Abraham Lucas posts a video the Seahawks have been waiting to see

Abraham Lucas looked like a steal of a draft pick for the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. He was a huge right tackle with a mean streak and in his rookie season was even better than fellow first-year offensive tackle Charles Cross. Cross and Lucas appeared ready to hold down Seattle's tackle spots for most of a decade.

Lucas, though, did have an injury history with his knee when he played at Washington State. The knee issue and the fact that he was a pure right tackle are likely what caused Lucas to slip to the third round. But Seattle needed a couple of tackles and getting high-end left and right tackles was a win.

That was until Lucas's knee problem came up again during the 2023 season. He aggravated the injury in Week 1 and he did not play again until Week 13. After returning, he appeared to be a shell of his former self. In 182 pass-block snaps last year, he allowed 17 pressures compared to just 30 pressures in 678 pass-block snaps in his rookie season.

Any positive sign from Seahawks right tackle Abraham Lucas is a good thing

Possibly worse, even after Lucas returned in Week 13, he had to be rotated out quite often which meant he played at most half a game. That is not a long-term option for any offensive line as O-lines must be able to build cohesion within a five-man group. Not ever knowing who is going to be playing right tackle would be an issue.

This offseason, Lucas had a second surgery on the same knee to try to repair a problem that former head coach Pete Carroll called "chronic" last season. The Seahawks have downplayed that term a bit saying that Lucas's issue is somewhat correctable and not necessarily a problem the team is going to have to worry about every game for the rest of Lucas's career.

This did not stop the team from signing veteran tackle George Fant in free agency, though. Fant began his career with Seattle in 2016, and after leaving the Seahawks he became a solid, if not spectacular, starter for both the New York Jets and Houston Texans. If Lucas cannot play, Fant is a good option to have. Ideally, though, Lucas would be the team's long-term right tackle.

Lucas did not participate in any of the team's offseason drills since he is still recovering from surgery in January. The hope is that he will return for training camp in late July. Recently, Lucas posted a video on his Instagram account which was very promising. He was doing deadlifts without wearing a brace on his knee.

There, of course, is a big difference between doing deadlifts and twisting and turning in order to play NFL edge rushers, but any positive sign from Lucas is good. The Seahawks need him to be able to count on him for most games well into the future. If that cannot happen, Seattle needs to find Lucas's long-term replacement.

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