Seahawks meeting with proven veteran could mean bad things for Olu Oluwatimi

Olu Oluwatimi should have gotten a better chance last season. As a rookie with the Seattle Seahawks, he mostly served as a backup to starting center Evan Brown. The problem was that Brown was not good - he allowed multiple pressures in 11 of the last 14 games and was a turnstile in run blocking - and Oluwatimi flashed a decent ability to pass-block.

Still, Seattle kept going with Brown though Oluwatimi might have been the better option last year and any reps he got would have made him better prepared for the future. Or maybe Oluwatimi simply is not that good after all.

He is the assumed starter in 2024 with Nick Harris as his likely backup. At least, that appeared to be a safe assumption until this week when Seattle is reportedly bringing in veteran center Connor Williams for a visit. Williams has mostly been a full-time starter since he entered the league in 2018 and has spent the last two years with the Miami Dolphins.

Seattle Seahawks reportedly hosting veteran center Connor Williams on a free agent visit

Williams is still a free agent probably because he suffered a torn ACL in Week 14 of last year. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the center expects to be ready by Week 1 of 2024. The Dolphins played their Week 11 game on December 11 so Williams would be returning in about nine months. That seems like a very quick return.

He might not be 100 percent at the start of the season. If Seattle signs him, which could be for two seasons because if they aren't sold on Oluwatimi and see the 27-year-old Williams as a potential long-term starter, getting the center for two years means he would be fully healthy in 2025.

Connor Williams has made himself into one of the better centers in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus (paywall alert), he was the second-highest-graded center in the league last season. He allowed only just six total pressures in 280 pass-block snaps. He is an even better run-blocker and would be Seattle's biggest starting center in several years - he is 6'5" and 317 pounds.

There are two questions. One is how much Williams wants to get paid because the Seahawks only have $24,176 to spend and that is not enough to sign anyone. Seattle could move around some money, possibly rolling some of DK Metcalf's base salary into a signing bonus and opening up several million dollars, If the team truly wants to sign Williams, they could find the money to do so.

The other question is if the team is ready to give up on Oluwatimi so quickly. He is only in his second season. Signing Williams would seemingly make Oluwatimi a backup because Williams has proven to be a very good center in the league. Oluwatimi has not proven anything yet.

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