Seahawks OTAs: Bobby Wagner shows up — as a spectator; several starters out with injuries

RENTON, Wash. — Bobby Wagner isn’t going to hold out. He’ll be here at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, attending meetings, taking care of his body and watching his Seahawks teammates practice.

Just don’t expect him to participate in any of the offseason activities.

“I will be here. That’s my participation,” Wagner said Tuesday after Seattle’s first sessions of organized team activities open to the media.

Wagner, 28, is entering the final season of a four-year, $43 million contract. Players searching new deals tend to either abstain from offseason work entirely or show up in good faith that the organization will reward their commitment to the team. This works out differently depending on the player, as was the case last year in Seattle.

Earl Thomas, in search of a third contract last offseason, didn’t show up until the start of the regular season and wound up on injured reserve by Week 4. Seattle didn’t negotiate with him after the season.

K.J. Wright, also in search of a third contract last offseason, showed up to every part of the offseason program, suffered a knee injury in the preseason that lingered throughout the regular season and was on pins and needles at the start of free agency before re-signing on a two-year deal in March.

Attending but not participating in practice is Wagner’s version of a middle ground.

“It’s a tricky situation,” Wagner said. “It’s a business: You get hurt, they don’t pay you, so you got to be mindful of that. Y’all know I’m a professional, I’m going to be in shape, I work out every single day, so y’all don’t have to worry about me being in shape, and my mind is going to always be sharp.”

From Wagner’s perspective, this is probably the best way to go about the offseason. As he said, staying in shape won’t be an issue. Wagner has a strict workout regimen — in addition to using Seattle’s facilities, he spends the offseason training at Ford Sports Performance in Bellevue. While some fans and pundits might label players opting to skip voluntary workouts because of contract grievances as selfish, Wagner’s current plan sidesteps that discussion. And because Wagner is negotiating his own contract extension, being present each day at work shows a level of faith and commitment that won’t go unnoticed by the people he’s doing business with.

“Just being the leader, you want to send the right message,” Wagner said. “You want to be here to support the guys. I do feel like the quarterback of defense is pretty important, so not having that piece would kind of put a damper on the defense. I just feel like it’s important for our success, and so I’m here.”

Said coach Pete Carroll of Wagner’s participation plan: “The decision to do what he’s doing at this tempo is a good decision for him right now.”

While Wagner’s offseason approach might be wise, it guarantees nothing. Any talk of Wagner’s value, his elite play or his veteran leadership is just that: talk. If Seattle doesn’t feel his worth matches the asking price, then there will be no deal, regardless of how much the team loves its All-Pro linebacker and what he brings to the table. Wagner knows this as well as anyone, having taken the steps to prepare for this negotiation since signing his previous deal in August 2015. Wagner also knows that any conversation of the best linebacker in the league starts with him and ends with Carolina’s Luke Kuechly. And he understands the linebacker market, which saw a new salary floor with C.J. Mosley’s five-year, $85 million contract with the Jets in March.

“That is the plan, to break that,” Wagner said of Mosley’s deal.

On Tuesday, Wagner for the first time confirmed that there have been talks between him and the Seahawks. The team had said for months that it has been in communication with Wagner, but that wasn’t necessarily the case. Wagner would like to have a new deal before the start of the regular season, but for now, he’s at the mercy of Seattle’s front office and its priorities.

Wagner wouldn’t say how those conversations have progressed, preferring to not “turn this into some drama thing, some big drawn-out thing.”

“Like I said, it’s a business,” Wagner said. “If it works out, it does. If not, it’s been cool.”

Injury report/depth chart projections

There was a long list of limited players and non-participants. Let’s begin with projected starters and rotational players: DT Jarran Reed (limited), LB K.J. Wright (out), SS Bradley McDougald (absent), RB Chris Carson (out), SS Delano Hill (out), DT Nazair Jones (out), TE Will Dissly (out), DE Quinton Jefferson (limited), DE Ezekiel Ansah (out).

Hill (hip) and Dissly (knee) are dealing with season-ending injuries from last season, and I wouldn’t expect them back until training camp. McDougald (knee) and Carson (knee) underwent procedures this offseason, and they may not be back until camp, either, along with Reed (hernia) and Ansah (shoulder).

Other limited players or non-participants: DT Al Woods, OL Demetrius Knox, S Shalom Luani, WR Caleb Scott, WR Malik Turner, WR Gary Jennings (hamstring), LB Ben Burr-Kirven and CB Kalan Reed.

Second-year cornerback Tre Flowers missed practice because of a death in the family, Carroll said. Backup quarterback Geno Smith, signed last week, was also absent because of a family matter.

