The Seattle Seahawks signed veteran free agent Geno Smith last week to add a third quarterback to the roster and compete with Paxton Lynch to back up starter Russell Wilson.

“We just want competition, we want the competition,” coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday after the team’s open OTA. “Geno was available and we thought it would be worth the shot. He made a great impression here starting us out so let the games begin.”

The Seahawks have struggled recently to find a solid backup for Wilson, shuffling the bench over the last few years. Similarly, Smith – a former second-round selection – has yet to find his place in the league, having spent time with the Jets, Giants and Chargers.

“He’s a good athlete, he’s got a good arm, he’s played a lot of football,” Carroll said. “We’ve seen enough of him to see that he’s got the style to play the game and all. Just need to see where he fits in.”

Seattle hosted a number of quarterbacks during the team’s rookie minicamp at the start of the month, but Carroll wasn’t satisfied with the production. The Seahawks have finally settled on two veteran options to compete for the job.

“We’ll let these guys battle it out and see how it goes,” Carroll continued. “Two really capable, talented guys to have a shot at it. I’m really thinking that’s as strong as we’ve been in terms of the competitiveness of the backup spot. So, looking forward to it.”

Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has a bunch of new faces on his squad this season. One of his biggest challenges will be deciding which of the many wide receivers have earned spots on the roster.

Schottenheimer was asked about the competition following the team’s OTA on Tuesday and one player really stood out.

“Jaron Brown, he’s not a young guy, but wow, talking about just an unbelievable camp, I mean, really stepping up,” Schottenheimer volunteered.

Originally signed by the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2013, the Seahawks acquired Brown last March. For Seattle, Brown logged 14 receptions for 166 yards and five touchdowns in 2018. His veteran presence was felt on the field.

“Jaron Brown is a guy we all have a lot of respect for,” Schottenheimer continued. “He never questioned one thing we tried to do with him last year. He did the heavy lifting, a lot of the blocking responsibilities and things like that. He certainly stepped up in that regard.”

Seattle selected three wide receivers in the draft this season and second-round pick DK Metcalf has been getting most of the attention.

Schottenheimer wants to make sure no one overlooks Brown this summer.

“Jaron Brown, I just mentioned him earlier, but he did so much of the dirty work for us last year that you kind of forgot,” Schottenheimer said.  “We kind of forgot that he’s a really established receiver and he’s looked dynamic out here.”

The Seattle Seahawks have a battle brewing in the wide receiver room, with a number of players vying for spots on the active roster. With Doug Baldwin no longer a member of the squad, other veterans are beginning to emerge as leaders.

One of those players is wide receiver Keenan Reynolds, now in his second year with the Seahawks. Back and forth from the practice squad last year, Reynolds is hoping to secure a spot come Week 1.

“One of the things I was saying this summer, was that Keenan, his leadership is just out the roof,” quarterback Russell Wilson said after Seattle’s mock game Saturday. “I think it’s probably where he comes from, his background, being in the Naval academy and everything else, just who he is. I just think that his ability to lead a group of men, and to be down in San Diego, California, and just him working his tail off.”

A former college quarterback for the Navy Midshipmen, Reynolds has what it takes to command a team. His experience as a signal caller allows him to see things a little differently on the field.

“He’s a tremendous athlete, tremendous competitor,” Wilson continued. “He made a lot of great plays, he had run that corner route that was sweet. Kind of laid it out in front of him so he could go get it and he made a great play before the guy could closed on him and made some other great plays. He’s been special for us, and it’s going to be a really cool, competitive preseason.”

Reynolds and the rest of the Seahawks wide receivers report back for duty Monday morning at the VMAC, where practice kicks off at 11:15 a.m.

Seattle Seahawks defensive back DeShawn Shead is having a solid preseason at the halfway mark and looks to make the 53-man roster and gain another chance to prove himself to the organization.

In both preseason games thus far, Shead has made a significant play for the team. In the game against the Broncos, Shead recorded a safety to make the score 15-6 in favor of the Seahawks and give them the ball. During Sunday’s game against the Vikings, Shead picked off a Sean Mannion pass deep in Seattle territory and took it to the house to give the Seahawks a 10-3 lead.

The Seahawks will need playmaking and versatility from their secondary now that the last remnants of the Legion of Boom have faded. Shead has provided that this summer and it could translate to the regular season. The veteran defensive back has also expressed how glad he is to be back in Seattle and the team is clearly happy to have him.

