Seattle Seahawks training camp officially opened at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton, Washington, on July 25. That is when head coach Pete Carroll and his coaching staff will start to try and put together the best 53-man roster possible and the best starting 11 players on both sides of the ball after that for the 2023 NFL season. That means players at multiple positions will be competing for spots on the Seahawks roster. With that in mind, here are the three biggest Seahawks training camp battles to watch ahead of 2023 NFL season, including the Deejay Dallas vs. 2023 NFL draft picks Zach Charbonnet and Kenny MacIntosh competition for the RB2 spot.

Backup running back: Deejay Dallas vs. Zach Charbonnet vs. Kenny MacIntosh

Kenneth Walker III is firmly the No. 1 running back on the Seahawks roster heading into training camp. But with the way RBs are used, especially in Seattle, the RB2 spot is nearly as important as the starter.

That’s why the competition between veteran Deejay Dallas, second-round pick Zach Charbonnet from UCLA, and seventh-round pick Kenny MacIntosh from Georgia is so intriguing.

Dallas has three NFL seasons under his belt and has been stunningly consistent. Each year he’s had between 33 and 35 carries for 108 to 186 yards and 17 to 21 catches for 111 to 133 yards. That’s OK production, but the Seahawks are hoping for a little more of a true partner for Walker rather than a serviceable fill-in.

Charbonnet and MacIntosh both have that potential.

Charbonnet is the better all-around back, and his style is similar to Walker. They would make an excellent 1-2 punch where big powerful backs come at the defenses in waves. With McIntosh, it is more of a Thunder and Lightning situation, as the former Georgia Bulldog is more of an outside runner.

Either way, the one leg up that Dallas has is pass protection. Rookie running backs often struggle with pass protection early in their careers, so if Charbonnet and MacIntosh are getting Geno Smith killed, it won’t matter how good they are with the ball in their hands, and Dallas will retain the RB2 role on the Seahawks roster.

Center: Olu Oluwatimi vs. Evan Brown

The other big Seahawks roster battles in training camp are along the offensive line. After last year’s historic draft, the tackle spots along the line are set with Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas manning the bookend positions. Additionally, Damien Lewis has the left guard spot locked up. The 2020 third-round pick has started all 49 NFL games he’s played in the last three seasons.

That means the center and right guard spots are up for grabs.

Starting with the center position, the Seahawks training camp battle is between Evan Brown, who Seattle brought in this offseason from the Detroit Lions, and fifth-round pick out of Michigan, Olu Oluwatimi.

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Brown was an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of SMU and bounced around the league (Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns) before landing on the Lions in 2020. In the last two seasons, Brown has become a solid starter, starting 24 of 30 games.

Oluwatami has an equally traveled story. He went to Air Force and Virginia before landing in Michigan and becoming the center of the best offensive line in college football. And that’s not a subjective statement. The unit won the Joe Moore Award as the best offensive line in college football, and Oluwatami took home the Rimington Trophy as the nation's top center and the Outland Trophy as the top offensive or defensive lineman in college football.

Despite all the hardware, there were concerns about Oluwatami’s athleticism and that he was more of a system player for the Wolverines, which is why he slipped in the draft.

Brown and Oluwatami should have a good battle to see who gets to snap the ball to Geno Smith this season.

Right guard: Phil Haynes vs. Anthony Bradford (and Evan Brown?)

Finally, the right guard position is up for grabs after longtime veteran Gabe Jackson left in free agency. Now, Phil Haynes, a fifth-year player with just five starts under his belt, will compete with Anthony Bradford, the team’s fourth-round pick out of LSU.

Obviously, the team would love to see Bradford win the job and hold it down with the rest of the young Seahawks line for the 2023 NFL season and beyond. That said, Bradford was at 345 pounds in college. He’s since come down to 332, but he’ll need to maintain that before he gets a starting gig.

The interesting wrinkle here is that if neither of these guards is ready for prime time and Olu Oluwatimi wins the center job, then Evan Brown, who has experience at guard could start in this position.