Trust me, 12s, I understand the hesitancy to believe there can be any good news about the Seahawks' offensive line. We've been conditioned for about a decade that it's all lip service. But there's finally a good reason to buy into the storyline. Three reasons, in fact.
It's no secret that the Seahawks' offensive line has struggled ever since they made the ill-fated trade of Max Unger for Jimmy Graham. Seattle removed one of the league's best centers to pick up a tight end who built his reputation by getting 140 targets a year in New Orleans. Seattle's scoring jumped from 10th in the league in 2014 to 4th in Graham's first season.
But it dropped to 18th, then 11th in his two subsequent seasons. It climbed back to sixth in the NFL after Graham's departure, with Nick Vannett, Ed Dickson, and Will Dissly splitting time at tight end. So, for basically nothing, the Seahawks started a round of musical chairs at center that's still ongoing this year. But hope - legitimate hope - is here.
Three reasons to believe in the Seahawks' O-line in 2025
Better physical conditioning
Abe Lucas came to camp looking slim and trim. Those terms aren't exactly what you want for an offensive tackle. But in Lucas' case, it's a very good thing. At 325 pounds, he's actually a bit heavier than he was last season. I mean, look at this dude, as shared by the Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar.
Abe Lucas physique update, via Abe Lucas pic.twitter.com/GkR7WhvPpf
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) May 28, 2025
A healthy Lucas will go a long way toward resolving the issues on the right side of the line. Perhaps just as important is that Anthony Bradford has come into camp in better shape as well. The competition between him and Christian Haynes likely won't be settled until the preseason games. For that matter, Jalen Sundell could even figure there, although he's expected to back up Grey Zabel at left guard.
A focused approach from proven coaches
As noted by Gregg Bell in The News Tribune, last year the Seahawks had an offensive coordinator and offensive line coach with a combined zero years of NFL experience. Make that zero seconds, for that matter. Probably not the best idea when you also have a head coach with zero experience as the top guy at any level.
Happily, Seattle now has a combined 47 years of experience in OC Klint Kubiak and O-line coach John Benton. As for their experience in the league, this will be Kubiak's 12th season in the NFL, and Benton's 13th. Benton coached the Saints' offensive line last year and got excellent results despite devastating injuries on the line.
New Orleans finished in the top half of the league in rushing yards and yards per carry, and in the top half for fewest sacks allowed. That was miles better than the Seahawks' dismal 24th and 26th place rankings in pass and run blocking, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Dedication to the right personnel and schemes
Hopefully, you noticed that the Seahawks drafted two tight ends this year. Second-round pick Elijah Arroyo is getting all the attention and rightly so. But fifth-rounder Robbie Ouzts may be an even bigger factor in Seattle's success this year. He won't be competing for a spot at tight end, though.
No, Ouzts is competing with third-year player Brady Russell to be the Seahawks' fullback. Yeah, that's a position that's practically disappeared from the league for a while now. And yes, we still miss Nick Bellore. But even he wasn't used nearly as much as you can expect to see either Russell or Ouzts. Nick got all of 21 snaps on offense in his last two seasons in Seattle.
By contrast, Kubiak used his fullback, Adam Prentice, on 272 plays, or 25 percent of all their snaps. Whether it's Russell or Ouzts, the Seahawks will use the fullback to commit to the running game.
In the same article by Bell, Lucas said that the focus now is on being the best at the basics. “I’ll put it like this: We’re trying to be elite at very few things, but those few things are what the offense is going to be based around. And that’s the run game.”
That sounds like a recipe for success to me. Call me a Pollyanna, but I'm buying into the hype of an improved offensive line this year.