Seahawks add OG Jahri Evans, now what?
By Keith Myers
The Seattle Seahawks have signed Jahri Evans to bolster their offensive line, but it is still unclear how he fits into their roster.
The Seattle Seahawks just signed offensive guard Jahri Evans. Where the former 4-time All Pro fits in Seattle’s line is a difficult question to answer.
If you look at Seattle’s line, the two guards have been the lone bright spots thus far in camp. The weaknesses have been Justin Britt at center and J’Marcus Webb at RT. Evans does not play either of those positions.
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The knee-jerk response here is that perhaps the Seahawks want to try Ifedi at RT, and thus need another OG on the roster. While this is possible, it is unlikely. Tom Cable has said repeatedly that he wants the rookie to spend a year a guard. Ifedi also wasn’t part of the audition at RT that happened yesterday.
Plus there is the added complication of Evans’ age. He’s about to turn 33, and missed the final 5 games to injuries last season. Although he was one of the best guards in the NFL earlier in his career, he didn’t appear to be close to the same player last season.
Evans also didn’t come from a zone blocking scheme. While the Saints do use plenty of zone concepts, there will still be a learning curve that must be overcome before he’s ready to play.
Put those things together, and the idea that Evans is coming in to be a guaranteed starter seems far-fetched. Messing with Ifedi’s preparation for the season while they wait and see if Evans can get up to speed would be a massive risk.
Instead, I believe that this signing has much more to do with Rees Odhiambo. He’s been clearly the 3rd-best OG in camp, and the rest of the depth at the position has been quite poor.
The Seahawks are now moving Odhiambo to offensive tackle, and giving him a shot to supplant Webb on the right side. With him no longer in the mix at guard, the team will be without a viable backup.
That is where Evans comes in. He can be a veteran backup that will help the youngsters prepare in the film room. He can be like another coach helping them to improve their technique, while getting himself ready to play in case one of them gets hurts.
Next: Just how good has Germain Ifedi looked?
Ultimately, this might end up in an Antoine Winfield situation. Evans won’t be gifted a roster spot. He’ll have to earn it. If Odhiambo ends up as the primary backup at OG, there won’t be a huge reason for the Seahawks to keep Evans around taking up cap space.