Macdonald says Seahawks defense has plenty to work on

SEATTLE (AP) — Fresh off a four-day trip to Nashville that featured a series of joint practices and a 16-15 loss on Saturday against the Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald made it clear that his team has a lot of room for growth.

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With a chuckle, he admitted that might be a nice way of putting it.

“It’s the optimistic way of saying that there’s a lot of things that we screwed up,” Macdonald said. “If you look at it positive, like good, all right, we know that we’ve got to work on, let’s get after it. But time’s ticking. There’s a sense of urgency behind it.”

With just one preseason game remaining, as the Seahawks take on Cleveland at Lumen Field on Saturday at 7 p.m., Macdonald knows he has lots to do to get them fully ready for a new scheme and new season by the time the Sept. 8 opener against the Denver Broncos arrives.

It’s a tall task, but one that Macdonald seems confident his team will be ready for.

“We’ve got to make some of these mistakes go away as we move forward,” Macdonald said. “The guys know that and expect some big-time jump here this week.”

Macdonald wouldn’t reveal his plan for the week as far as which players will see the field against the Browns, but did say he’d like to see a big improvement from the Seahawks’ third down defense.

“(Tennessee) converted like 4 of 7 third-and-10-pluses, which is a huge no-no,” Macdonald said. “We looked at our execution in those situations. You can’t be getting man penalties on third-and-long in the fringe area. So, you know, there’s a lot of room for growth on defense. I thought we took a step back this week.”

One bright spot against the Titans was running back Kenny McIntosh, who rushed for a team-high 46 yards on eight carries while catching two passes for 17 yards. McIntosh played in only three games in 2023 after suffering a knee injury in an early August mock game, and knows he has a lot to prove to earn Seattle’s third running back spot behind Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.

McIntosh has gotten the bulk of the snaps in Seattle’s first two preseason games, but he knows that his breakout game hasn’t come yet. After playing 13 total snaps on special teams last year, McIntosh’s goal is simply to stay healthy and take advantage of his fresh start.

“I was hurt last year, I didn’t really showcase a lot of anything,” McIntosh said. “So I really came back with my mindset like I was a rookie this year. I’ve got a lot to prove, got a lot to show the coaches.”

Roster moves

The Seahawks added some depth to a banged-up tight end unit on Monday by signing free agents Michael Ezeike and Devon Garrison while waiving tight end Devin Richardson and cornerback Willie Roberts. Starters Pharaoh Brown (foot) and Noah Fant, along with undrafted free agent Jack Westover (hamstring), all sat out against the Titans with injuries.

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