Seahawks vs Chiefs, 3 things to watch for

With the Seahawks set to take on the Chiefs in Kansas City today in their preseason opener, we focus on 3 things to watch for from the Seattle sideline.

The NFL preseason is as much about projection and overreaction as it is true preparation. This is particularly true in week #1. Starters will get short looks, and in some cases no looks at all. While teams have until August 30th to cut from 90 players down to 75, they’ll want to pare some of the lower end position battles down as quickly as possible.

Players will stand out today (or “flash”), and be the talk of the water cooler tomorrow only to quickly slide into oblivion and never be heard from again (see Teal, Mike, 2009). Others will have quiet performances but emerge later in camp.

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Still, there are a few key elements of this matchup that bear watching, and could end up having a significant impact on how the core of the 2016 Seahawk team shapes up.

So here are our 3 things to watch for in today’s Seahawks vs Chiefs preseason game:

THE OFFENSIVE LINE MIX:

Tom Cable has been treating his position group like a Rubik’s Cube the first two weeks of camp, slamming players around from left to right trying to find a combination that matches. Today, we’ll see Bradley Sowell starting at left tackle, a scary prospect when you read some of the scouting reports on Sowell based on his time as a backup in Arizona. Mark Glowinski will line up next to him at left guard, with Justin Britt at center, and first round pick Germain Ifedi at right guard. Garry Gilliam, last year’s starter at RT, moves back there after spending the offseason and most of camp preparing to play the left side. J’Marcus Webb was brought in to be the starter at RT, but has been either hurt or terrible since he arrived.

Throughout the game you’ll see just about every Seahawks offensive lineman play just about every position. Rookie Rees Odhiambo may end up playing every position except center, and Sowell and Gilliam will likely flip-flop at some point. Another rookie, TCU center Joey Hunt, will get a long look, as will newly signed veteran RG Jahri Evans.

The Seahawks realize how crucial it is to their championship aspirations to put together a solid offensive line this season, and they need to solidify their depth chart as soon as they can.

This first game should go a long way towards giving us an idea of who the starting five will ultimately be.

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