It has been the same story every year for the past ten years with the same flat ending. The Seattle Seahawks have a bottom-tier offensive line that held the team back. At some point, one has to start wondering if there is a systemic issue in the Seattle front office when it comes to allocating time and money to the offensive front.
I remember when the Seahawks' offensive line was the best unit on the team. When I first started watching in the early 2000s, Seattle had Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson on the same offensive line. A decade later, an offensive line featuring Max Unger, Russell Okung, and a very deep bench led Seattle's offense with a killer rushing attack. In both of those eras, Seattle made it to the Super Bowl.
However, since 2015, nothing and nobody on that offensive line is working. Draft misses and free agency whiffs have cursed the offensive line over the past decade. The free agency whiffs irk me more than the draft misses because you can never know how a prospect will work out, and Seattle is owed a little bit of grace for that.
Seattle Seahawks should target these offensive linemen in free agency
However, the Seahawks' tendency to sit back and wait for the bargain deals in free agency is inexcusable with the state of their offensive line. Here is a ranking of the top free agent offensive linemen the Seahawks should sign as soon as possible.
5. Left tackle Dan Moore Jr.
With 1,111 snaps played in 2024, Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Dan Moore Jr. played the fourth-highest number of snaps by any offensive lineman this season. He finished with a respectable 67.2 Pro Football Focus grade, good for 41st out of 141 eligible offensive tackles. He's not an elite lineman by any means, but he's good enough in run blocking and extremely efficient as a pass protector.
Seahawks left tackle Charles Cross's rookie contract expires after next season and I'm not sure he's played himself into a second contract. The former ninth-overall selection has been wildly inconsistent in his three seasons in Seattle. On the other side of the line, right tackle Abraham Lucas has been really good when he plays, but he's hardly been available. After another injury-riddled season, Lucas only played 406 snaps in 2024.
The Seahawks have to find some sort of consistency on the offensive line. Moore Jr. has shown he can stay healthy and durable and continue to be a good bookend on an offensive line. In the best-case scenario, Cross and Lucas both play well and stay healthy in 2025, and Moore Jr. serves as a reserve swing tackle. But if the past is any indicator, Seattle would likely need his help for the foreseeable future.
4. Guard Teven Jenkins
Don't overlook Jenkins just because he was on a terrible Chicago Bears offensive line. The 26-year-old behemoth of a guard was the lone bright spot in Chicago. With a 75.4 Pro Football Focus (subscription required) grade in 2024, Jenkins ranked 18th out of 135 eligible guards in the NFL, including an elite 74.3 run block grade. On tape, big number 76 was really fun to watch as he mauled defensive tackles while his four counterparts had Caleb Williams running for his life.
The guard position is a complete circus for Seattle and has been for the past decade. The Seahawks have no business trotting Anthony Bradford out there for another season and Christian Haynes had a rocky rookie season. The 2024 free agent acquisition Laken Tomlinson was underwhelming at best and proved to be yet another failure in free agency. Due to the awful guard play, the run game could never find its footing in 2024.
Adding the 6'6" and 320 pounds Jenkins would not only solve at least one of the guard positions but set a tone for the future of Seattle. Breaking the tendency of sleeping through free agency would signify a new era in Seattle. And for the subpar offensive linemen who think their jobs are safe will receive the message.
3. Guard Brandon Scherff
The 33-year-old former All-Pro in Washington is still going strong. Scherff played over 1,000 snaps at guard for Jacksonville in 2024 and was as efficient as ever. One of the lone bright spots on a mediocre offensive line, Scherff allowed zero sacks, one hit, and only accounted for two penalties on the entire season.
While a player over 30 who saw a decrease in run-blocking efficiency and is likely in the sunset years of his career may not sound like a prime free-agent signing, he could be more than valuable. Firstly, Scherff likely won't command a ton of money, at least not as much as some of the younger, elite guards in free agency. But he won't be a bargain, either. However, whatever Seattle would have to pay for Scherff would be worth it simply for the fact he is a proven, reliable upgrade at guard.
All-pro offensive linemen don't grow on trees. And the Seahawks should not just let them go without even negotiating. It's not every year that a team that struggled so mightily in the interior of the offensive line has the opportunity to go after an instant upgrade that can provide consistency and leadership.
2. Center Ryan Kelly
Center is the most important need for this team in 2025. In 2024, Seattle brought in Connor Williams to try and solve their woes at the position, but after a first half of disastrous play, Williams retired mid-season and Seattle was back to the drawing board. Olu Oluwatimi could be a capable backup center, but in no world should he be starting on this Seattle line. Jalen Sundell, as much as I like him, is a reserve at best.
When you think of the teams that have consistently had the best offensive lines over the past decade, you think of the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have had an elite line for the past ten seasons, and the common denominator in all of those seasons is the middleman, Ryan Kelly.
A four-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro, Kelly would be another instant upgrade on the offensive line. At 32, Kelly is a veteran who will be able to quarterback the offensive line, call out blitzes, and make the four on both sides of him better. Seattle has not had a consistent center since Max Unger, who last played in Seattle ten years ago. Kelly would solve that issue immediately.
1. Center Drew Dalman
This would be the splash-free agent signing. Atlanta center Drew Dalman, set to be a free agent this off-season, would command absurd money, maybe even a historic contract. For Seattle, and everything the Seahawks have gone through over the last decade, it would be absolutely worth it.
The 26-year-old Dalman finished fourth in the entire league among centers with an insane 78.8 PFF grade and a 79.8 run block grade. In other words, Dalman is an elite top-five center in the NFL. With Seattle missing out on Creed Humphrey in the 2021 NFL Draft and electing to draft Dee Eskridge instead, Seattle fans are putting a ton of pressure on the front office to make up for that draft error.
Seattle not only owes it to the fans, but to guys like Geno Smith and Ken Walker who have had to work behind a pitiful offensive line for three years now.
Again, the Seahawks have no capable starter on the roster at center. They haven't had one in years. It seems this team never spends significant money on a unit that has been the Achilles heel of the team for over a decade. If Seattle wants to be taken seriously in 2025, they must address the offensive line.
The biggest need on that unit is center, arguably the most important position on the line. Breaking the bank for an elite, young franchise center in Drew Dalman should not only be a viable option but a priority for Seattle this season.