Heaps: The ‘specific mission’ the Seahawks want to complete with QBs in OTAs

When it comes to the Seahawks heading into the 2022 season, all eyes are on the quarterbacks.

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With Russell Wilson traded to the Denver Broncos, the Seahawks will have a different quarterback under center come Week 1 for the first time since 2011.

The quarterback competition appears to be between two players in Geno Smith, who was Wilson’s backup the last three seasons, and Drew Lock, who came to Seattle from Denver in the Wilson trade. Seattle also has former UW standout Jacob Eason on the roster. He was the Seahawks’ No. 3 quarterback in 2021.

The Seahawks have been in the midst of voluntary organized team activities the last few weeks, and those wrap up late next week before mandatory minicamp begins June 14. Training camp will likely start at the end of July.

So during these OTAs, what have the Seahawks been looking for from the quarterbacks? Former NFL QB Jake Heaps broke it down during Friday’s Jake and Stacy on Seattle Sports 710 AM.

“I think there’s one specific mission that they want to get done,” Heaps said.

Heaps pointed to a specific comment that Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron made to reporters on Thursday.

“I think really just the overall command of the position, who gives us the best chance to win games when it comes to the fall,” Waldron said. “And right now, it’s just a good learning (opportunity) – this time of year, we’re in T-shirt and shorts – for them to really build that foundation where they can go into training camp and put themselves in the best positions to compete.”

“This is an opportunity during this time where they’re not going to be sitting there and charting completions, incompletions — they’re not going to be doing that,” Heaps said. “Right now, the focus is on trying to make sure that everyone is caught up, everyone is on the same page and that when it comes to this quarterback battle, that you’re doing everything that you can to get Drew Lock caught up to speed and familiar with this offense.”

Heaps has talked about the importance of Lock learning the offense quickly throughout the offseason. He explained again why that’s critical for the Seahawks.

“So that when you hit training camp, Jacob Eason, Drew Lock, Geno Smith, everybody has an equal opportunity to really, truly compete and be on the same footing when camp starts,” Heaps said. “From Day 1 of training camp, the competition is on and there will be no ‘babying’ the process. Right now, I believe that they are doing that to a degree for everyone to really try to bring these young players along and really focus on the teaching aspect of things, which I think is smart. Now, from this point forward, you have to have those young guys and you have to have players like Drew Lock who are taking advantage of each and every single day the opportunity to learn a new install, the opportunity to learn from the day before. They’ve got to show that they can do that and they can fix some of the problems that they have on any given day.”

Listen to the full second hour of Friday’s Jake and Stacy at this link or in the player below.

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