For many seasons, Seattle Seahawks fans rightly raged about the team's offensive line issues. The problem wasn't fixed, and general manager John Schneider didn't seem to aggressively try to find a remedy.
That changed last season when the team chose left guard Grey Zabel in the first round. The improved O-line play overall was one reason Seattle was able to win a Super Bowl. The offensive line was nowhere near the main reason that the team was so successful, but it also didn't keep the Seahawks short of winning a title.
Still, right guard Anthony Bradford was not very good. He was inconsistent in terms of both pass protection and run-blocking, and he lacks good enough athleticism to get much better. He could be replaced sooner rather than later, and his replacement might not be Christian Haynes, but second-year pro Bryce Cabeldue.
Bryce Cabeldue may have a path to starting at right guard for the Seattle Seahawks
Cabeldue was a sixth-round choice last year out of Kansas, and he saw action in five games, where he wasn't bad, albeit in limited snaps. He had 24 total, and none in pass protection. He did run-block fairly well, however.
Haynes, a third-round choice in 2024, didn't play much more, just 38 reps, but he did allow a quarterback pressure in 13 pass-block snaps. That is still a far too small sample size to truly evaluate a player from a fan's point of view. He was terrible in 167 reps as a rookie, but maybe he improved in year two.
His problem was that he wasn't very good in practice. The team even tried Haynes at center, where he struggled to snap the ball efficiently consistently. The fundamentals are where Haynes has struggled the most. Plus, at 6'2" and 313 pounds, he appears to be a slight smaller version of Anthony Bradford.
Bryce Cabeldue is bigger at 6'6" and 320 pounds, with the kind of frame that would allow him to add more mass. If he can show great improvement over his rookie season in minicamp, he could chase Haynes for the presumed backup right guard spot behind Bradford.
Not that anyone should ever wish a player to get hurt, but injuries do happen, and should Bradford miss some time in the regular season (he suffered a very minor knee injury in recent OTAs), perhaps Cabeldue would be his immediate replacement, not Haynes or 2026 draft pick, Beau Stephens.
Bradford has just one season left on his rookie deal, and Cabeldue, of course, has three. Should Cabeldue find his way to playing real snaps and be productive, the Seattle Seahawks might choose to see how he can work out long-term, and Bradford could find his way to the bench at the end of his time in Seattle.
Moreover, should Cabeldue perform well in minicamp and follow that with excellent play in training camp, he could push Christian Haynes clean off the roster by the time final roster cuts are made in late August.
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