Technically speaking, the Seattle Seahawks were on break from the end of OTAs up until this week when they held their first training camp practice of the year. Nobody knows better how hard it is to separate yourself from that competition than new starting quarterback Sam Darnold. After floundering his first few years in the NFL, Darnold finally put it all together last season with the Minnesota Vikings – but that breakout season didn’t come out of nowhwhere. Truth is, Darnold started showing genuine signs of improvement as early as his 2021-2022 stint with the Carolina Panthers – and that process continued when he was backing up Brock Purdy with the 49ers in 2023.