Geno Smith will be the first quarterback on the field for the Seattle Seahawks when they visit the Pittsburgh Steelers in Saturday’s preseason opener.
Smith has been taking most of the No. 1 repetitions in practice and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll ended the suspense Tuesday when he said Smith is “going to start the game this weekend.”
Smith is batting Drew Lock for the starting gig. Lock was acquired in the offseason deal that sent longtime starter Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.
Carroll said Smith performed well during the team’s “mock game” last Saturday.
“He’s still doing it,” Carroll told reporters of Smith, who is 13-21 as an NFL starter. “He played well, too. He was really solid. He really started well. Had a couple great drives right off the bat. In the second half, we weren’t quite as clean with the stuff we were doing. A little raggedy at the line of scrimmage and it showed. But he had a really good start.”
Lock also did well, according to Carroll. But an overthrow on a sure touchdown hurt his showing.
“He was on time, quick with the football, made good decisions,” Carroll said of Lock. “It’s unfortunate he missed the chance on the ball down the middle late in the game — that would have made it a nice little topping to the day’s work. But he was really comfortable and poised.”
Lock, 25, produced an 8-13 record as a starter while appearing in 24 games for Denver from 2019-21. Last season, he threw for 787 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in six games (three starts) while serving as the backup to Teddy Bridgewater.
Smith, 31, went 1-2 as a starter for Seattle last year when Wilson was out with a finger injury. Overall, Smith saw action in four games and passed for 702 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.
Smith previously had a 12-18 mark in starts for the New York Jets from 2013-16, and he lost his lone start for the New York Giants in 2017.
Overall, he has passed for 6,917 yards, 34 touchdowns and 37 interceptions in 45 games with the Jets, Giants (2017), Los Angeles Chargers (2018) and Seahawks (2019-21).
Wilson, 33, was the Seahawks’ starter since he was drafted in 2012. He led the team to two Super Bowls, winning one, and made the Pro Bowl nine times.
–Field Level Media