Why the position battle at guard will define the Seahawks training camp

No position on the Seattle Seahawks has more question marks than guard. It's also fair to say no other position will have a bigger impact on their success in 2024.

The Seahawks' defense was their downfall last season, and nothing hurt them more than their poor run defense. This season's prospects for the run defense already look very different with the addition of rookie Byron Murphy II. There will certainly be position battles at a few spots on defense. The most notable battles should be at cornerback and edger rushers after Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe.

But the biggest question marks entering this season are at guard. Both tackle spots are locked down, with Charles Cross on the left and Abe Lucas on the right. If Lucas isn't ready, George Fant is clearly the next man up in his stead. I believe second-year player Olu Oluwatimi will win the center position, but new addition Nick Harris should be capable as well. No, the real competition - and the key to the 2024 offense - is at guard.

The Seattle Seahawks need strong guard play to win in 2024

Last season, the Seahawks weren't much better at running the ball than they were defending it. In 2022, they ranked 18th in rushing yards, and seventh in yards per carry. Last season saw the offense take very big backward steps, as they ranked a pathetic 28th in yards and 16th in yards per carry. For a team whose offense was supposedly predicated on a strong running game, that was unconscionable.

In 2022, Damien Lewis was the only Hawks guard Pro Football Focus graded above 60 in run-blocking (subscription required). Last year his grade fell to 57.9; that could be a big factor in the Hawks' decision to let him walk this offseason. Anthony Bradford barely edged him out with a grade of 58.5; Phil Haynes graded out at 53.7. As a point of reference, Kevin Dotson of the Rams graded at 84.4.

So it's obvious the Seahawks have some work to do at guard. New addition Laken Tomlinson hasn't graded above 50 in the past two seasons. Then again, he was stuck on the Jets. In 2021, his run-blocking grade with the Niners was 75.3. Again, Anthony Bradford graded at 58.5, but considering it was his rookie season, hopefully, he can build on that.

Then again, his pass-blocking was pretty awful. He gave up 28 pressures, and Geno Smith needs to have some time to get the ball downfield. Tomlinson's pass-blocking was solid, just at 70 in each of the past two seasons. He'll likely be the Hawks' starting left guard.

That brings us to the most likely competitors for Bradford on the Hawks roster, rookie Christian Haynes and second-year player McClendon Curtis. Playing for independent UConn, Haynes didn't exactly face the competition that the Huskies of the West faced. Nonetheless, he did earn excellent passing grades from PFF, 80.1 in the running game and 82.5 in pass-blocking.

Curtis only got four snaps last year, all on special teams. However, he was the 10th-ranked prospect at guard in the NFL combine in the 2023 draft. Most draft sites rated him as a project at guard, including NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. NFL Draft Buzz graded his pass blocking at 98 percent and his run blocking at 91 percent, compared to all other prospects. Curtis is likely going to be a swingman for the Hawks, as he has plenty of experience at tackle.

I think the competition will boil down to Bradford versus Haynes at right guard. Unless Bradford makes some big strides in pass protection - pun totally intended - Haynes should win the spot. Yes, Bradford has been starting at right guard in camp so far. But it isn't even August yet. Regardless of who wins the battles at guard, the Seahawks have to improve, or their offense will still be stuck in second gear.

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