Three key position battles to watch for Seahawks in preseason opener
By Lee Vowell
The Seahawks play their first preseason game of 2022 on Saturday versus the Pittsburgh Steelers and there will be a lot of intrigues.
Many more position spots are open this preseason than in previous seasons. Gone is Russell Wilson, for instance, and who his replacement will be is still anyone’s guess.
But for 12s, this Seahawks preseason can be a fun one to watch because so many players who need to earn starting gigs. Three of the main position spots that remain open are the following.
Several position spots are up for grabs for the Seahawks as they start preseason
Seahawks right tackle: Abe Lucas versus Jake Curhan versus Stone Forsythe
Forsythe is a bit of newbie in this battle but he was getting some reps at right tackle with the first team early last week. He has extreme size and tenacity but whether he has the quickness of foot to keep fast edge rushers from getting around him is another story. He can’t be ruled out as a potential starter, though, because he has a year in the Seahawks zone-blocking scheme and the ability to maul.
Curhan was an excellent surprise in 2021 after being undrafted but earning a roster spot and being very good in run-blocking. He still needs a lot of work with being good in pass protection but this year Seattle will be Russell Wilson-less and will rely a lot more on players like Rashaad Penny and Ken Walker to get victories. Running the ball will be extremely important in 2022 and Curhan can help with that.
This leaves us with Lucas who some thought might even go in the first round of the 2022 draft. But the issue for him is he is much better suited as a right tackle instead of a left one and as the vast majority of quarterbacks in the NFL are right-handed, the left side is more important. The left side of the line is a right-handed quarterback’s blind side.
But Lucas has good skill and doesn’t mind a fight in protecting his quarterback or opening a hole for running backs. He will definitely be on the roster but whether he will be the Week 1 starter depends on how well he plays compared to Curhan, especially. The Steelers defense can teach us a lot about how ready Lucas is.