Seahawks HC Pete Carroll Praises Drew Lock, QB 'Confident' as Geno Smith's Backup | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll liked what he saw from backup quarterback Drew Lock as the team closed out its preseason with a 19-15 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Saturday.

"The whole idea here was to get him ready to play football (in real games)," Carroll told reporters after the game of Lock. "I feel 100 percent solid that he's ready to go."

Lock, for his part, said he's "confident in who I am as a quarterback."

"I feel confident going into the season that if something were to happen (to Smith) I would be ready to roll," he said.

Earlier in August, Carroll reflected that Lock was "playing like a starter." The 2019 second-round pick went 38-of-55 for 460 yards, three touchdowns and one interception across three contests.

Seattle Seahawks @Seahawks

A JSN BEAUT! 🤩<br><br>📺 <a href="">#DALvsSEA</a> on KING 5 <a href="">

Seattle Seahawks @Seahawks

A <a href="">@DrewLock23</a> dot. 🎯<a href="">#SEAvsGB</a> on KING 5 <a href="">

Nobody considered Lock the surefire long-term replacement for Russell Wilson when he got shipped to the Pacific Northwest ahead of the 2022 season. But he seemed to at least have a pathway to the starting job.

That door closed quickly as Geno Smith enjoyed a career renaissance that resulted in him signing a three-year, $75 million contract with the Seahawks this past offseason. Lock, meanwhile, signed a one-year deal to return to Seattle to be Smith's backup.

Despite Carroll's strong endorsement, an injury to Smith is probably the only way Lock sees meaningful snaps in 2023.

If a healthy Smith is benched at any point, then it probably won't speak well to how Seattle's season is unfolding. A team that's winning games typically doesn't voluntarily change quarterbacks.

But Carroll is at least doing his best to give the impression he'll feel good about the offense if Lock is running the show.