Seahawks hit the practice field as OTAs start Monday

In a late Friday news dump, the Seattle Seahawks crushed the hopes and dreams of fans who had hoped undrafted free agent quarterback Levi Lewis could grab the starting quarterback role following the trade of Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. However, with the quarterback competition currently down to Geno Smith, Drew Lock and Jacob Eason, the Hawks will take to the practice field for the first of ten organized team practice activities (OTAs).

The arrival of OTAs means that the offseason work period for players has reached Phase III, which is a fancy way of saying that teams can now hold non-contact practices over the next several weeks. Specifically, the league describes OTAs as,

10-day offseason programs that are designed to help players improve through in-person meetings and classroom instruction, with less on-field practice. Minicamps are shorter, three-day workouts that also occur during Phase Three. Both OTAs and minicamps do not have live contact during the on-field workouts.

So, for those fans who have been wanting to see pictures and videos of the Seahawks practicing, those are likely to be arriving through the social media channels of the Hawks in the coming days and weeks.

For Seattle, their OTAs are scheduled for the following dates:

• May 23-24
• May 26
• May 31 – June 1
• June 3
• June 6-7
• June 9
• Mandatory Minicamp: June 13-15

So, for those wanting to hear about updates regarding how rookies and free agent additions are picking up the system, the practices over the coming weeks will be their first chance to show the coaching staff what they can do on the field. Once Minicamp concludes on June 15, it will mark the arrival of the true doldrums of summer with nearly six more weeks of dead time until the Seahawks report for training camp in late July.