Seahawks vs Chiefs: All eyes on the OL

Aside from the typical who’s-going-to-make-the-roster questions that always accompany a team’s 2nd preseason game, tonight’s matchup in Kansas City is especially crucial for the Seahawks offensive line.

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It’s the biggest storyline of the game, and it may be the only one that really matters.

Quick recap of the week just passed:

Seahawks offensive line looks inept in first preseason game vs. Denver, gives up 7 sacks.
Seahawks shake up O-Line personnel, moving Justin Britt from RT to LG and inserting 2nd year player Garry Gilliam into Britt’s old spot.
Seahawks schedule possible visit with All-Pro free agent guard Evan Mathis for tomorrow.

Whether or not #3 happens is contingent on a couple of factors, not the least of which is that someone else may very well step up and sign him today. But if Mathis wakes up still a free agent tomorrow, a trip to Seattle may be deemed unnecessary if Britt, Gilliam and even center Drew Nowak look good against the Chiefs. Certainly Mathis’ asking price must have come down as he’s sat at home with nary an offer since the Eagles released him 2 months ago, but the Hawks are slammed up against the salary cap and would have to release someone or restructure a contract or two to bring Mathis on board.

By all accounts, the reports out of Renton this week have been overwhelmingly positive; Britt looks more natural at guard, where his lack of lateral quickness is masked by being inside. In fact at least one beat reporter remarked that an Okung/Britt combo on the left side could provide the Seahawks with an elite-level run blocking tandem for Marshawn Lynch to follow.

Likewise, converted TE Gilliam, while raw, is much more athletically capable of dealing with speed rushers and excelling in pass blocking. Cliff Avril gave him fits on a couple occasions in practice this week, but it sounds like he was an obvious upgrade over Britt in the passing game.

Garry Gilliam starts at RT today. Britt moves to left guard. Best performance I've seen from the line in pass pro so far.
— Brian Nemhauser (@hawkblogger) August 17, 2015

What remains to be seen is what happens at center. Lemuel Jeanpierre started last week and didn’t look any better than the rest of the group, but the team really likes what they see in the younger Nowak, and it wouldn’t surprise me if we see him with the starters tonight.

Whatever the case, Offensive Line Coach Tom Cable hinted that they need to settle on a starting 5 by the middle of next week.

The first half of tonight’s game in Kansas City will go a long way towards determining who those guys are.

Next: Know Your Enemy: The KC Chiefs

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