RENTON, Wash. – Though he played the past two seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, veteran defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins kept close tabs on the Baltimore Ravens from afar, marveling at then-coordinator Mike Macdonald’s scheme and how he deployed his defensive line.

Once Macdonald accepted the Seahawks head coaching job in February and quickly tabbed former Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde as his defensive coordinator, Hankins knew where he wanted to continue his career with both young masterminds teaming up. Once free agency opened, the 6-3, 325-pound defender jumped at the opportunity to come to the Pacific Northwest and signed a one-year contract, filling a massive void figuratively and literally as the team’s new nose tackle.

Now in the midst of his first training camp in Seattle, Hankins isn’t aiming low when it comes to setting the bar for his new team. After starting for a top-five scoring defense in Dallas a year ago, he already has seen enough to believe Macdonald’s defense can be equally as disruptive out of the gate, starting with the defensive line he’s now happily part of.

“I think we could be just as good,” Hankins proclaimed before Saturday’s fourth training camp practice. “I think we can be probably one of the best inside in the NFL with defensive tackles such as Jarran Reed, big [Byron] Murphy, Leonard Williams, Dre’Mont Jones. We’ve got such a different combination of guys and skill set and size wise that can attack guys, I think it’s gonna benefit us a whole lot.”

Before signing his contract four months ago, like many defenders around the NFL over the past two years, Hankins had taken great interest in Macdonald’s scheme from afar. Growing to appreciate how he deployed his defensive linemen moving players around as he built the No. 1 scoring defense with the Ravens as coordinator, his presence factored as many as anything into the veteran’s decision to join the Seahawks this spring.

Hankins may have considered coming to Seattle on the merit of playing for Macdonald alone, but the allure of working with Durde again sweetened the pot. After being released by Las Vegas midway through the 2022 season, the former Ohio State star enjoyed a career resurgence with Dallas over the past two years teaming up with the energetic coach, whose ability to motivate players with sharp wit and a thick British accent coupled with a strong football IQ made him easy to grind for.

Starting 14 games for the Cowboys last season, Hankins tallied 27 tackles and three sacks, his highest total since 2016 when he was still a member of the NFC East rival Giants. With Durde bringing “joy to the room,” the veteran rediscovered his love for the game and became an integral part of one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.

“He brings the fun and excitement,” Hankins said of Durde. “When we’re out there on the field and doing drills, he’s such an energizer guy, coach, and just the way his British slang, or talk that he gives out, it kind of throws you off. But after a while you kind of get used to it, you embrace it. And then for some reason, people tend to start to try to talk like him and it never really works out, comes out like it’s suppose too. But all in all, he’s a fantastic coach, great motivator. And a lot of dudes just love to play for him and with him.”

Putting a cherry on top of the sundae with Macdonald and Durde on board, the Seahawks provided Hankins with an opportunity to go from one elite defensive line group to another, boasting a deep, talented stable of players ready to wreak havoc. Among his new potential teammates, joining forces with a former division foe in Williams as well as Reed and Jones proved too good to pass up, and the unit became even better when Murphy fell into the team’s lap for the 16th overall pick in April’s draft.

So far, the group has lived up to Hankins’ expectations and then some. As he has spent the majority of his time at the nose tackle spot covering the center or shading the A gap, players such as Williams, Jones, Reed, Murphy, and second-year defensive end Mike Morris have moved up and down the line of scrimmage as chess pieces for Macdonald and Durde in the trenches, playing everywhere from 3-tech defensive tackle to standup outside linebacker.

As he witnessed in Baltimore, Hankins has been impressed by how Macdonald and the new staff have mixed and matched Seattle’s flexible personnel up front, even introducing the “Durango” front with Wililams and Reed moving outside in a two-point stance off the edge and a combination of Hankins and Murphy/Morris playing inside. He also has relished being able to stay on the field for a more extended period of time, giving him more of a chance to contribute as an interior rusher.

“For big guys as myself, he does allow them to stay out there on the field for more than just one or two downs depending on the situation depending on whatever he’s calling,” Hankins explained. “There’s a lot of opportunity for guys like me inside to be out there even though we got a lot of pass rushers on this defense and guys that can rush at 3-technique, shade end, standing up, but just giving us more opportunities to go out there and make plays and just impact the game.”

With just four practices down, Hankins expects more creativity and innovation in how the group is unleashed as camp progresses and the regular season draws closer. As the Seahawks continue to install new formations and packages, he plans to serve as a resource for younger players such as Murphy and Morris, providing tips and answering questions any time he can in a mentor role.

As for his lofty team goals, Hankins sees Macdonald and Durde as the mad scientists necessary to bring everything together and help Seattle perform to its full potential on defense. Armed with a blend of proven veterans and high-upside youngsters, the defensive line should be the anchor for a revamped unit, and he’s eager to see how the new staff maximizes the depth up front in a scheme that should cater well to the group’s strengths, particularly when it comes to positional flexibility.

