The Seahawks’ joint practice with the Titans is set to bring a lot of attention Friday, and not just because both teams will be working against each other before Sunday’s game. With Hard Knocks following Seattle, every rep is going to feel a little bigger, and there are a few clear things to keep an eye on when the two teams line up together.
One of the main storylines is Seattle’s deep passing game. Throughout camp, Sam Darnold has been pushing the ball downfield and connecting with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, Tory Horton, and rookie running back Jadrian Price. The Seahawks have made it a point to get Darnold finding more than just JSN, and Friday should give them another chance to keep building that rhythm.
That matters because the Titans will be looking to answer after making upgrades to their pass defense. Tennessee finished 23rd against the pass and 30th in net passing yards per attempt, so the team added coaching help and brought in cornerbacks Alontae Taylor and Cor’Dale Flott. The Seahawks will try to keep stretching the field in practice, but they’ll be doing it against a defense eager to show it has moved forward.
There’s also a familiar quarterback matchup element here with Cam Ward. In Week 11 last season, Ward had one of his better showings against Seattle, and it came with him getting the ball out fast enough to stay away from steady pressure.
He completed 66.7% of his passes for 256 yards, a touchdown and a 77.4 QBR. He also led the Titans on the ground with 37 yards and a touchdown, while Tennessee managed just 27 rushing yards outside of him.
Seattle’s defense will want a different result this time, especially after dealing with linebacker and defensive back injuries in that Week 11 game. The Seahawks are looking to be sharper in short- and mid-range coverage so Ward has fewer easy answers. They can’t sack him or hit him in the backfield during joint practice, but they can still force him into rushed decisions, throwaways, or mistakes.
And then there’s the part that always hangs over these sessions: the possibility of a fight. Joint practices have a way of drawing national attention for the wrong reasons, with injuries and brawls often becoming the headline. The league fined both the Cowboys and Saints after a serious dustup, and the Seahawks had their own major fight last year against the Packers.
That history makes Friday worth watching closely. Seattle’s focus has to stay on getting better, not on proving a point. Ernest Jones IV and Devon Witherspoon are two names to watch on that front after being part of last year’s Packers fight.
The Seahawks may also need to rein in some of their younger offensive linemen, who have already been involved in camp skirmishes and were shown doing so on Hard Knocks. The biggest concern is edge rusher Derick Hall, who was shown grabbing his own teammate from behind and slamming him down. That kind of heat is hard to ignore, especially with Hall already serving a suspension after the Week 16 game against the Los Angeles Rams for stepping on an offensive lineman’s leg.
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There is also no small standard attached to the job. Klint Kubiak left the Seahawks after guiding the offense to a Super Bowl victory in 2025 and then moved on to become head coach of the Raiders, so Fleury inherits both expectations and opportunity. For Seattle, the encouraging part is not just the change itself but the sense that key players are already seeing a reason to believe the offense can keep moving forward rather than starting over. [Read more 🡒]