Football is back, and the Seattle Seahawks are set to kick off the 2019 campaign against the Cincinnati Bengals at 1:05 p.m. PT.
There are literally endless storylines to pay attention to in this one, where as many as 17 players will make their Seahawks debut against a Bengals team that will be lead by first-time head coach Zac Taylor.
From the running back split, the nickelback battle, and the defensive tackle rotation, coach Pete Carroll and company have a lot of surprises to reveal Sunday afternoon.
Here is a list of three things I’ll be watching closely as the Seahawks kick off the 2019 campaign at CenturyLink Field.
How many snaps will Clowney and Ansah get?
The Seahawks made a big time move last week, trading for defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Paired with veteran Ezekiel Ansah, who returned to practice last week, and the Seahawks have a formidable pair of ends in their 4-3 defensive package.
However, with Ansah barely returning to the field, and Clowney having held out all summer, it’s hard to imagine both players playing significant snaps in Week 1.
“There’s still a bit of a question mark,” coach Pete Carroll commented on Friday. “We just got to make sure on game day that everything worked out okay because they’re still responding to the workload.”
Both Clowney and Ansah said they are ready to play on Sunday. Clowney was not listed as a limited participant at practice, and was not on the final injury report, so his status should be pretty good for Sunday.
On the other hand, Ansah showed up on the injury report as questionable. Carroll confirmed as much in his presser.
“There’s still a little bit of question for Ziggy,” Carroll continued. “We just want to make sure he’s alright. They both did really well and really positive thoughts coming out.”
The Bengals will be without their starting left tackle, Cordy Glenn, so having both Clowney and Ansah would be a nightmare for Andy Dalton and the rest of the Bengals offense.
Can DK Metcalf impress in his first game?
A minor knee surgery looked likely to keep electric rookie receiver DK Metcalf out of Seattle’s first game, but now all signs indicate he will be active against Cincinnati.
Now the question becomes, how many targets will he get?
Metcalf is tentatively listed as Seattle’s no. 3 receiver, behind veterans Tyler Lockett and Jaron Brown.
The Seahawks are a notoriously run-heavy offense, which could limit Metcalf’s usage – especially after he’s missed so much time in the past few weeks.
Expect a heavy dose of Chris Carson, both as a runner and a receiver, as well as Tyler Lockett in Week 1. What that means for Metcalf remains to be seen, but I suspect Wilson will look his way at least a handful of times in his first NFL game.
Who returns kicks and punts?
All offseason, the Seahawks made it clear they hope to transition star receiver Tyler Lockett off the special teams, allowing him to focus on his duty as the team’s new no. 1 receiver.
They’ve tried multiple players out as both kick and punt returners, but it doesn’t look like anyone stuck.
Keenan Reynolds and J.D. McKissic were two of the top options, but both were cut. David Moore was an option, and he still might be at some point, but he’s not going to play for at least the first two weeks following a shoulder injury.
Terry Wright was another option, but he’s on the practice squad.
That leaves just two non-Lockett options – rookie receiver John Ursua and rookie defensive back Ugo Amadi. Rashaad Penny returned a little last year as well, although he has not been featured as a returner during camp or the preseason.
Ursua and Amadi both returned a fair amount in the preseason, with Amadi looking like a very solid option in the punt game, but ultimately it seems likely that Lockett will once again reprise his role as a return man in 2019.
