass down the left side of the field, which set up a fast, opening touchdown drive.

• The big thing you notice is how much quicker the offense is. The tempo is faster. Wilson has more ability to change plays as he sees the defense. Last year, Wilson held onto the ball for 2.97 seconds per pass attempt. Though nobody had the ability to count Sunday, it appeared to me he was getting the ball out closer to 2.5 seconds. What was great to see is how Wilson would start with short, quick passes and set up long passes down field. Some of the long passes weren’t complete but were still close.

• DK Metcalf continues to evolve as one the league’s best receivers. He’s so strong and fast getting downfield. He and Tyler Lockett rank among the top two or three in the league for wide receiver duos.

• The Seahawks are deep at tight end. Gerald Everett looks good as the starter.

• Chris Carson looked strong and fast with the new running attack. He had five carries for 39 yards and looks fast getting to outside runs. Rashaad Penny sat out with a thigh injury, and don’t count out Alex Collins for the backup job. He’s still just 26 years old and looks like the starting back he was after the Seahawks cut him and he went to Baltimore, almost gaining 1,000 yards in 2017.

• Carlos Dunlap and the pass rush looks quick. Darrell Taylor got work early at defensive end but will get some time at strongside linebacker in the future weeks. As I mentioned Friday, the Seahawks’ defensive ends have a combined 198.5 career sacks.

• D.J. Reed was out with a groin injury, but Carroll had rave reviews for fellow cornerback Tre Flowers. Carroll thinks this is the best Flowers has looked since being drafted by the Seahawks in 2018.

• You can see why a lot of people think Poona Ford could have a breakout year. He was able to pick up a ball after a bad backfield exchange and took it in for a touchdown.

.@PoonaF_95 TOUCHDOWN 🙌#SeahawksCamp x @Safeway pic.twitter.com/DzS6bkiFPV

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 8, 2021

• The battle for the No. 3 receiver spot should be a good one. Freddie Swain, Penny Hart and rookie D’Wayne Eskidge will battle it out in training camp and in the three preseason games.

Follow John Clayton on Twitter.

More Seahawks training camp coverage

• Wyman: 5 Seahawks players we aren’t talking about enough
• Rookie Seahawks CB Tre Brown: I’ll ‘definitely make a name for myself’
• Most Important Seahawks: 2 players key to D turning around
• Bumpus: The surprising standout player in the Seahawks’ secondary
• Heaps: Why Seahawks are fired up about Darrell Taylor in training camp

Follow @JohnClaytonNFL