RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks take on the Minnesota Vikings Thursday night in their second preseason game. Here's what to watch for at each position.
Quarterback: Trevone Boykin will continue to push to win the backup job. He delivered an uneven performance in the preseason opener and looked far more comfortable in the hurry-up than when the Seahawks slowed things down.
"I would like to clean up the huddle," Pete Carroll said. "There were a couple mistakes he made making calls and [I'd] like to see if we can get a good, clean game there. And I just want to continue to draw information from his game -- see what he does well and how he handles things again. Just because you do it once doesn’t mean you can do it forever, so he has to come back with a good, sharp game. Most importantly, that he just manages all of the stuff that the quarterback has to manage from the huddle to the line of scrimmage to get the ball started."
Running back: Christine Michael will look to continue his impressive summer. Michael ran seven times for 44 yards in the first preseason game, and Carroll has talked about Thomas Rawls and him forming a one-two punch. When Michael comes out, the coaches will get an extended look at rookies Alex Collins and Zac Brooks. Collins was slowed by an ankle issue in the preseason opener and rushed only three times, but he'll see more work in this game. Brooks sat out the first game with a hamstring. Rawls will not play.
Wide receiver: Who will emerge to win the fifth spot here? There are several candidates, including Kasen Williams, Kenny Lawler and Tanner McEvoy.
Tight end: Rookie Nick Vannett will try to prove to the coaches that he's deserving of playing time, and Brandon Williams is pushing to try to land one of the final roster spots. Jimmy Graham will not play.
Offensive line: The Seahawks will go with the same starting unit as the first game. From left to right: Bradley Sowell, Mark Glowinski, Justin Britt, Germain Ifedi and Garry Gilliam. In the first preseason game, this group played well. If there are hiccups in the second game, Tom Cable could do more tinkering.
There are plenty of guys to watch in the second group, too, like veteran Jahri Evans. J'Marcus Webb (knee) will not play.
Defensive line: In my most recent 53-man roster projection, I had three rookies here -- Jarran Reed, Quinton Jefferson and Brandin Bryant -- making the team. Bryant, an undrafted free agent, had a strong training camp. We'll see if he can flash that potential in the remaining three preseason games.
Linebacker: The competition at the SAM spot between Mike Morgan, Cassius Marsh and Eric Pinkins continues.
"Mike just continues to do things right," Carroll said. "He is really good at understanding the scheme, very accountable, and he has always come through. He’s doing fine. The two other guys are trying to battle to make some noise for their opportunity to play there."
Cornerback: The two guys to watch are Tharold Simon and Tye Smith. Carroll has raved about Simon, hinting that he could be in the mix for playing time. Smith, meanwhile, is fighting to hold onto a roster spot.
Safety: Undrafted free agent Tyvis Powell opened some eyes last week with his play on special teams and has a great shot to make the team.
Brandon Browner looks like a bubble player right now.
"He’s going to need all four weeks," Carroll said. "He is going to need all these weeks to really get up to snuff at safety. The specialty work we can do with him, there is no question what he can do. We are just trying to see how far we can bring him along as a safety."
