Seattle Seahawks safety Diggs: looking forward to football, but health takes precedent

Safety Quandre Diggs has had his first offseason with the Seattle Seahawks disrupted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. He hasn’t minded too much, though. If anything, he’s actually enjoying the odd circumstances.

He’s always been more of a homebody anyway, so the stay-at-home orders fall in his favor. He can be with his 10-month-old daughter and the rest of his family at the house. He can play spike ball with his nephews. He can still poke fun at his teammates on social media. There’s video games, too.

In Diggs’ mind, there are more important things than him missing in-person OTAs.

“It’s been different for sure,” Diggs said. “But you gotta take it all in stride. I think the situation at hand is bigger than football at the moment.”

Diggs, speaking to reporters on a Zoom call Thursday, offered his thoughts on the upcoming NFL season amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Diggs said he wouldn’t be worried if training camp and the preseason were shortened. As a veteran entering his sixth season, he feels that he has a good grasp on the routine and how to stay in shape.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has said he’d like at least six weeks of on-field work before the start to the season in September. That’s how NFL seasons are typically constructed -- with two weeks of training camp and four preseason games. Seattle is currently expected to open camp July 29.

There has been much speculation about how the NFL will actually be able to start on time, and reported talks of contingency plans for no fans (at least in the beginning). But in the immediate future, it’s unclear when clubs will be able meet the first step: practicing.

Some team facilities have started reopening at a limited capacity, depending on guidelines enforced in the states they reside. The Seahawks -- located in Washington, one of the states with the most restrictive COVID-19 guidelines -- are not among them. But no clubs are allowed to have coaches or players in their buildings.

It’s not clear when teams will be allowed to begin voluntary in-person workouts, if they’ll take place at all.

“It’d be cool if we have training camp. If we don’t, I wouldn’t say it’s a big deal,” Diggs said. “We have a few new players, but I feel like we all got a grasp of the offense and defense and special teams. I think we could hit the ground running.

“I’m not saying we don’t need to get together and practice and stuff like that, but preseason games is a lot of mixing and matching anyway … You might get two quarters of playing in the preseason and that’s it.”

Diggs added that he has no idea of what to expect of the upcoming NFL season. His main concern right now, he explained, is the health and safety of his family.

He feels that the state of Texas -- his offseason home is in Austin -- has started reopening too fast.

“I got a 10-month-old daughter I got to take care of and I have an 87-year-old grandmother I have to keep safe,” Diggs said. “I just think we have to let the doctors and the scientists and those guys figure it out. Whatever (Roger) Goodell or whoever makes the announcement that we can come back and we can play ball, then we just go from there. I’m not here to assume anything. I hope we have a season. I do. But at the end of the day, we got to look at all the facts and see what happens with that.”

In the quarantine period, Diggs has cherished spending more time with his baby daughter. He’s been at home with her for months, as his NFL work has been limited to video conference calls. He gets to pick her up from her crib daily. He can have those moments that only dads and their little girls have.

Doubling down as a father has been one thing, of many, he’s found joy in during the stay-at-home orders.

“Spending these last (several) months with her has been amazing,” Diggs said. Those are the things I will miss when we do end up starting (football).”

RELATED:

• Report: Ex-Seattle Seahawks WR Josh Gordon hopes for reinstatement by training camp
• Report: Seattle Seahawks offer veteran RB Devonta Freeman a one-year contract
• ‘I just wanted to come back’: Bruce Irvin eager for second stint with Seattle Seahawks

Ben Arthur covers sports for SeattlePI. He can be reached by email at benjaminarthur@seattlepi.com. Follow him on twitter at @benyarthur.