As ever, the Seahawks offensive line will undergo significant changes.
Seattle Seahawks training camp is underway! This is the first one under new head coach Mike Macdonald, and there are a lot of questions we hope to have answered regarding Macdonald, his staff, and the overall roster. Over the next several days we will have key questions across every position, with the exception of the all-encompassing special teams.
This article will focus on the offensive line. If there was ever a unit that could’ve yielded more than three questions, it’s this one. At some point in our lifetimes we’ll be reasonably confident that the Seahawks will have a stable, above-average offensive line.
Offensive Line roster (as of Jul. 26):
Are we going to see Abe Lucas practice at all?
This has to be the top question if only because of Lucas’ value to the Seahawks offensive line. After a more than solid rookie season, Lucas missed most of last year with a knee issue that has prompted an in-season procedure and an offseason surgery.
Lucas entered training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, and unlike many of his teammates, he hasn’t yet passed a physical to get himself activated off PUP.
“We’re trying to get there was fast as we can,” Coach Mike Macdonald said on Wednesday. “I think it’d be fair to say that we were hoping to go a little faster up to this point. We’re in the process of bringing him back and we have a plan for him, but can’t tell you right now when exactly he’ll be back. As those things start to become clearer, we’ll let you know for sure. We’re not trying to pull a fast one on you.”
There’s no real indication that we’ll be seeing Lucas back any time soon, but it’s the first week of camp and perhaps he’ll return in the middle of preseason. If not, then we’ll immediately start wondering if he’ll be a PUP candidate to miss the first four regular season games.
The big difference between no Lucas last year and no Lucas this year is the depth at right tackle. George Fant has been a serviceable starter since his unexpected call-up as a Seahawks rookie back in 2016. Stone Forsythe, Jake Curhan, and Jason Peters tried, but the offense was fundamentally different when they were in the lineup. It’ll be interesting to see if McClendon Curtis turns into a guard/tackle option given his reps in camp, and then you have rookies Michael Jerrell and Sautoa Laumea as potential options, even if Laumea could end up primarily as a guard.
But with all due respect to those backup options, having a healthy Lucas back is a game-changer for Seattle’s OL, and hopefully Lucas’ return is sooner rather than later/never.
Who’s going to be the Center of attention?
Seattle has had zero continuity at the center position since Justin Britt’s ACL tear in 2019. Ethan Pocic won the job in 2020, then had to compete with Kyle Fuller in 2021, Austin Blythe took over the reins in 2022 and then retired, and Evan Brown wasn’t retained this past season. In steps Olu Oluwatimi as the presumptive favorite to be the 2024 starter… or will it be former Cleveland Browns reserve Nick Harris? What if it’s neither?
As of Friday, the Seahawks have not signed former Miami Dolphins starting center Connor Williams, but he could join the fold. Williams passed a physical after meeting with Seattle on Tuesday, good news after tearing his ACL last December. When healthy, Williams was one of the better centers in the NFL, making a successful transition from left guard (where he played when he was a Dallas Cowboy). The fact that he’s torn both ACLs is worrying, but it’s encouraging that he’s recovered sooner than expected from this last tear.
Williams is still just 27 years old, so if the Seahawks add him and he wins the starting job, it’s not a “faded veteran getting in the way of the development of a young player” signing. It’s a “he’s damn good and theoretically in his prime years” signing to boost the Seahawks OL immediately.
Who will be the new starting guards?
Damien Lewis is with the Carolina Panthers, while Phil Haynes is still unsigned. Seattle will enter Week 1 with an entirely different interior offensive line than last year.
The Seahawks may have found one Haynes to replace another. Christian Haynes was an outstanding right guard on a bad UConn Huskies team, and the Seahawks were able to land him in the third round. He’ll be in competition with second-year player Anthony Bradford, who did make 10 starts last season in place of Phil Haynes. It feels more than notable that Haynes has not had any first-team reps throughout camp, even after Bradford missed time with injury.
Left guard is fascinating. Laken Tomlinson did not fare well during his time with the New York Jets, but made the Pro Bowl in his final season with the San Francisco 49ers. His biggest asset is his durability, having not missed a game since 2017. Whether he’s the best option at left guard is a different story, but history proves he shows up for work.
One other possibility we could see is moving Christian Haynes to left guard (where he took some reps in minicamp) and leave Bradford at right guard. In this scenario, Tomlinson would presumably fail to make the roster. McClendon Curtis is another name to keep an eye on given his right guard/right tackle work this offseason, along with the aforementioned Sautoa Laumea as another RG option.
If I were to guess the starting OL for Week 1, it would look like this:
Charles Cross-Laken Tomlinson-Connor Williams-Anthony Bradford-George Fant
We’ll speed this up so that the entire defense is accounted for by the mock game on Aug. 3. The next preview will focus on the defensive line, including interior players and edge rushers.