The 3 things from Seahawks GM Schneider that jump out

Aug 29, 2024, 2:28 PM | Updated: 2:29 pm

Seattle Sports

Seattle Seahawks general manager and president of football operations John Schneider spoke to the media at team headquarters in Renton on Wednesday, a day after the team cut down its roster to 53 players in preparation for the regular season.

On Thursday, Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy broke down what was learned from Schneider’s press conference, with co-host Stacy Rost identifying three things that stood out from the transcript.

Let’s look at the conversation covering those three things, including the reactions of Rost and former Seahawks wide receiver Michael Bumpus to Schneider’s comments.

1. Uchenna Nwosu avoiding injured reserve – at least for now

The Seahawks’ most established outside linebacker, Nwosu missed most of last season with a pectoral injury, and now his status is unclear after suffering a knee injury in the team’s final preseason game last Saturday.

Here’s what Schneider said when asked three questions in a row about Nwosu, who was notably included on the 53-man roster Tuesday instead of the category labeled reserve/physically unable to perform:

• Answering if Nwosu’s timeline is to be back in a couple weeks: “Yeah, we hope so. If you guys have spent time with Uchenna, this is a pro now. The guy attacks the day like you want every professional football player to attack it. He’s a man now, and he’s gonna do everything he can to get back.”

• If IR is a possibility for Nwosu: “Not right now.”

• If Nwosu could play in Week 1: “I don’t know that. It’s too early for that. He’s made progress. It’s an injury that you have to take day by day really.”

• Stacy Rost’s take: “You can always move him (to IR), but this is good news. … My confidence level in this defense without Uchenna was not high last year. It took me a while to realize how impactful he was because there were so many issues with the defense even before him leaving. But once he left, it became clear that the run defense was even worse.”

• Michael Bumpus’ take: “I feel better because Derick Hall seems like he’s growing up. I feel better because Boyd Mafe is going into his third year. I feel better because the interior defensive line is going to be better, right? It’s all connected. Football is connected on every single level. … So last year when Uchenna goes down, we go, alright, who’s gonna fill that void? This year, I know who’s gonna fill the void. I just don’t know if they can do it to the level of Uchenna. But what does this do? It provides another opportunity for these young guys to get more reps and grow.”

2. Abe Lucas’ knee is still a mystery

A third-year offensive tackle, Lucas played just six games last season with a knee injury that appears to still be a consideration, as unlike Nwosu, Lucas was included in the reserve/PUP category when the roster was released Tuesday.

• What Schneider said: “We’re going to play the long game with him and make sure we’re doing things appropriately. This is for his career. It’s not just for the 2024 season. We want to make sure we are doing the right thing by Abe, which also is the right thing with the Seattle Seahawks. We have to be careful with it. … It has nothing to do with Abe’s worth ethic or anything. He’s attacked this thing as much as he possibly can. It’s just where we are right now.”

• Stacy’s take: “Abe Lucas remains one of the big mysteries to me about this team in terms of personnel because I genuinely do not know what’s wrong with his knee. Is this a degenerative thing that’s going to be career-long? Is this something that they are just waiting to see if a cleanup worked? Is this something that needed surgery and they’re bouncing back? Is this something they feel optimistic about?”

• Bump’s take: “What this tells me is Abe has done enough to have them believe in him in the long term and say this could be our guy at the tackle spot for the next three to four years. Also, what it tells me is that it is an injury that, if not taken care of properly, can keep showing up. … If Abe gets healthy and you have all your guys out there at one time, when I take a look at this offensive line, this is the best I’ve felt in a while.”

3. Geno contract speculation

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is entering the second year of a three-year, $75 million contract, but that hasn’t quieted down talk that he could be looking for a new deal. Schneider is staying quiet about it, though.

Asked if a report that Smith’s agent approached the Seahawks during training camp about discussing a new contract, Schneider declined to answer.

“Yeah, I think I’ll leave contract stuff aside,” Schneider said. “There’s a lot of people that want contract extensions. I’m not going to get into specific of who they are and all that, but that’s part of the job. It happens every year, all the time.”

In a follow-up question about whether Schneider and Smith himself have discussed a contract, however, Schneider did give an answer – a very simple answer: “No.”

• Bump’s take: “There was some speculation that Geno was was asking for more money and I think that is natural. … Geno’s not getting paid what he’s worth, in my opinion. I think that when you look at other contracts and production of some other quarterbacks, you can clearly have an argument for Geno getting more money, But the fact of the matter is you signed this contract and Schneider has shown that he’s not really into renegotiating early when it comes to these contracts. But (Smith’s) agent is supposed to do that. That’s what agents are for, to try to maximize your earning potential, and this is the most money that Geno can earn in his career. Yes, he just signed a contract, we understand that, but you gotta ask questions. The worst they can say is no. Sounded like they was like, ‘No, we ain’t doing that right now. Let’s get through the season and we’ll talk afterwards.'”

Watch the full Bump and Stacy segment in the video at the top of this post, and catch the show live from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.