Where does the Seahawks’ offensive line rank in the NFC West?

The Seahawks offensive line is still not among the best in the NFL. But Seattle did make moves to improve the unit this offseason. Where does the group rank in the NFC West?

Let’s be positive about this for a second, 12s. Since the beginning of 2017, the Seahawks have added left tackle Duane Brown and right guard/mauler D.J. Fluker. Seattle still has Justin Britt. Plus, Ethan Pocic is a year older and stronger. This Seattle offensive line could actually turn out to be pretty decent.

But good enough to protect Russell Wilson and get to the playoffs? That’s another issue.

How does Seattle’s line compare to the rest to the rest of the NFC West?

The best offensive line in the NFC West belongs to the Los Angeles Rams

As the rest of the line units in the NFC West are not great, the Rams could have won by default. But that would be a disservice to Los Angeles because they are really good. Andrew Whitworth was a great addition in 2017 at left tackle.

But take only Todd Gurley’s statistics from 2016 – 3.2 yards per carry – to 2017 – 4.7 yards per rush – and you can see how good the entire unit was. No team in the division comes close to the Rams.

The second best unit is the San Francisco 49ers

I really do want to put the Seahawks as number two, but there are just too many question marks still. Joe Staley is good at left tackle, though. And the line allowed running backs to carry the ball 1.86 yards before contact in 2017, seventh-best in the league.

The third best group in the division is the Seattle Seahawks

Seattle could be higher in the division. But Justin Britt needs to play more like 2016 than 2017. Duane Brown needs to be even better than he was after coming over to Seattle midway through last season. Germain Ifedi needs to stop holding and being offsides, etc., etc. Ethan Pocic needs to make a jump forward. D.J. Fluker needs to solidify the run game.

That is a lot to ask for. But maybe new offensive line coach Mike Solari can get more out of his players than Tom Cable ever did.

The worst offensive line in the NFC West is that of the Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals line was terrible last year. They gave up the second most quarterback pressures in the NFL in 2017. Thankfully for Seattle (I hope), Arizona shouldn’t be much better in 2018 either.

Next: Where do the Seahawks receivers rank in the NFC West?

The Seahawks want to get back to a more run-heavy offense. John Schneider brought in Fluker this offseason to help with that. If Pocic can be stronger this year and Ifedi better, the line might help control the clock and help the defense. And maybe get Seattle back to the playoffs. One just hopes the 49ers and Cardinals lines aren’t much better than they were last year too.