Getty The Seahawks quarterback competition has begun between Drew Lock and Geno Smith.
Geno Smith and Drew Lock may be competing to be the Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback, but things have not grown contentious between the two signal-callers. After the Seahawks mock scrimmage on August 6, Smith emphasized that, “no matter what, I have Drew Lock’s back.”
“As far as the competition, I’m not the one judging all that, so I leave that up to the coaches,” Smith told reporters after the exhibition contest. “But I think Drew played really well, as I’ve always said. And I will go on record to say, I have his back no matter what, I have Drew Lock’s back. I want that to be known. And we’re teammates, we’re competing, but we’re in the same offense, and we’re in the same room and we’re gonna make each other better.”
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Lock Outperformed Smith During the Seahawks First Scrimmage
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The buzz after the Seahawks first scrimmage was that Lock widely outperformed Smith. Lock completed 18-of-27 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown during the mock game. By comparison, Smith went 10-of-19 for 94 yards and was without a touchdown pass. Despite Lock looking more polished, Smith continues to get the majority of reps with the first-team offense.
“If Drew Lock has gained ground on Geno Smith in the eyes of the Seahawks’ decision makers, it wasn’t evident during Sunday’s walk-through,” ESPN’s Brady Henderson wrote on August 7. “Smith took all of the first-team reps while Lock worked exclusively with the No. 2 offense as Seattle’s quarterback competition appeared to remain status quo.
“Smith has gotten virtually all of the first-team reps through the first week and a half of training camp, but it seemed as though that could — and should — start to change based on Lock’s strong showing in Saturday’s mock game. He was clearly the better quarterback despite four of his five series coming with the No. 2 offense and against the No. 1 defense. Smith underwhelmed while mostly leading the first-team offense against backup defenders. Yet, it was still all Smith with the ones Sunday.”
Lock on Potentially Being the Backup: ‘I’d Have Geno’s Back’
Pete Carroll’s first impression of Geno Smith and Drew Lock at quarterback today in Seahawks’ mock game @thenewstribune
When asked about Smith’s comments about having his back, Lock responded with the same sentiment. Lock referenced the quarterback competition he lost to Teddy Bridgewater during the Broncos 2021 training camp and noted that he would support Smith if the veteran ends up being named the team’s QB1.
“Yeah, it means a lot and that’s the exact same thing that I would say up here,” Lock explained during an August 6 press conference. “I went through that with Teddy [Bridgewater] last year. When Teddy got announced the starter in Denver, I did everything i could for him throughout the week and even on game days.
“I would do the same here, go on the record saying that I’d have Geno’s back, and I’d do everything I can throughout the week to make him feel good going into game day on Sunday. That’s what that job is, and I’d give everything I got for him if that ended up being the case.”