Seahawks are going to have a really bad offensive line says ESPN

The Seahawks will likely be a really young team this season along the offensive line. But does that mean they will be bad? ESPN thinks so.

Even though Seattle drafted left tackle Charles Cross 9th overall and will almost certainly plug him in as a starter, ESPN expects him to be sub-par in his rookie season. The four-letter network thinks the same about the right tackle spot where the Seahawks could start tookie Abe Lucas.

But between the two tackles, Seattle has more veteran talent and these players are underappreciated and underrated. Center Austin Blythe has started 49 games in his six years. He had an excellent 76.4 overall grade per Pro Football Focus in 2018 and allowed zero sacks. In his last full year as a starter in 2020, he received a solid grade of 69.3.

At left guard, third-year player Damien Lewis was really good as a right guard in 2020 and not as good in 2021. That said, he is very good at run-blocking and Seattle is probably going to run the ball a bit more this season.

Seattle Seahawks offensive line will struggle badly in 2022, says ESPN

At right guard, former Pro Bowler Gabe Jackson is the one offensive lineman for the Seahawks who is better at pass protection and Jackson excels at that. Still, his successful experience should allow him to help teach Lucas how to be a better right tackle sooner than later.

But per ESPN, Seattle will have the third worst offensive line in the NFL. Only the Falcons and Jaguars will be worse. In comparison, every other NFC West team is predicted to be 16th-best or better in 2022. The 49ers are 16th, the Rams are 12th and the Cardinals are 6th.

So, yes. Maybe the Seahawks are going to be really young this season in many spots, including the offensive line. But they should improve as the season wears on (rookies should make fewer mistakes with more snaps played) and how a team ends the year is many times more important than how it begins.