Their relationship is still growing and they're trying to figure each other out, but one thing the linebacker duo of Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker are on is the same page about the type of players they are and what their role for the team is.
"Whatever coach asks me for… I just want to help the team. I'm a team first kind of dude," Dodson said when asked about what kind of football player he is. And not more than 10 minutes later, Baker was at the podium answering a similar question with, "Whatever a team asks me, I do it."
The two share the same "team-first mindset" and both describe themselves as players who just like to have fun and play football.
"I'm a smart player that hustles to the ball," Baker said. "Sideline to sideline, and I just play football how it's supposed to be played… I just go out there and have fun. End of the day it's football. It's the same game I played when I was six years old and just now it's on a bigger stage."
Baker, who spent his six-year career in Miami before signing with the Seahawks in free agency and Dodson who spent his four-year career in Buffalo before signing share similar thoughts and their relationship seems to be in a good place despite having just four practices together.
"It's good to have [Jerome] Bake(r) out there with me too," Dodson said. "Just trying to try to be two peas in the pea pod. Try to figure out our relationship and just everything else."
Dodson added, "We just text a lot. We FaceTime a lot. We got to keep building it and building it and it is going to be all right."
And while they are still are still figuring each other, the chemistry the two are building was on full display when, after his press conference with the media, Dodson popped into Baker's press conference to pretend that he wanted to ask his teammate a question.
Another thing that the duo agrees on is the level of intelligence that their head coach has.
"I don't think coach knows how smart he is," Dodson said. "The stuff that he comes up with, I'm like, wow, I've just never heard of that… People can be smart and you not understand them. He's smart and he understands it and he coaches it so well. So, I'm excited to play under him."
Baker echoed that sentiment, "He's a smart guy. He's a very smart guy… He's just a guy that he truly just has a lot of knowledge in him."
It will take some time for the two of them to learn each other's play style but Macdonald likes what he's seeing so far from them.
"I'm impressed with their poise right now. Communication's farther along than you'd probably anticipate. It's smooth. There's not a lot of panic. It's not very physical right now. There's some things we are working on with that position, but I'm just pleased with the work that we've gotten, but we've got a good plan to kind of ramp them up and into shape here over the next week or so." Adding "There's a process, you got to go through it. You can't just make it up one day and just say, Hey, we had great communication and great chemistry and let's go ball out. So these reps are really vital, but they're attacking it and like I said, I mean just the poise of what we're asking them to do and how they kind of take the game in. It is fun to work with them."
The Seahawks held their fourth practice of training camp on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks long snapper Chris Stoll (41), kicker Jason Myers (5), punter Michael Dickson (4) and tight end Brady Russell (38) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Dee Williams (33) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Dee Eskridge (1) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. (81) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tackle Raiqwon O'Neal (79) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Jake Bobo (19) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Marquise Blair (13) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety K'Von Wallace (24) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown (22) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks nose tackle Jarran Reed (90) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (10) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett (16) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins (2) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) and cornerback Tre Brown (22) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
The Seahawks offensive line at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks center Olu Oluwatimi (51) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks center Nick Harris (56) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tackle Charles Cross (67) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Jack Westover (89) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Lance Boykin (18) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Lance Boykin (18) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. (13) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. (13) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Artie Burns (23) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety K'Von Wallace (24) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen (27) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (10) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) and defensive end Myles Adams (95) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Jon Rhattigan (59) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown (22) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback/safety Coby Bryant (8) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks defensive end Myles Adams (95) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Dee Williams (33) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Dareke Young (83) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks nose tackle Jarran Reed (90) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. (13) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback/safety Coby Bryant (8) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback PJ Walker (15) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks running back Kenny McIntosh (25) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins (2) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen (27) and wide receiver Jake Bobo (19) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Brady Russell (38) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) and tight end Brady Russell (38) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) and tight end Brady Russell (38) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Michael Jackson (30) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
The defense at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. (13) and Seahawks wide receiver Marcus Simms (18) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tackle Stone Forsythe (78) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tackle Charles Cross (67) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tackle Michael Jerrell (65) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety K'Von Wallace (24) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks nose tackle Jarran Reed (90) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (10) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. (13) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Cody White (82) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks kicker Jason Myers (5) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks kicker Jason Myers (5) at practice on July 27, 2024 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
