Notebook: Takeaways from Seahawks’ second open OTA practice
May 29, 2019, 3:37 PM | Updated: 3:50 pm
LT Duane Brown was asked about Seahawks' rookies Wednesday. (AP)
(AP)
The Seahawks’ second session of OTAs open to the media brought a slightly larger crowd, as absentees from last week – safety Bradley McDougald, cornerback Tre Flowers and quarterback Geno Smith – made a return. Also in attendance was new Seahawks defensive end Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah, whose shoulder injury will likely keep him out of group drills through the offseason.
What kind of advantage does Seahawks’ 2019 class have?
Here are a few quick takeaways:
Phil Haynes brings a ‘great demeanor’
Reporters had a chance to speak with left tackle Duane Brown after practice, who, when asked about young standout players on the offensive side of the ball, mentioned rookie guard Phil Haynes.
“Being in the offensive line room, I think Phil Haynes is someone that definitely has been a pleasant surprise,” Brown said. “He’s a big strong guy, he’s catching on pretty quickly. He has a great demeanor. A lot of times, this kind of atmosphere can be overwhelming; being given so much information, the speed right now, you’re not used to practicing without pads on so fast, and everything is happening so quickly. But he’s handling everything well. Today he was in there with the ones and played next to me and communicated greatly… like I said, it can be overwhelming at times to be given so much, but going against our ones on defense, he had a great demeanor and knew his assignments and was communicating. So that’s a great sign.”
The Seahawks selected Haynes in the fourth-round out of Wake Forest. The 6-foot-4, 322-pound rookie played at both guard and tackle in college.
K.J. Wright confident about health and Wagner’s future
Linebacker K.J. Wright told reporters he believes he’s at 100 percent health-wise. The veteran is now months removed from a season that saw him sidelined by a knee injury. Wright practicing Wednesday without a brace or any noticeable wrap.
Wright sounded just as confident when asked about his teammate’s contract negotiations.
“Bobby (Wagner) knows what he’s doing,” Wright said of the All-Pro linebacker’s decision to represent himself during contract negotiations with Seattle this offseason. “It’s gonna be really exciting to see everything pan out. He’s gonna be a Seahawk for life, go get a (heck) of a deal done. So I’m excited to see how it all turns out.”
While Wagner has made the decision to abstain from team workouts during his negotiations, both he and Wright have been mentoring Seattle’s youngest linebackers, a group that includes rookie linebackers Cody Barton and Ben Burr-Kirven.
“They picked up the playbook fast,” Wright said of Barton and Burr-Kirven. “I was trying to tell BBK, ‘We see this formation’, and he took the words out of my mouth, as far as D-line stunts. I’ve never seen rookie linebackers like this. It usually takes them a while to get the playbook down, especially with D-line stunts, but they’re pretty much ahead of the curve.”
Notes
The Seahawks made two roster moves Wednesday: the team signed undrafted rookie running back Marcelias Sutton, and waived/injured running back Adam Choice.
Wednesday wrapped up Seattle’s open OTA sessions for May. Reporters will get their next look at the team on June 4.
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