The Seahawks offensive line will be better in 2021 and here is why

As we progress through free agency and in the lead-up to the NFL draft, I thought it would be a good opportunity to evaluate each department of the Seattle Seahawks 2021 roster as it stands. Let’s start with how good the offensive line might be this coming season.

I will continue breaking down the following categories in future posts:

• QB
• Running backs
• Receivers, including tight ends.
• Defensive front seven
• Defensive secondary
• Overall, including special teams

To do so I will refer to an independent source to assist in doing so, that being the ratings for each player given by PFF.com.

First up are for review is the offensive line. The offensive line in Seattle has been a hot topic since Russell Wilson went public with his concerns about the protection he is receiving. So Russell will not be overly delighted to see a pretty much unchanged O-line in place as we head into 2021.

Yes, Gabe Jackson has arrived via trade to replace the retired Mike Iupati at right guard and then been given a contract extension upon his arrival. But according to the PFF ratings, this is actually a slight downgrade from last season.

How good is the Seahawks roster heading into 2021?

Some important stats to put out at the beginning of this piece are:

1. Of the 13 teams that recording ten regular season wins in 2020, 9 of them (69.2%), had a combined O-line rating of 350 or higher.
2. Eleven of the fourteen playoff teams from last season (78.5%) had O lines rated 350 or higher.
3. Three of the teams involved in conference championship games (75%), had O lines rated 350 or higher.
4. Seven of the final eight in the playoffs (87.5 percent), has O-lines rating 350 or higher.

So from these statistics, the importance of a good O-line is clear, it gives you a 70 percent chance of playoff success. Without it, your chance is 30% or less.

Before going onto the individuals on the Seattle O lIne, there are some other important data points I wanted to mention.

1. Seattle has the third-best O-line in their division.
2. Seattle has the seventh-best O-line in the NFC.
3. Seattle has the tenth-best O-line in the NFL.
4. The NFC West is the only division where all four teams have O-lines rated above 350
5. All of the above is calculated from PFF.com ratings.

So from these, the importance of a strong O-line is more important in Seattle’s division and conference than in any other section of the NFL.

Ethan Pocic

Much of the flak aimed at the Seahawks O-line has been directed at Ethan Pocic, this is harsh as Pocic is essentially a very good backup forced into the starting lineup due to the lack of a better option. So it is no surprise that Pocic is the lowest rated O-lineman of the starting five for Seattle according to PFF.com.

Pocic received a rating of 62.4 from PFF for 2020, this ranks him 22nd amongst the 32 current starting centers in the NFL.

Pocic ranks 11th of 16 in the NFC and 3rd of 4 in the NFC West, although he could well end up as the lowest rating center in the NFC West if the Rams draft at this position. The average rating for an NFL starting center is 65.6, and 65.1 in the NFC. So clearly having Pocic as your starting center is a below-average option.

But as I said earlier there is little or nothing the Seahawks can do about this, due to the salary cap constraints, unless they wanted to draft a center in 2021. As it is unlikely that the Seahawks will use one of their meager three draft picks to do so, it looks like Pocic will be the starting center for 2021.

Maybe it is time to get behind a guy who is only 25 years old, actually delivering to his potential and providing pretty good value for money by doing so.

Damien Lewis

If Ethan Pocic is the weak link so to speak, how does Damien Lewis rank as a right guard? Lewis received a PFF rating of 70.2 for 2020, the average for a left guard in the NFL is 67.55 and 65.43 in the NFC. This indicates that Lewis should be an above-average right guard. He ranks equal 10th in the NFL, 5th in the NFC and 3rd in the NFC West as far a guard play.

If we put this into a playoff team context, he would be a borderline case as good enough to play on a playoff contender, but just the right side of that borderline for Seattle.

Lewis was the Seahawks third round pack in last year’s draft, age 24 very much has age on his side and may well develop into a very good or excellent guard as opposed to the good young and promising guard with potential that he currently is.

At this stage, this looks like a third-round pick well used, as Lewis did all that could be expected of him in his rookie campaign and may take a decent step up in the next couple of seasons.

Seahawks fans and Russell Wilson should have no issue with Lewis being the starting RG in 2021.

Gabe Jackson

Not only have the Seahawks traded their fifth round pick in this year’s draft to get Gabe Jackson, but they have also now given him a three-year contract worth $22.5 million over the next three seasons.

Was this a good call?

With Mike Iupati retiring, replacing him was clearly required. The Seahawks had three options: trade, free agency or via the draft. Free agency was likely to be too expensive in terms of the salary cap to consider.

Using the same fifth round pick they gave up to get the likes of Robert Hainsey from Notre Dame, Deonte Brown from Alabama or Jack Anderson from Texas Tech to play right guard was an option well worth considering. But given the youth at the other two interior O-line positions for the Seahawks, getting in a savvy vet over an unproven young prospect was the right call for me.

