Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald confirms where Connor Williams would play

Connor Williams has reportedly passed his physical after working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered late in the 2023 season. This should augment any interest he has for teams taking a look at signing the veteran offensive linemen. Williams visited the Seattle Seahawks this week so there is certainly a mutual interest.

The question about Williams were he to sign with Seattle is where would he play. He has position flexibility to play either guard or center, but bringing him in as a guard would seem to be a misuse of his real talent. Williams has been a very good center for the last two seasons.

In fact, he was the second-highest-graded player at his position last year, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He excelled spectacularly in run-blocking, but he was quite good in pass protection as well. The 6'5" and 317-pound player allowed only six total pressures in 280 pass-block snaps.

Connor Williams would seem to be the logical choice at center for the Seattle Seahawks

Last season was not a one-off success, however. In 2022, Williams allowed only 16 total pressures in 729 pass-block reps. He was also a very good left guard for the Sallas Cowboys in 2021, but Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald appeared to end any speculation of where Williams would play should he sign with Seattle.

In his post-practice press conference on Wednesday, Macdonald was asked about the center taking a visit with the team and said, "And where does he fit in? He’s got position flex, but last year, he did a great job at center, so I think that’s where you’d find him if he was here."

That is about as close to certain that should Williams sign then presumed starter Olu Oluwatimi's spot is in danger. Oluwatimi is entering just his second season and was decent in extremely limited snaps in 2023 in terms of pass protection, but he has not played enough in the NFL to prove he can be counted on as a long-term starting center. At least, not yet.

Williams has. Teams must play the guys they believe will give them the best chance of winning and Williams has shown to be a near-elite player in the league. Bringing him in as depth would appear to be a mistake, just as it would be an error if he played guard instead of center.

He has not yet signed, of course, though there is a rumor that Williams and the Seahawks have begun negotiations. Seattle doesn't have much to spend and to lure Williams they might need to offer a two-year deal since the team cannot pay the player all that much in 2024. At least something more than a season gives the player some security.

If Williams does sign for two years, and he is only 27 years old, then Oluwatimi would seem set on becoming a long-term backup. That is a bit of shame for the player because he appears to be a good guy and maybe worthy of starting somewhere, but the Seahawks must go with the better player and that seems to be Williams.

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