Geno Smith to start, Drew Lock to play "a lot" for Seahawks at Cowboys

RENTON, Wash. - Geno Smith will get the start at quarterback against the Dallas Cowboys on Friday, but Drew Lock will play a lot as the Seattle Seahawks get their final major evaluation of both quarterbacks in their preseason competition for the starting job.

"I hope (Drew) has a great game," head coach Pete Carroll said after practice on Thursday. "He's going to get a lot of play time and get real comfortable out there. ... We've got to make up a little bit of time and make sure that he gets his reps and we'll see what happens."

Lock had been tabbed to start last week's game against the Chicago Bears before a case of COVID-19 forced him to miss the contest altogether. Smith started and played the entire first half before Jacob Eason finished the game for Seattle.

Smith and Lock have been battling for the team's starting job all offseason with Carroll constantly reaffirming that Smith has been in the lead throughout. Smith played in the offense and started three games for Seattle last year while Lock has had to play catch-up.

Smith's numbers haven't been eye-popping. He's completed 20-of-33 passes for 213 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions during the preseason. But those numbers don't tell the whole story either. Smith has had multiple throws dropped by receivers that would have bolstered his totals as well.

Via Pro Football Focus, Smith has ranked as the No. 1 QB in the NFL through the first two preseasons games among quarterbacks with at least 10 attempts. Granted, many starters across the NFL are not playing much in the preseason and don't qualify, but his performance has been solid.

The criticism of the Seahawks quarterback competition has been that Lock hasn't received as much time with the first-team offense as Smith. He definitely hasn't played with the first-team offensive line as much as Smith, but the coaching staff has rotated the skill position players through with both quarterbacks more equally.

Carroll said that their tracking of the reps each quarterback has received throughout camp are very similar.

"It's like 12 reps off for the whole camp and that's even with missing the game," Carroll said. "So (Smith)'s 338 to 327 or something, 329, something like that. So our numbers have come out and we've really worked hard the more we've been into camp to get him with the guys he needs to be with, I'm talking about Drew now, to give him a legitimate shot to work with those guys. So it is with Austin [Blythe] and with the receivers, [Will] Dissly and those guys on top."

Carroll hasn't given a firm indication of when the starter will be named. He did say there is value to the locker room knowing who will be the starter as soon as possible, but that it won't impact their decision-making process.

"There is some value to that I would think. But I've got to go through the process," he said. "That's why it's convenient to have your guy that everybody knows who the quarterback is when you just show up. That's a positive to have that but we're not afforded to that situation right now. So we just have to do with it as we can and do it really well. And you know, Geno has been the number one guy the whole time and he's held on to that and he's gonna start here in the last preseason game." 

Personnel notes:

– Running back Rashaad Penny has been away from the team this week due to a positive case of COVID-19.

"He's fine. Matter of fact, he's really good," Carroll said. "He's got COVID, he's been out a few days. He has next to no symptoms at all, but he just had to step back. He'll be back out in like a day or something, quick to return.

"He just felt like he was a little bit off. He didn't have the throat and the nose and all that kind of stuff, didn't have all the aches and pains and all that. I think he felt a little fatigued."

Neither Penny or rookie Ken Walker III will play in the preseason finale against the Cowboys. Walker is recovering from a hernia procedure last week.

– Wide receiver Dee Eskridge and cornerback Artie Burns both will play against Dallas. Eskridge has been out most of training camp with a hamstring strain while Burns was sidelined with a groin strain.

"They're going," Carroll said. "We're in good shape on those two guys."

Burns had a strong start to camp before being injured in practice drills two weeks ago.

"He had a couple of good days, limited practice reps, but he had a couple three good days," Carroll said. "And so this is really important to see Artie, you know, bring his stuff forward. He had played really well early on. It was really showing and so our expectations are high. We'll try not to overdo it in this first time out, but we want him to get out there and get comfortable."

Eskridge has been able to practice throughout the week and will get his first game action of the year.

"He had a great week. He's really explosive. He just he jumps out," Carroll said. You can see how his quickness, his ability to get off the ground and elevate. The catch and run thing is really an exciting thing to look forward to. Everything that we've always thought. He really didn't look rusty or anything just coming in for the first week. So he had a very good week, he gets to play and we'll see how far we take it."

– Cornerback Sidney Jones IV won't play as he continues to recover from a concussion.

"We're just making as safe a return as possible and he is really in the rearview mirror, so right now he won't go this week," Carroll said.

– Rookie linebacker Tyreke Smith is working his way back with a pair of hip muscles strains that have kept him sidelined for all but a couple days of practice in training camp.

"Making good progress, but won't make it in this game," Carroll said.

"He's had hip issues, you know, groin and hip issues. He's had it for some time now. He had it in the past that he dealt with, and it just kind of flared up and he just wasn't able to get rid of it yet."

Carroll said he's unsure of Smith will be ready in time for the season opener against the Denver Broncos. If not, they may need to place him on injured reserve for the first four weeks of the season.

– Guard Damien Lewis is progressing from the ankle sprain sustained in last week's preseasn game against the Bears. The injury was only a lateral ankle sprain and not a high-ankle sprain or broken bone, which seemed possible when the injury occurred and Lewis needed to be carted off the field.

"He's really excited that he's making really good progress. He's still got a little swelling and all that, but he's moving around and getting going a little bit," Carroll said.

"I think those two weeks (before the opener) are going to be really important, obviously. We won't push him this week coming up, but the next week, we'll give him a shot to get back."

Phil Haynes has played left guard in place of Lewis since the injury.

– Tight end Tyler Mabry has been absent all week due to injury. His absence led the team to re-sign Cade Brewer for depth ahead of the preseason finale

"He's been pretty locked up, his back. And so he has not been able to practice yet," Carroll said.

– Carroll said that wide receiver Marquise Goodwin is expected to be ready for the season opener after a hamstring strain has kept him sidelined in practice.

"Marquise is going to make it. Yeah, it looks like he's gonna make it. He was bopping around pretty good yesterday." 

– Safety Ryan Neal is uncertain for Week 1 as he recovers from a high-ankle sprain that has kept him out of practice for several weeks. 

"Ryan thinks he's gonna make it. He's saying he's really positive about it," Carroll said. "But that was a legit high-ankle sprain and sometimes those feel kind of good until you really push on them and then when you really push it you find that it's not there. So we don't know that yet." 

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