Because of all those starters on the sidelines, it’s dicey to read too much into who’s playing where and with what group. For example, fourth-year strong safety Marwin Evans flanked Tedric Thompson much of the day, but it’s highly unlikely that’s the case in September. That’s just what happens when you have three safeties on the injury report. You might wonder why second-round pick Marquise Blair wasn’t the one besde Thompson, but it was only the second day of OTAs, and some rookies need to climb up the depth chart for a few weeks at least.

Speaking of rookies earning their stripes, that was evident in the receiver group as well. The Seahawks drafted three receivers and signed two undrafted rookies, but the team is still banking on its returning wideouts to fill their needs. That’s why we saw plenty of action from Tyler Lockett, David Moore, Jaron Brown and even Keenan Reynolds and Amara Darboh on Tuesday. Even stud prospects like D.K. Metcalf need to wait their turn during this portion of the offseason program. Metcalf continued to look as impressive as he did in rookie camp, and seventh-round pick John Ursua did in his debut, too, but the veterans in that room won’t go down without one hell of a fight.

Aside from quarterback, the offensive line is the one position group that probably won’t see a ton of change between now and the regular-season opener. From left to right, this is Seattle’s ideal starting five: Duane Brown, Mike Iupati, Justin Britt, D.J. Fluker and Germain Ifedi. Iupati, acquired this offseason, hasn’t been able to stay healthy in recent years, but if he does, Carroll loves what the one-time All-Pro provides at left guard.

“Mike’s the guy who jumped off the film to me yesterday, first time we had a chance to see him,” Carroll said. “You know, come off the ball and see his feet, see how he moves and all. Mike’s a big man, he’s 345 pounds and carries it well and always has been a guy that we’ve respected tremendously for the toughness, but I just, I didn’t appreciate it until I saw him with our guys. He’s going to fit in beautifully for us.”

In case you forgot

Here are a few names that haven’t been mentioned much this offseason: running back C.J. Prosise, receiver Darboh and linebacker Mychal Kendricks. All were present and participating in practice Tuesday.

Injuries have ended each of Prosise’s first three seasons in Seattle. He appears to be healthy now, and it’s important to remember that a healthy Prosise is easily the third-best running back on the roster, at least talent-wise. Because he carries a $918,116 cap hit this year, it’s certainly worthwhile for Seattle to see what he can do this offseason. On Tuesday, I thought he looked as effective as anyone else on the field.

Darboh had an underwhelming rookie year, got cut before Year 2 and wound up back on the team’s injured-reserve list because of a season-ending injury that required surgery in September. He’s back now and will be very much in the mix at the outside receiver spot. There’s no telling how well he’ll perform there, and because he’s already been given up on once, it’s likely Seattle will do so again, but seeing him Tuesday reminded me of the talent he flashed as a rookie during 2017 training camp and why he was one of the players I expected to be a contributor down the line.

“Darboh looks great,” Carroll said. “He’s back in the fold now. He goes right back into the competition of it.”

Kendricks’ legal proceedings after his guilty plea to insider training have been tabled indefinitely, and Seattle is moving forward as if the veteran linebacker will not miss any football this year as a consequence of that crime. It’s my understanding that Kendricks is unlikely to serve any prison time. With Wagner and Wright on the sideline Tuesday, Kendricks was with the first-team group, flanked by Austin Calitro, another reminder that although the team is high on rookies like Cody Barton, the road to the starting lineup is truly an uphill climb for any newbie not named L.J. Collier.

Quotables

Wagner, on the retirement of Baldwin: “For me, it was crazy because you’re seeing the evolution of our team. Came in, we watched all the guys Sherm, Kam — all those guys left, and now you’re seeing guys retire and move on to the next life. It’s crazy, but I feel like (Baldwin) walked away on his own terms. I think as a football player that’s what you want to do is walk away on your own terms. You don’t want to let an injury or them cutting you doing that. I felt like it’s a decision that he had made and so, I think he walked away on his own terms. The letter that he wrote to himself was beautiful, well-written. I hope when I leave, 15 years from now, I can write something that nice.”

Russell Wilson, also on Baldwin’s departure: “I think the thing about Doug is he was always open. He knew how to create separation. He had this fire that you didn’t see in anybody else, almost in a way. And I think that in terms of his passion, his love for the game, his love for just competing, his love for making plays, I mean, when the game’s on the line, he’s going to make a play, you know, and so, you’re going to miss that for sure. Going to miss his leadership, I’m going to miss his work ethic. He’s a guy who would catch a slant route and run to the house every time at practice. He would practice and play hurt where other guys would be sitting. He knew the game, he studied the game. Nobody worked harder than he did.

“He also was a great coach on the field. He really coached the other players, other wideouts and also me, too, you know. So I think about who he is and what he’s meant to this organization, what he’s meant to undrafted free agents as well, and the level that he’s played at, the execution that he’s played at, the big-time plays, there’s nobody liked Doug Baldwin. He’s going to be remembered forever here, and I think across the National Football League for that.”

(Photo: Elaine Thompson / AP)