“It’s been quite interesting. For the past I’d say two or three years when he was in Baltimore, I was always fascinated about their defense and how dominant they were. And to come to find out he’s become the head coach here and A.D. [Aden Durde] came here and was gonna be able to embrace both defensive terminologies, I was excited. He brings so much to the defensive side, it’s kind of hard to explain because it’s pretty complex, but at the same time, it’s very exciting. He’s gonna put us in a lot of good situations where we can make plays and attack offenses in all different angles, so I’m thrilled and I’m excited for it.”

RENTON, Wash. – Featuring plenty of star power with perennial 1,000-yard receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett at the top of the depth chart, the rest of the Seattle Seahawks talented wideout corps continued to flex their muscles in Saturday’s fourth training camp practice.

Led by sophomore sensation Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who out on a clinic getting open throughout Saturday’s session, the Seahawks had several of their complementary targets enjoy strong afternoons. For his part, building off a fantastic offseason program, the second-year receiver out of Ohio State hauled in a touchdown on a perfectly thrown dime from Geno Smith on the opening red zone period and later added a pair of 30-plus yard completions where he found the soft spot in the coverage on corner routes from the slot.

Away from Smith-Njigba, Dareke Young caught a back shoulder fade from Smith for six points in the red zone and Jake Bobo found the end zone twice, making an impressive arms extended grab from Smith in 7-on-7 and capping off practice with a scoring reception from backup Sam Howell in the back of the end zone to draw cheers from fans nestled in front of the team facility. Veterans Dee Eskridge, Easop Winston Jr., and Cody White got in on the act with their best days of camp, developing a rapport with Howell and snagging four touchdowns in red zone periods.

While there’s still plenty to work on early in camp for one of the team’s strongest units, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has been thrilled with what he’s seen thus far from a talented receiving corps loaded with quality players competing for roster spots.

“Making a lot of plays on the perimeter. It’s great to see,” Macdonald said. “Everybody’s touching the ball. I was just talking to the quarterbacks today. Trust the system, trust your reads, feel the spacing of the defense with what we’re giving you and the explosive plays will come. The guys are making plays. There’s a couple drops here and there, so we’re chasing that. I’m sure [coach] Fris [Jackson] will have a litany of things to give you that they want to work on, but I’m pleased that the guys are high-pointing the ball and catching back shoulder throws and things like that. It’s exciting to see.”

Looking back at Seattle’s final camp practice before busting out the pads on Monday, here are four additional takeaways from the VMAC:

Deep into the process of learning a new offense under coordinator Ryan Grubb, the gap between Smith and Howell has only widened in the first week of camp, making it clear as day who the best quarterback on Seattle’s roster is. The biggest thus far has been accuracy, where Smith has been consistently putting the ball on the money for his receivers at all levels of the field and Howell has airmailed several throws to another zip code in the early going, looking far from comfortable.

Though he found himself under a bit more pressure with Macdonald’s defense sending five or more rushers more often than they did in the first three days, Smith continued to spin it on Saturday, demonstrating a lightning quick release and elite accuracy dropping deep balls into the hands of his receivers. Most notably, his connection with Smith-Njigba keeps growing stronger, as the two were dialed in all practice long, particularly on downfield corner routes where the quarterback displayed excellent touch dropping the ball into the bucket for his young receiver.

For the third time in four days, Smith didn’t throw an interception either, and didn’t even have any close calls on Saturday. He’s been in complete command and making smart decisions, rarely putting the ball in harms way and efficiently throwing the ball downfield when opportunity strikes.

As for Howell, the third-year signal caller deserves credit for bouncing back some after a challenging practice on Friday where he misfired on several potential touchdowns in the red zone period. He was far from perfect on Saturday, including overthrowing two open receivers in the first red zone segment, but he started to find a rhythm as the practice progressed and threw touchdowns to Bobo and tight end Jack Westover to finish strong, hopefully providing momentum for continued improvement going into next week.

Despite having elite athleticism and soft hands for the position, Fant’s first two years with the Seahawks largely disappointed from a production standpoint, including catching no touchdowns in 17 games in 2023. But the front office believed those numbers weren’t a reflection of his talent and after hiring Grubb as the new play caller, general manager John Schneider made re-signing the former first round pick a priority, handing him a two-year, $21 million deal on the premise he would be far more impactful in a new offense.

Until games start up in September, it remains to be seen whether or not that promise will be fulfilled, but early signs have been quite encouraging. In the first three practices, Fant came open in the flats for quick dump off touchdowns in the red zone twice, showing how easy it should be to scheme him open and get him involved more often inside the opposing 20-yard line.

