Predicting the Seahawks starters on offense in 2020 post-draft

The Seahawks have several new faces via the NFL Draft plus made important moves after the draft. Who is going to start on offense in 2020?

The Seahawks took 8 players in the 2020 NFL Draft. Five of those players were for the offense. One thing is certain, though, Russell Wilson will have a different starting center and a different starting right guard when week one of the 2020 NFL season begins, whenever that is. After the draft, Seattle released Justin Britt and D.J. Fluker.

So who will be the starters in week one of 2020? Here is my latest best guess.

Quarterback – Russell Wilson

This is obvious, so I am not going to spend much time on this one. Wilson is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The question is, will it be undrafted free agent Anthony Gordon or will Seattle try to bring back 2019 backup Geno Smith?

Running back – Chris Carson

On Thursday on Sports Radio KJR, Seahawks general manager John Schneider said he expects Chris Carson back for week one. This is a very good thing as Schneider also implied that Rashaad Penny will likely start on the PUP list due to his injury being so late in 2019. This means Carson will start as expected but might also have to carry a heavier load as Seattle will seemingly have a lot of unproven backs behind him.

Receivers/tight end – Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, Phillip Dorsett (slot) and Will Dissly (tight end)

Tyler Lockett and D,K. Metcalf should be one of the better duos in the NFL in 2020. Seattle appears to be making moves that show they want to throw a bit more next season as they signed Greg Olsen but drafted three more receivers. So expect big numbers from Lockett and Metcalf. Plus, Dorsett might be the perfect slot receiver in Seattle’s system.

I do think 12s will see a lot of two receivers and two tight end sets, though. Metcalf and Lockett on the field along with Dissly and Olsen. Seattle used George Fant as an extension of the right side of the line last year and he could have caught balls. But if Dissly or Olsen fills the Fant role, they can actually catch. It should interesting to see if offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer gets creative.

Offensive line – left tackle Duane Brown, left guard Mike Iupati, center B.J. Finney, right guard Damien Lewis, right tackle Brandon Shell

This is where things get a bit wacky. Currently, it feels like the Seahawks have 3,295 offensive linemen on their roster. They will probably trim that number to around 9. Seattle will likely keep versatile players who can play different positions, like Finney and maybe Ethan Pocic. Brown is the only true lock here as he is a Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle.

I think Finney starts at center, though, as he is bigger than Joey Hunt and better than Pocic. Another key thing is Finney is good at pass blocking and because I think the Seahawks are going to throw more this year, that is important.

Lewis is going to start day one. He is a mauler and perfect for Seattle. I expect in seven years he will still be the right guard for the Seahawks.

Iupati starts based on experience at left guard, though if Phil Haynes shows he is physically ready after basically a redshirt season in 2019, then Haynes might start. Seattle liked him a lot, like Lewis, in last year’s draft because he is simply a big strong guy.

Shell seems to be a near-lock at right tackle. He is slightly better than Germain Ifedi was but the only question is how healthy will stay. The Seahawks do not seem to have anyone close to challenging him as the starter right now.