What Seattle Seahawks offensive line should look like in 2022

The Seattle Seahawks offensive line is likely to look quite different next season since the unit has several impending free agents. The choices John Schneider and Pete Carroll make to either re-sign players or look elsewhere are going to an impact well beyond 2022.

Seattle does have a high second round pick so maybe that goes towards a lineman as well but immediate starters in the draft, especially at tackle, usually come from the first round and not the second.

Still, with three linemen being unrestricted free agents, Seattle’s line will look different next year and it should. Once again in 2021 just like most previous seasons in the Russell Wilson era, the overall line was not good for the Seahawks.

Here is what the Seahawks offensive line should look like in 2022

Left tackle – Duane Brown

Halfway through 2021, Brown looked suddenly really old. He is 36 years of age and might have been playing out the string. But after giving up 7 sacks in the 9 games of the season, Brown allowed just 1 sack in the final 8 games. For the second straight year, Brown played in every game. He will be 37 years old next year but Seattle has no one anywhere close to replacing him.

Maybe Seattle will make a splash in free agency and sign a young left tackle but most likely the Seahawks bring the unrestricted free agent Brown back for another year at around $10 million.

Left guard – Phil Haynes

This is where I start going on a leap of faith. Gabe Jackson is under contract for two more years and probably returns at right guard which leaves Damien Lewis at left guard. But Jackson wasn’t that good (Pro Football Focus gave him a pass blocking grade of just 55.7) and Haynes looked very solid at left guard late in the year when Lewis missed some time. Haynes is a restricted free agent and just 26 years old so Seattle needs to bring him back and try to trade Jackson.

Center – Brian Allen

Seattle needs to sign a free agent center and let Ethan Pocic and Kyle Fuller (also free agents) walk. Pocic was decent at times this year but he is always an injury concern. There are three top-flight centers that are free agents this offseason – Ryan Jensen of Tampa Bay, Allen of the Rams and Jason Kelce of the Eagles – and my hope is that Seattle signs Allen because he is just 28 years old and signing him means subtracting him from the Rams.

Right guard – Damien Lewis

Lewis was better as a rookie in 2020 than he was in 2021. A big part of this was that Lewis flipped from the right side to the left and he simply wasn’t as effective on the left side. Lewis needs to replace Jackson and Seattle needs to pencil him in at right guard for the next 8 years.

Right tackle – Jake Curhan

Brandon Shell looked pretty good in 2020, his first year with Seattle and allowed 3 sacks in 460 pass block snaps. But Shell allowed 3 in 354 pass block snaps in 2021. He isn’t terrible but he can’t stay healthy. Over the last two seasons, Shell has missed a combined 12 games and has hobbled around in some he has played. Curhan was an undrafted rookie in 2021 and needs to learn to pass block better (which comes with more reps) but is a beast at run blocking.

Backups – Stone Forsythe, Dakoda Shepley, Pier-Olivier Lestage, one veteran free agent, one 2022 draft pick