O’Neil: 3 things to watch in Seahawks’ preseason game vs Chiefs

The third preseason game is as close as the NFL comes to a dress rehearsal, which makes it the last best opportunity for a player to make a statement about his spot on the team, whether it’s a veteran like Jeremy Lane whose role is suddenly a question mark or a young player like J.D. McKissic trying to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to leave him off the 53-man roster.

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Here’s a list of three things the coaches will be watching on Friday when the Seahawks host the Chiefs:

1. Passing Lane?

Jeremy Lane began training camp playing right cornerback for Seattle’s first-string defense. That was before he missed a week with a soft-tissue injury, though, and now rookie Shaquill Griffin is poised to start his third preseason game and new addition Tramaine Brock is trying to play his way up the depth chart.

So where does that leave Lane? Great question. His $4 million salary is guaranteed so he’s not on any sort of roster bubble. If the Seahawks could find someone interested in trading for him – and more significantly his salary – that would certainly be enticing.

Second-year cornerback DeAndre Elliott is unlikely to play this week because of a concussion, which should give Lane more playing time to try and generate some momentum to climb up Seattle’s depth chart.

2. Running in place?

If this were a regular-season game, the Seahawks would face a decision on whether to play C.J. Prosise and/or Thomas Rawls. But it’s the preseason, which means each one will watch Friday’s game, Prosise recovering from a strained groin while Rawls is coming back from an injured ankle.

That leaves lots of room for Seattle to look at the three newcomers in the backfield, which will be especially important for Mike Davis. He’s a former third-round pick the Seahawks claimed from San Francisco this offseason, and all he has done in two preseason games he has the Seahawks’ longest run from scrimmage (38 yards at the Chargers) and the longest scoring reception (22 yards last week against the Vikings).

The preseason is no time to panic, but it would be nice if Eddie Lacy had an explosive run or two. So far, he is averaging 3 yards per carry and has yet to run for more than 9 yards on a carry.

3. Many happy returns?

Tyler Lockett is one of the very best returners in football. That’s why he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

But Lockett is also coming back from a broken leg, and he may not play at all in the preseason. And given that fact, do the Seahawks really want to subject him to a full diet of return duty in addition to catching passes?

McKissic is an explosive returner not to mention a versatile player who can be used as both a running back and a receiver, and it sounds like coach Pete Carroll really, really wants to keep him on the team.

“The two plays of preseason so far for him are indicative of who he is and what he is all about,” Carroll said. “He’s covered two kickoffs. He had a great hit in week one, he had an excellent play in week two. I looked at the very last instant approaching the contact, is the guy giving it up with everything he had. J.D. is one of those dudes.

“Shoot, I love the way he’s playing.”

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