Trevone Boykin ready for most meaningful Seahawks audition

RENTON – It’s not the starting job that’s at stake in Kansas City this time around.

It is an opportunity for a rookie quarterback, though, and when the Seahawks begin their preseason schedule at Arrowhead Stadium Saturday afternoon, it will be impossible not to think back to that game four years ago when Russell Wilson vaulted to the top of Seattle’s depth chart.

Not that Trevone Boykin is going into his NFL debut hoping to evoke comparisons to the player he’s now studying under, though he does hope that working with Wilson for three months has taught him something.

“I try to stay in his hip pocket and just try to do everything he does,” Boykin said. “Because he’s one of those guys that he leads by example. He’ll lead you in the right direction. I would say I’ve made huge strides from rookie minicamp to today, building team trust and chemistry and getting guys in and out of the huddle and getting them in the right spots so they’ll know what to do.”

Saturday’s preseason game will be the most important progress report in Boykin’s time with Seattle. He is No. 2 on the depth chart right now, but it will be up to him – and his performance this month – to convince the Seahawks they don’t need to add another quarterback, presumably one with more experience.

For the past three years, the Seahawks have had one of the most trusted veteran backups in the league in Tarvaris Jackson. Not only did he spend a year as Seattle’s starter in 2011, but he had worked under offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell for nine of his 10 NFL seasons.

But Jackson was not re-signed in the offseason. Then he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, and while criminal charges were not filed in that case, the Seahawks have not made a move toward bringing Jackson back.

That leaves a heck of an opportunity for Boykin, who was a four-year starter at TCU. He threw for 64 touchdowns in his final two college seasons but went undrafted in May after he was arrested for allegedly striking a police officer outside a night club prior to his team’s bowl game.

Seattle doesn’t need Boykin to be spectacular on Saturday. In fact, it might be more important that he’s solid because the Seahawks aren’t looking for a backup quarterback who will jump-start the team. They want a guy who can function like a life preserver and keep everything afloat. Whether or not Boykin can maximize this opportunity will come down to his ability to minimize mistakes starting with Saturday’s preseason audition.

Here are three players to watch in Kansas City:

RB Christine Michael. Thomas Rawls is on the active roster, but he won’t be playing this week as he returns from his season-ending ankle injury. Alex Collins practiced only one day this week due to a sore ankle while the Seahawks’ other two rookie running backs – C.J. Prosise and Zac Brooks – remained sidelined by hamstring injuries. That makes this Michael’s best shot to show that he’s still worth keeping around as he’ll likely play most of the first half.

QB Trevone Boykin. It would be a surprise if Wilson is still in the game by the end of the first quarter, which means this will be the most meaningful playing time Boykin gets in the preseason. Arm strength and athleticism aren’t the question with Boykin. He’s coming from a spread offense at TCU, and composure at the helm of a pro offense is paramount.

C Justin Britt. His third position in three seasons might be the one that fits him best. At least it looked that way through two weeks of practice. Now, we’ll see how he holds up in a game situation, and whether he can stay stout on the inside without taking the drop steps that posed a problem when he was at left guard last season.

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