Seahawks: Offensive line shakeup was necessary
By Keith Myers
The offensive line for the Seattle Seahawks went from bad to worse this offseason, but it is an investment in getting better in the long run.
The Seattle Seahawks aren’t subtle in anything that they do. It is true on the field, and it is true in the offseason. It probably shouldn’t have surprised us that their idea for fixing the offensive line involved explosives rather than power tools.
Surprised or not, their plan (or apparent lack thereof) ruffled the feathers of many Seahawks fans. The line was going from bad to worse, and Seattle’s championship window was closing slightly because of it.
The logic here is pretty simple: Seattle had one of the worst offensive lines in the entire NFL last season, and then they let their best two players walk in free agency. That isn’t how you get better.
More from 12th Man Rising
- 4 prospects Seahawks could reach for at No. 20 in 2023 NFL Draft
- Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft: Post-first wave of free agency
- Seahawks podcast: A review of the first week of free agency
- 4 experiments the Seattle Seahawks could cut short in 2023
- 3 pros and cons of Seattle Seahawks drafting Anthony Richardson
I even joined in with the chorus for
in status of the line. It was bad, and getting worse. Any team that signs J’Marcus Webb to be a starting tackle has some massive line problems.
And yet, there is another side to this coin. If the line was already bad (and it was), why pay to keep the unit together? Those asking for the team to keep the status quo and then maybe add a draft pick to the mix were asking for mediocrity, or worse.
Instead, the Seahawks did what they always do. They went young and cheap; seeking quantity in place of quality. They added depth and competition. Now they will wait and see which players rise to the challenge.
This is a tactic the team has used effectively in the past. People seem to forget that the Legion of Boom was originally assembled with a pair of 5th round draft picks and a guy who’d spent three years in playing in Canada.
This is also the same tactic the Seahawks used when they built the offensive line that they won a Super Bowl with. Back in 2012, they loaded up with castoffs like Breno Giacomini and Paul McQuistan. Converted some defense line lineman into a guard (JR Sweezy, you might have heard of him) and produced a line wasn’t dominant but was certainly good enough.
The Seahawks aren’t in a completely different spot right now. The cast of characters has changed, but this is the same production we’ve seen before.
While my faith in Tom Cable is beyond shaken after his Drew Nowak experiment last season, my faith in the rest of the organization is not. There is talent. It is mostly young and unproven. If Cable actually plays the best guys instead of his favorites, the line should be good at 4 out of the 5 spots.
Next: Fans confident that Clemons and Browner will make final roster
With Russell Wilson at quarterback, that probably good enough for the team to challenge for another Super Bowl.