3 Seahawks who should benefit from the arrival of Klint Kubiak and John Benton

A new offensive coordinator and offensive line pairing could benefit a few Seahawks, including someone who struggled to see the field in 2024.

With the arrival of a new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and offensive line coach John Benton the Seattle Seahawks’ offense will undergo philosophical changes from the previous year under Ryan Grubb. The arrival of a new coach can maximize skills within a fit or recover players who were not performing so well under the new regime.

In this article, I will list the 3 players on the Seahawks’ offense who have the most to gain from the arrival of new names in charge.

Charles Cross, LT

The change comes at a good time for Charles Cross. He is in the last year of his contract and the Seahawks have the chance to activate the fifth-year option. Personally, I don’t believe that Cross lived up to the expectations of a top-10 pick. His first year as a rookie was up and down, as expected, his second year had problems with injuries and in his third year, where he should have been one of the pillars, he also fluctuated a lot. He was the fifth OT with the most pressures conceded (47).

Kubiak’s scheme features a lot of plays where he provides support for the OLs. Whether it’s Max Protect or chip-blocks from the TEs and RBs. Cross has a tendency to allow inside moves whenever he’s on an island against the defender, and this “extra help” could make his numbers better.

However, where I think Cross could really make a leap in quality is in the running game. PFF gave him the 16th best grade (77.9) among OTs, but I believe he could do even more. Cross isn’t known for his brute strength, but for his speed and agility. The zone scheme should help him reach his potential.

One way to maximize Cross’ performance is to put him in the open field. Kubiak likes to use pin-and-pulls a lot. This play is an example. The LT is the lead-blocker on the play, paving the way for a big run by Alvin Kamara.

This is an example of a play similar to the pin-and-pull. Cross is the lead blocker, gets to the second level quickly and takes a good angle to open space for Ken Walker.

We have Cross in a WR screen play, something that Kubiak also likes to use, but the highlight, once again, is his mobility. He goes to the defender on the other side of the field and makes a key block for the advance.

Kenneth Walker, RB

Walker, who is going into the final year of his contract, fell well short of the rushing yards he achieved in his first two years in the league. However, he had 7 touchdowns compared to 8 and 9 in previous years. Another important factor is that after catching fewer than 30 passes in each of his two seasons, he had 46 last year.

That number is still a long way from the almost 70 receptions that Alvin Kamara had in 2024, but it showed that he is capable of producing coming out of the backfield.

In addition, the wide zone scheme should also benefit Walker. In simple terms, a run has a target, a gap between two blockers that is the main path the RB has to run. However, there are cutback options, meaning the RB can cut inside or outside, depending on how the blocks fit into the development of the play.

The zone scheme makes these cutback opportunities even greater. Walker is a back who basically defaults to reading the cutback (even when the original path is clear, and this is something he needs to improve on). With more cutback opportunities, Walker can maximize his rushing yards, since he is a constant home-run threat.

Christian Haynes, OG

The only one on the list who is not a starter. He would be the redemption project. Haynes was one of the big disappointments of 2024, especially in the draft class. The change could mark a new beginning for him. As a zone blocker at UConn, he shined, receiving a fantastic PFF grade of 89.2.

Haynes has listed brute strength (or rather, the lack thereof) as a problem in his adaptation. The zone scheme is more focused on agility and blocking angles, a facet that Haynes dominated in college. You can question the level of competition in his 1v1 matchups, but in my opinion Haynes’ greatest strength is his spatial intelligence and anticipation for blocks, and this is something less dependent on the competition.

It would be fantastic if Kubiak/Benton could recover that third-rounder spent on Christian Haynes.