In Saturday’s session, while Fant didn’t score any touchdowns, Smith hooked up with him for a trio of first down receptions, hitting him in stride twice on crossing routes and firing a dart on the money on a curl route to move the chains. Per Macdonald, the Seahawks don’t have a set number of targets they will be looking to get Fant, but they are excited to see how he’s already meshing in Grubb’s offense and how his presence can open things up for the rest of their receivers.

“We’re really excited about Noah and the type of player that he is,” Macdonald remarked. “I love his attitude everyday. It’s just steadfast, positive, a sense of urgency about what he’s doing. And then when he’s out there making plays, you can feel that the process is coming to life and you’re excited for him that there’s results on the field, so we want that to keep trending in the right direction.”

Being a first-round pick with lofty expectations, all eyes have been zeroed in on Murphy since camp opened on Wednesday. But in the first three days of practice, he had yet to make any splashy plays, at least in terms of penetrating the backfield and positioning himself for sacks or tackles for loss when tackling isn’t yet allowed.

However, Murphy started to make his presence felt in Saturday’s session, starting in the first red zone period when matched up against fellow rookie Christian Haynes. Rocketing out of his 3-point stance, the rookie defender fired his hands into the blocker’s frame and then executed a filthy swim move that drew oohh’s and aahh’s from the crowd, leaving Haynes lunging for air as he promptly slipped past him and closed in on Howell, likely setting himself up for a sack if he could hit the quarterback.

On two other occasions, Murphy used his quick first step to shoot a gap and rip past a blocker to close in on the quarterback, showcasing his burst and disruptive capabilities as a pass rusher. With the pads coming out on Monday, Macdonald is eager to see the youngster build off his best practice so far and see how he responds with a chance to finally get physical in the trenches.

“Murph had a slower couple days than he wanted to out there to start out, but he’s bounced back and he’s making a lot of plays out there. Initially, you think more of a B-gap type of player, but being able to move inside and out from the A-gap all the way out, I think if he keeps staying on this progression you could see him at any one of those spots.”

During his time with the Ravens as defensive coordinator, Macdonald loved to mix in three-safety personnel groupings in nickel and dime sets, sometimes playing as many as eight defensive backs on the field at the same time. In the early stages of camp, players such as K’Von Wallace, who has played extensive snaps at both safety positions as well as slot cornerback in his career, have been pleading with the first-time coach to deploy more DB-heavy groupings.

“I just told the guys today – they’re begging for multiple DB and getting eight guys out there – well, we’ve done it before,” Macdonald smiled. “But it’s up to you guys. If you earn the spot and that’s gonna put us in the best position to make a play, then that’s what we’ll do.”

Playing in his first training camp with the Seahawks, Wallace seemed to take those words to heart, actively disrupting plays all afternoon while logging snaps all over the field. Along with a pass breakup, a quick pressure as a blitzer, and snuffing out a screen, he put himself in the perfect position at the perfect time settling in the middle of the end zone, picking off Howell as he tried to thread the needle looking for White along the back out of bounds line.

“I think his words were ‘Alright, bet,’” Macdonald said, drawing laughs from reporters.

Along with Wallace turning heads, a newcomer in the secondary continues to make plays for the Seahawks in undrafted rookie Dee Williams, who opened camp wearing a blue offensive player jersey working with receivers. Starting on Friday, he switched over to cornerback, his original position where he earned All-American honors as JUCO standout before transferring to Tennessee, where he emerged as one of the SEC’s most dynamic kick and punt returners.

With more of an opportunity for snaps on defense, Williams has made the most of limited playing time over the past two days, frequently coming through with big plays on Saturday. He slipped past a block on a screen to wrap up DK Metcalf during the first team session and later made a fantastic pass breakup in coverage against Laviska Shenault in the end zone, swatting the ball away along the sideline, standing out for Macdonald at his “new” position.

“It was really just to give him another opportunity to get on the field corner-wise,” Macdonald said. “Wasn’t getting a lot of reps at receiver. But I think the game is more natural to him on the defensive side, he’s got really good movement ability. We’ll see as it evolves here, but pleased with what we’ve seen since the switch to defense and he’s an All-American JUCO corner, so he’s familiar with that position moreso than wideout.”

SEATTLE – Seattle police are now investigating a shooting in the Yesler Terrace neighborhood that left one man dead Saturday morning.

Officers say they arrived to reports of a shooting at East Spruce Street and Broadway just before 12:30 a.m. on July 27. There, they found one man shot multiple times and provided immediate medical care until Seattle Fire could take over. However, the man died of his injuries.

As of 10 a.m. Saturday, police do not know the circumstances of the shooting and ask the public for help.

If anyone has information about this incident, please call SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

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