Shead has six years of prior experience with the Seahawks and coach Pete Carroll, signing with Seattle as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and staying with the team until he hit free agency in 2018. After an unproductive year with the Lions, in which he only recorded 13 tackles and a forced fumble in 12 games, Shead hit free agency again and chose to return to the Emerald City.

With his preseason performances and veteran experience with Carroll, Shead is making a strong case to make the final 53-man roster in September.

The Seattle Seahawks turned heads when they claimed wide receiver Josh Gordon off waivers after his release from the New England Patriots.

Gordon joins a wide receiver group that already features speedy veteran Tyler Lockett and standout rookie DK Metcalf, creating the potential for Seattle’s passing offense to catch fire like never before in the Pete Carroll era.

However, Carroll has emphasized Gordon would have to learn the offense quickly and be healthy to be an immediate contributor. Gordon has seen limited participation in practice with an ankle injury.

“If he does really well during the week and feels really comfortable with the things we’re asking of him and we can look at him and feel like, OK, he can definitely contribute and go in there and play ball at a really high level, execute on the things we can ask him to do,” Carroll told reporters Thursday.

Carroll has been adamant since day one that Seattle will take its time working Gordon into the lineup. With other weapons already surrounding Russell Wilson, Carroll wants Gordon to be a complementary piece of the puzzle.

“He’s a big, good looking kid and all that,” Carroll said. “He’s just got to fit in and see if we can fit it together where it’s not a distraction for us. We’re not going to put him in the game to throw him the ball. We’re trying to win a football game. If he can help us do that then we’ll figure out a way.”

The Seahawks are heading into their biggest game of the season Week 10, a divisional showdown with the still-undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. The Seahawks and their fans hope Gordon – if he’s active – can make a significant impact to tip the scales in Seattle’s favor.

The Seattle Seahawks are keeping another one of their own after agreeing to terms with left guard Mike Iupati. The terms of the deal have yet to be announced but the contract is for just one year, according to a number of reports.

Iupati first signed with the Seahawks an undrafted free agent last spring. For Seattle in 2019, he started 15 of 16 regular-season games played before sitting out the playoffs due to a neck injury.

The Seahawks have been busy beefing up the offensive line this offseason, having signed center B.J. Finney, guard Chance Warmack and tackle Cedric Ogbuehi to the roster. As a result, center Justin Britt could easily result in a cap casualty, saving Seattle much-needed space.

Iupati will join a plethora of guards to compete to regain his starting position once facilities open back up and teams can resume offseason activities. For now, the voluntary virtual program is set to kick off on April 27.

The Seahawks have had a revolving door at tight end over the last couple of years due to injuries at the position and the changes have continued into 2020.

Seattle added free agent Greg Olsen over the offseason, re-signed veteran Luke Willson and drafted rookie Colby Parkinson in the fourth round of this year’s NFL draft.

But with a hopefully-healthy Will Dissly, Jacob Hollister and undrafted free agent, Tyler Mabry, the Seahawks now have six tight ends on the summer roster, which means some tough decisions need to be made ahead of the start of the season.

One way to open up some cap space would be to part ways with Willson and slide Parkinson into his place. Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports agrees that the rookie could easily replace the veteran in Seattle.

“Willson has been a complementary option in Seattle for six years – with one season in Detroit – but had just eight grabs for 79 yards in his return to the Seahawks in 2019, writes Trapasso. “Now 30, Willson is set to be unseated by Parkinson, a contested-catch specialist who plays like a wide receiver down the seam.”

Seattle Seahawks tight end Greg Olsen is busy adjusting to life on a new team, working through first a virtual offseason and then padded practices during training camp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

And all the while, the 14-year-veteran is constantly reminded (in the nicest of ways) that he’s no longer a youngster in the league.

Save for a handful of players, the majority of the Seattle Seahawks veterans have chosen to opt-out of the team’s in-person OTAs this offseason, citing ongoing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

The club has just under 40 players participating in the workouts this week, mostly the same players who had already attended the rookie weekend.

Coach Pete Carroll is planning to use the valuable time with the young players to get them up to speed for things to come.

“Right now, what we’re doing is we’re preparing to get ready for camp,” Carroll told reporters Thursday. “That’s what this is. It’s a voluntary time for us to take advantage of our opportunities, and I love the way our guys are learning. I know where they’re going to be mentally, based on what we did last year without any offseason work.

“So anything that we get done here will be a bonus to that, and we plan to do this really well.”

Thursday marked the third of the Seahawks’ scheduled 10 OTA days. Mandatory minicamp is scheduled for June 15-17.