Geno Smith will be Seahawks starting QB for preseason opener; Pete Carroll says competition isn’t over

With long-term quarterback Russell Wilson moving on to the Denver Broncos, the Seattle Seahawks are now looking for their QB1. The current quarterback competition is between Geno Smith and Drew Lock.

Smith earned the starting job for the preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but head coach Pete Carroll said the competition between the two QBs is ongoing.

Speaking about Smith, Carroll said, via The Associated Press, “He’s still going with the 1s (and) he’s gonna start the game this weekend. He had a very solid day today, made some big throws today.”

Smith got most of the time with the starters and it appears likely he’ll be the starting quarterback when the regular season begins, but Carroll is not saying anything for certain.

“It’s just gonna take some time,” Carroll said of the QB competition. “We need the opportunities to present themselves as we go, and we try to create them all the time. … We’re accumulating a lot of information for us, and it’s working out well.”

Smith is also not giving too much away on where he stands, saying, “I don’t want to give too much information out here. I think you guys will be able to get that information from coach. But looking forward to this week coming up with the game. We’ll let those deciding factors happen as they may.”

Right now, the 31-year-old is not worried about the competition and is instead working on improving.

“It’s the same as a game,” Smith said. “One play at a time. You don’t focus on too much. Execute, do your job, and like I said, all the other stuff is other stuff. You can only be who you are. My goal is get better every day.”

Lock has shown improvement this offseason and Carroll has noticed his strides. During Saturday’s mock game, Lock impressed the team.

“I think it was his most solid performance. He’s had really good days, too, but I think that was the best one under the circumstances,” Carroll said, discussing Lock. “I really liked his poise and his comfort in the pocket, handling stuff, adjustments, calls he had to make at the line of scrimmage, all of that he handled very well.”

How Smith fares in the preseason game will help determine where the two quarterbacks stand.