With each passing day in the 2025 offseason, it becomes clearer and clearer that Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider wasn’t joking when he began the offseason by saying he was happy with the talent on his offensive line.
Sure, he may have chosen three more linemen in the 2025 draft, but two of them came on day three, while the third, first-round pick Grey Zabel, was essentially a plug-and-play replacement for Laken Tomlinson at left guard.
The thing is, left guard was not considered a problem in 2024. Right guard was. And Schneider did nothing to bring in new options at that position.
That belief in his players took on additional significance with the retirement of Brandon Scherff on Thursday. Scherff, who played the last three seasons in Jacksonville, was one of the few remaining available guards who would have seemed to provide an immediate upgrade. Now that he is off the table, it seems unlikely that Seattle will bring in a new lineman to challenge for a starting spot in 2025.
Where do the Seattle Seahawks go from here at right guard?
There are still a couple of journeyman vets floating around out there, and there will probably be a few more once teams make their final roster cuts. But make no mistake, Scherff was the best player Seattle could have hoped to sign.
In his ten seasons, the former fourth overall draft pick in 2015, earned five Pro Bowl nods. He would have almost certainly had a sixth had he not been injured in 2018. Injuries were often an issue with Scherff throughout his first seven years in Washington. He started all 32 games his first two seasons, but then missed close to five games a year over his next five.
Even so, he was routinely selected to the Pro Bowl. A college tackle at Iowa, Scherff moved inside in Washington because his arms were a half-inch short of ideal. He had the pass blocking agility of a tackle with the raw power of a guard.
When his rookie deal was up, Washington attempted to sign him to an extension, but Scherff balked. In hindsight, it appears that he was fed up with the dysfunction in DC under former owner Daniel Snyder and was eager to leave town. That departure would have to wait two more seasons as Washington used back-to-back franchise tags to hold onto him. It drove his salary sky high.
During his three years in Jacksonville, Scherff did not make the Pro Bowl. But he did start every game at right guard – 51 straight – and provided steady play.
There did not appear to be any indication that he was considering retirement, but as the summer wore on and he remained unattached, questions did arise. It is unknown if Schneider ever reached out to him. Now, that is moot.
So it appears that Seattle’s right guard beginning the 2025 season will be the same player who began the 2024 season, Anthony Bradford. I think this is probably the right choice. Bradford has struggled up until now, but he is still just 24 years old and has undeniable physical ability.
With 2024 third-round pick Christian Haynes appearing to fall out of the picture and ’24 sixth-rounder Sataoa Laumea buried on the bench, Bradford’s main competition now seems to be the undrafted 2024 free agent signee Jalen Sundell.
I have thought since last year that Sundell, a college teammate of Grey Zabel, is one of the five best offensive linemen on the roster and should find a starting spot. He has also been taking starting reps at center as Olu Oluwatimi recovers from injury.
So barring injury, it appears that Seattle will begin the 2025 season with Charles Cross and Abe Lucas at left and right tackle, Zabel at left guard, and some combination of Bradford, Sundell, and Oluwatimi at right guard and center. We know for certain that Brandon Scherff will not be in that mix.