After a dominating Week 1 win, the Seattle Seahawks fell to the Tennessee Titans, 16-15, on Saturday at Nissan Stadium, dropping to 1-1 in the preseason.
It's still preseason, so the results don't really matter, but the Seahawks' offense and defense were much better in the first half than they were in the second, which speaks to the depth of Seattle's unit.
Here are three players whose ratings have improved and three whose ratings have dropped after the second week of preseason.
QB Sam Howell
Sam Howell looked a little shaky early in the game, but by the end of the game he was as confident as we've ever seen him with this new offensive strategy. Howell completed 11 of 14 attempts for 153 yards and a touchdown, including a perfect touch on a 23-yard score to Easop Winston Jr. in the first quarter. As the game went on, Howell looked better and better.
On Seattle's first pass of the next drive, Howell slipped between two Titans defenders to wide receiver Cody White for 33 yards, the longest offensive play of the day for the Seahawks. The offensive line in front of Howell was fine, but a section of the line collapsed, allowing Howell to get over it. As a result, Howell gained 11 yards on two rushes and escaped the collapsed play. Howell's overall pocket presence was closer to his strong showing with the Washington Commanders.
DT Miles Adams
Miles Adams played most of the first half and was a force in the middle of Seattle's defensive line. He finished with three total tackles, but that wasn't the whole story of his impact on the game. Adams' pressure from the inside allowed edge rushers Derrick Hall, Darrell Taylor and Boye Maffe to move freely and squeeze the pocket around Malik Willis, forcing Willis to make quick decisions in the pocket.
Adams is the perfect defensive lineman for Seattle. With Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy and Johnathan Hankins already anchoring that unit, Adams and Mike Morris will be key rotation players for the Seahawks during the season. At 6-foot-2 and 290 pounds, Adams also has the size the Seahawks need.
WR Aesop Winston Jr.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. (13) passes Tennessee Titans cornerback Tre Avery (23) for a touchdown during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. / Andrew Neres/The Tennessean/USA Today Network
Aesop Winston Jr. has made the competition for Seattle's sixth wide receiver position very tight with his play in just his second preseason game. The contest is clearly between Winston and Darreke Young, with the latter leading the group throughout training camp and the first few weeks of the preseason. Winston, a fifth-year pro out of Washington State, showed his veteran tendencies on a 23-yard scoring run from Howell and showed his hands late to secure a touchdown from Titans cornerback Tre Avery. Winston's release on a fade route was also impressive against Avery, running through the corner and making it easy for Howell to make the decision to throw in a one-on-one situation.
Winston led the Seahawks in receiving in all areas with three catches for 47 yards and a score. He also had the most targets of any Seattle player with four. Even if he is sent to the practice squad, Winston is a quality player the Seahawks could elevate to the active roster in an emergency if they need him.
CB DJ James
Despite being a sixth-round pick by the Seahawks, DJ James has looked out of place in Seattle. He came close to being lost in two preseason games, allowing the Titans' lone touchdown on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Mason Rudolph while off-covering Nick Westbrook-Ikine with 38 seconds left in the second quarter.
James also picked up two defensive penalties on Tennessee's second drive of the second half, first for holding and then just two plays later on the facemask, which allowed the Titans to get back in the game and eventually settle for a field goal to cut it to 12-10. James was poor in coverage and doesn't have the fundamental skills to make the Seahawks' 53-man roster at this point.
T. Stone Forsyth
At this point, it's a mystery where Stone Forsythe fits in with Seattle's coaching staff. He started eight games last season but didn't play well in either of the two preseason games, continually getting outplayed by edge rushers down-to-down. Forsythe was tripped by running back Kenny McIntosh on a Sam Howell sack-fumble (which Forsythe recovered himself) in the first quarter, but he was already beaten by the block, so he was set back quite a bit on defense.
Seattle's depth at left tackle is a concern, with Forsythe struggling despite veteran George Fant being able to play on both sides of the ball. Heading into the third preseason game, Forsythe's margin of error is looking slimmer and slimmer, and he could be fired if he doesn't show significant improvement in the final game.
QB PJ Walker
Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 17, 2024: Seattle Seahawks quarterback P.J. Walker (15) signals a change in the team during a fourth quarter win against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. / Casey Gower – USA Today Sports
P.J. Walker, who took over the offense in the second half, had similar weapons to Howell but was far less able to steer the Seahawks' offense. But he also had an even less effective offensive line in front of him. In any case, even when Walker had time to throw, he took some timing routes early, which snowballed into a lack of offensive development. With Walker at the helm, the offense looked much sluggish.
Walker completed four attempts for 38 yards and was sacked. Walker led the unit to just 38 total yards in the second half, but Howell led the unit to 231 total yards.
