Seahawks Training Camp: Who Will Back up Wilson?

The Seahawks continue training camp with many new faces looking for new roles. Trevone Boykin and Jake Heaps are battling to back up Russell Wilson at QB.

More from Seattle Seahawks

• Seattle Seahawks: To rest or not to rest, that is the question
• Seattle Seahawks: 12s still waiting to exhale
• Seattle Seahawks: 4 Takeaways from 26-23 Loss to the 49ers
• Seattle Seahawks: Four Takeaways from Week 14 21-7 victory
• Seattle Seahawks: Three Takeaways from the Week 13 43-16 victory

Trevone Boykin is an unknown quantity, coming to the Seahawks an undrafted rookie out of TCU. Head coach Pete Carroll, perhaps to quell some of the reasonable uneasiness of replacing a veteran backup in Tarvaris Jackson with an undrafted rookie, said recently that Boykin is “in command of the huddle,” and has “terrific physical ability.”

Boykin ran an up-tempo offense at TCU that rarely huddled. He started earning some praise when OTAs began, then his status as the Russell Wilson backup became more cloudy when he was officially charged with assault for his involvement in a bar fight last December. But the Seahawks were forgiving, and it appears Boykin’s legal troubles, (minus the probation) are behind him. Still, after Jackson serving so faithfully for three years as Wilson’s backup, it’s strange to hand the clipboard to a rookie with little experience making pro-QB throws.

In comes Jake Heaps to challenge for the backup QB position for the Seahawks. Heaps is a Skyline High School graduate who went undrafted in 2015 after playing at Miami University. He spent last season competing in camp for the New York Jets and playing for the Brooklyn Bolts in the Fall Experimental Football League. Heaps was widely regarded to be an elite prospect coming out of high school with excellent arm strength.

It’s possible that the Seahawks will head into Week 1 with a backup quarterback who has never taken an NFL snap. Pete Carroll and company haven’t been afraid of inserting rookies into key roles before. Wilson himself took over this team in 2012 as a rookie given a chance. While it appears that Boykin has the edge on the job right now, due to his impressive college career and his big body and arm, but we haven’t seen either of them in game action. Heaps will win the job if he shows the coaching staff something in camp and the preseason.

Next: Seahawks 2017 Draft Needs By Position

Boykin and Heaps are reasons to pay attention to Seahawks preseason games this season. The first preseason game is next Saturday, August 13th at Kansas City at 1:30.