According to PFF grading Jackson’s 63.7 for last season, is a slight downgrade on Iupati’s 67.8 though. The average for a right guard in the NFL is 67.4 and 67.75 in the NFC. In addition, Jackson ranks 21st amongst starting RG’s in the NFL, 10th in the NFC and 2nd in the NFC West.

So for all that money, the Seahawks actually have a below-average 30-year-old starting RG going into 2021 and beyond. Not ideal for sure, but probably the best option at this time.

Duane Brown

Duane Brown is the sixth-best left tackle in the NFL according to the PFF grades for last season. Even at age 36 by the time the 2021 season starts, it would be advisable for opposing teams to attack other areas of the O-line rather than attack Brown.

All the Seahawks need to hope is that old father time does not catch up with the superb Duane Brown in 2021. His PFF rating of 87.3 is fourteen points over the NFL average of 73.08 and ten points over the NFC average of 77.

Amazingly though it still makes him the lowest rated left tackle in the NFC West, with Arizona’s D.J.Humphries at 88.3, Andrew Whitworth of the Rams at 88.7 and Trent Williams of the 49ers at  91.9. As I say with Brown at LT and the promising Lewis at LG, you would expect that side of the line to be pretty strong in 2021 for the Seahawks.

There is a definite bias towards the “skill” players when it comes to appreciating their talents, this is an opportunity to show the appreciation for the career the underappreciated Brown has had.

A four-time Pro Bowler during his ten years with the Texans, and maintaining such high standards for five years as a Seahawk into his mid-thirties from being a round one pick all those years ago, shows professionalism, dedication and huge ability that should get his name far more mentions than it does.

Such is the life of a lineman in the NFL, the lack of popular recognition is sometimes astonishing. These guys deserve all the credit in the world and Brown is one of the best of the last fifteen years.

Brandon Shell

The last of the presumed starting five offensive linemen for the Seahawks is Brandon Shell. Shell’s PFF grade for 2020 was 72.1, which is slightly above the NFL average of 70.61, but just below the NFC average of 73.5 and ranks third of the four starting right tackles in the NFC West.

29-year-old Shell joined Seattle from the Jets last season ad as the statistics indicate is a solid presence at RT. Rankings-wise from last season’s grades, Shell is fourteenth of the 32 starters in the NFL and tenth of the sixteen in the NFC.

Along with Gabe Jackson, they would form a solid right side of the O-line, if not as strong as the left side of the line. Shell provided a decent upgrade over Germain Ifedi last season and was a real presence as a pass blocker, which again should keep the QB happy.

This is a contract year for Shell, so he should be keen to show his best form as he approaches his thirties. The two words that seem to sum Brandon Shell up are solid and reliable. These are two words that all coaches would like to attribute to their O-linemen.

All Russell Wilson will want him to do is what he is doing in the image above. To summarise the Seattle O-line, the starting five achieved a rating of 355.7 last season. As per the required stats at the top of this article, the O-line is just above the 350 mark that gives them what they require of a playoff-bound O-line.

But in order to go deep into the playoffs, the Seahawks would need to be stronger in other departments of the roster.

Where the Seahawks rank among other NFL offensive lines

Having concentrated on the Seahawks, here is the full list of rankings and ratings as they currently stand. I have highlighted those above the requisite 350.

1. Cleveland        – 400.4
2. New England – 388.9
3. San Francisco – 378
4. Tampa Bay      – 374.9
5. Washington    – 372.8
6. New Orleans  – 366.6
7. Dallas               – 363.9
8. Tennessee       – 361.2
9. LA Rams           – 360.1
10. Seattle              – 355.7
11. Indianapolis     – 355.5
12. Baltimore         – 353.5
13. Buffalo              – 353.2
14. Arizona              – 352.4
15. Green Bay         – 347.4
16. Philadelphia     – 345.4
17. Detroit               – 343.2
18. Kansas City      – 339.6
19. LA Chargers      – 337.9
20. Jacksonville       – 335.1
21. Chicago              – 334.1
22. Minnesota         – 332.4
23. Carolina              – 328.4
24. NY Jets                – 327.8
25. Houston             – 327.3
26. Cincinnati           – 317.7
27. Denver                – 316
28. Las Vegas           – 315.9
29. Atlanta                 – 313.9
30. NY Giants            – 312.9
31. Pittsburgh           – 309.2
32. Miami                   – 295.8

The keen-eyed amongst you may have noticed that not one of the teams in the AF West reaches the 350 mark, making life that bit easier for the Chiefs and for newly-acquired former Seahawk Jarran Reed.