Seattle Seahawks: 3 free agent offensive linemen they should sign
By Jake Luppino
With free agency less than a month away, the Seattle Seahawks need to take a page out of the Kansas City Chiefs playbook. After losing in Super Bowl LV in ugly fashion, the Chiefs decided to invest in their offensive line. Despite mediocre defensive play, they felt protecting Patrick Mahomes would ultimately give them the best chance at getting back to another Super Bowl.
Between free agent signings, trades and drafting, they were able to completely revamp their offensive line. PFF graded the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line as the 5th best at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 regular season. Rookie center Creed Humphrey was rated the best at his position throughout the year. Most importantly, they gave Mahomes plenty of time in the pocket to go through his progressions and hit on the explosive plays that makes this Kansas City offense one of the best in the league.
On the contrary, we have seen Seattle fail to adequately protect Russell Wilson. Given the current manifest of this offense, it is quite obvious the weakness is up front. While it is worth noting they are solid in the run game, giving Russell Wilson more time when passing will take this offense to another level.
This is not a propaganda post to Let Russ Cook. Rather, it’s just another attempt to come up with a potential resolution to the offensive line woes. With Damien Lewis, Ethan Pocic, Gabe Jackson and Jake Curhan on the current roster, it wouldn’t hurt to spend some money on veteran FA’s who have an established presence. LT Duane Brown has expressed interest in returning to Seattle, but he is getting up there in age. I am not against resigning him, I am simply just stating that his return shouldn’t serve as a determent in bringing in others as well.
Why the Seattle Seahawks need to invest in their offensive line
The NFL has become an offensive-centric league. We saw first-hand last season that the Seahawks offensive struggles ultimately led to them having their first losing season in a decade. I know Russell Wilson’s finger injury contributed to that in large part but it is hard to ignore that over the last 5 years, this Seattle team has underachieved.
The deeper you get in the playoffs, the better the competition. Heck, in their own division, they have to face Aaron Donald twice a year, Chandler Jones twice a year and the factory of defensive ends on the San Francisco 49ers twice a year. As good of a season that the Cincinnati Bengals just had, ask them how much they would have paid for better protection up front.
The 2022 NFL free agent class is loaded at the offensive line position. The biggest needs for this current line are tackle and center. Here are three potential free agent targets Seattle can invest in during this offseason.