Seahawks | Teammates adjust to life without Jackson

KIRKLAND — Deion Branch has moved to flanker. Bobby Engram looks healthy and rejuvenated after his long bout with a thyroid condition last season, for which his medication has been drastically reduced. Nate Burleson's injured thumb is no longer bothering him the way it did for much of last season. And D.J. Hackett is, at this point, the starter at split end, Branch's position last season.

Oh yeah, and the new guy wearing Darrell Jackson's old No. 82 at the Seahawks' May minicamp? Jordan Kent, former Oregon Duck and rookie sixth-round pick, and offensive coordinator Gil Haskell's favorite pick of the April 28-29 draft.

The winds of change are blowing at the wide-receiver position for the Seahawks in the wake of the departure of Jackson, who was traded to San Francisco last weekend. For those who played with Jackson, the process of moving on and looking ahead to the prospect of more playing time is under way.

"I was initially shocked, but then when you sit and think about it, it's the reality of the business in the NFL right now," Engram said. "I hate to see a good teammate and a good player leave like that, and I wish him the best. But we've got a lot of playmakers here, we're going to be fine."

Engram, 34, served as sort of a mentor/friend/older brother for Jackson. The two played six seasons together. Engram said he would miss the day-to-day camaraderie.

"Certain people you just click with," Engram said. "I'm going to miss whipping him in pool. That's why he got out of here."

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said Jackson's loss means more opportunity for the other receivers.

"It's tough when you were a teammate with a guy for so long and especially a guy that's meant so much to our offense in terms of production and statistics and that kind of thing," Hasselbeck said. "But every year it happens. You lose guys that you were close with."

Burleson spent a year with Jackson and learned from him.

"I played with Randy Moss [in Minnesota] and I was able to just look at him and observe to see how he approached the game, and I did the same with D-Jack," Burleson said. "He just knew. He never was a guy to scream and yell, but as soon as he got there and the clock struck, he was ready to play."

Look who's back

Five months ago, Pete Hunter's NFL career seemed over. He had been out of football since the end of the 2005 season and was a loan officer trying to start a mortgage business out of his Irving, Texas, home.

But at the end of last season, the Seahawks suffered a rash of injuries, depleting their cornerback depth. Scrambling for replacements as the playoffs arrived, Hunter got a call and was signed.

All he did was recover a fumble in the Seahawks' playoff win over Dallas (his former team) and knock down the last-ditch long bomb in the end zone that preserved the wild-card victory. Hunter also had an interception in the NFC divisional playoff at Chicago.

The Seahawks thought enough of his work to sign Hunter to a one-year, $595,000 contract after last season.

"I love the team. I love the guys around here," Hunter said. "It was just motivation for me to come back."

Hunter is playing loose and confident in practice and isn't taking anything for granted, realizing that he didn't have a job last year so every play counts.

Notes

• Third-year OLRay Willis is playing right guard with the No. 1 offense, with starting RG Chris Gray working at center for the injured Chris Spencer.

• The Seahawks signed DB Kevin Hobbs after CB Tim Mixon failed his physical with the team, and Hobbs was in practice Saturday.

• Kent was limited in the morning practice with a lingering turf-toe injury in his right foot and did not take part in the afternoon session.

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com.