Geno Smith Or Drew Lock, Seattle’s Quarterback Competition Still Up In The Air

By Jordan Long

The Seattle Seahawks are preparing to take on the Dallas Cowboys on Friday in their final preseason game.  Kickoff is at 6:00 PM Mountain Time.  After that, it’s on to the Denver Broncos who they will face  on Monday Night Football in week 1. Seattle hasn’t decided who the starting quarterback will be at this point.  They still have a competition between Drew Lock and Geno Smith.

                The Seattle Seahawks know they need to pick a quarterback before week 1.  According to ESPN.com, Head Coach Pete Carrol said, “I’m wide open for whatever happens. Geno’s been the guy in the lead position the whole time, and I’ve protected that thought throughout. He’s done a really nice job. He’s been very consistent. So we’ll just see what happens. There’s two more weeks of practice, too, after this. I had a set thought on what we would do with the timeline but that got disrupted, so we’re going to use all the time we need.”

                Smith has played both preseason games for the Seattle Seahawks.  He completed 20 of 33 passes or a completion percentage of 60%.  This sounds great except that Smith hasn’t pushed the ball down the field.  Smith has 213 passing yards but has yet to throw a touchdown. Smith also protected the football and hasn’t thrown an interception.  Smith, though, is holding the ball too long and has been sacked 3 times.

                Lock on the other hand only played in preseason game #1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.    In his only action of the preseason, Lock was 11 of 15 passing for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He was also sacked twice.  Last week was his chance to start but couldn’t since he was in COVID protocols. That might have been Lock’s opportunity to separate himself from Smith.

                In this final preseason game, it is still a toss up who should be the starting quarterback. Both may see action on Friday.  It seems that Smith should begin as the #1 quarterback.  He has been in the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive system since 2020.  It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him named as the starter for week 1.  Of course, if Smith struggles, then put in Lock.  For now, the competition is still up for grabs with no clear winner going into their final preseason game.