Seattle Seahawks breakout star in training camp is a familiar face

The Seattle Seahawks are over a week into training camp and trying to learn to adapt to new offensive and defensive systems. The hope, of course, is that the new schemes will augment the talent of the players who have been in Seattle for a couple of seasons. There is not a lack of talent with the Seahawks, but there was a lack of good direction.

There also might have been a lack of quality coaching in certain position units. With a banged-up line early last season that appeared to be overperforming, former offensive line coach Andy Dickerson seemed to be doing a fantastic job. Once the presumed starters began to come back, the line got much worse, especially in terms of pass protection.

One problem too was that the young players on the line did not develop as quickly or as well as hoped. Rookie Anthony Bradford was a mess, for instance. Left tackle Charles Cross was only slightly better overall than his 2022 rookie season.

Charles Cross appears to be on the verge of breaking out for the Seahawks in 2024

Cross graded out as Pro Football Focus's (subscription required) 38th-best tackle in 2023 and he was 33rd in pass-blocking. That is decent, but not where a former number nine overall pick in the draft should be. Cross needs to be a top-20 tackle at worst. He allowed six sacks in 554 pass-block snaps last year compared to seven in 738 snaps the year before.

In the early part of training camp, Cross looks like he has taken a huge leap in efficiency. For two straight days, he faced Uchenna Nwosu, the Seahawks' most consistently good edge rusher, and Cross stoned Nwosu. This isn't because Nwosu isn't good because we know he is. Instead, Cross might be about to have a breakout season for Seattle.

There shouldn't have been any doubt as to Cross's athleticism or skill because he did well in pre-draft drills in 2022. He has remained relatively healthy, too, so no injuries have yet taken a toll on his ability. The biggest difference between this year and his previous two is that Seattle has a new offensive line coach, Scott Huff. Whatever Huff has told Cross this offseason appears to have landed.

Seattle has a huge decision to make on Cross next offseason and that is whether to pick up his fifth-year option for 2026. If the left tackle continues to progress and perform as he has done so far in training camp, it will be a no-brainer to pick up his option. Moreover, extending Cross well past 2026 would be a must.

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