The Seattle Seahawks have a problem at quarterback that stretches beyond who will take the reigns for the 2011 season. As the league year begins, Charlie Whitehurst is the only quarterback under contract on the roster, leaving Seattle in a difficult spot with training camp set to begin on Wednesday. Not matter what the Seahawks do in the coming days, be it re-signing Matt Hasselbeck or finding another experienced quarterback through a trade of free agency, the team will be at a disadvantage, at least for a week.
As the rules are now, any player signed cannot practice until Aug. 4, according to ESPN's John Clayton. New acquisitions can watch film, enter the team facilities and participate in virtually everything except practice. You can see how this would be a problem for the Seahawks beyond finding a viable quarterback for the future.
The Aug. 4 date is important as it's the day the collective bargaining agreement is set to officially be ratified. Until then, free agents are in limbo, effectively rendered useless to their new teams. With only Whitehurst on the roster, the Seahawks simply won't have enough arms in practice as it stands now. They will need to undrafted free agents or find a player on the roster that can throw routes.
For Whitehurst, the opportunity is standing right in front of him. With no real competition until Aug. 4, he'll have a chance to get ahead on the field while learning the system. He'll get the reps with the first team, as well as a chance to show new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell what he has.
Don't be surprised if Pete Carroll is out throwing at training camp. He's done it before and with a lack of depth at quarterback, he may be doing it quite a bit for the first week this year.
No matter how soon they reach agreement or sign, free agents cannot practice until August 4th, when the CBA is expected to be ratified.