The fact that the Seattle Seahawks went 10-7 in 2024 is a bit of a miracle in reflection. Mike Macdonald was in his first season with the team and had never been a head coach before. Seattle had new schemes on offense and defense. The offensive line was still bad.
The last issue was compounded by the fact that general manager John Schneider signed veteran center Connor Williams in July (an experiment that failed miserably), and the battle for starting right guard went into the season. Cohesion matters along the O-line, and Seattle wasn't ready at the beginning of the season. 2025 only has a small chance of being better.
The good news is that left tackle Charles Cross is good, the team took left guard Grey Zabel in the first round, and right tackle Abe Lucas is seemingly healthy. The bad is that there is still no obvious starter at center and right guard.
Two early training camp decisions will affect the outcome of the Seattle Seahawks 2025 season
Mike Macdonald appears set on getting those answers quickly. The coach doesn't want to force a decision, but he does want some idea of who will be starting on the Seahawks' offensive line early in training camp. Specifically, within the first two weeks of camp (which happens to coincide with Seattle's first preseason game).
In other words, Anthony Bradford and Christian Haynes, who appear to be set to battle for the starting right guard spot, and Olu Oluwatimi and Jalen Sundell, who will likely battle for the center position, need strong and fast starts to training camp. By week three of camp, there should be a clear leader at each spot.
According to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic (subscription required), Macdonald said, "We’re going to let the play speak for itself. We’re not going to force the decision. We’re going to be intentional in what happens probably within the first two weeks."
Another positive aspect of the offensive line is that veteran O-line coach John Benton was hired this offseason to coach the unit. He has a long run of success in the league.
While Seattle doesn't appear to have Pro Bowl-potential options at center and right guard, there is depth at the spots. Benton should be able to make a decision quickly and have the right guys in place for Week 1 of the regular season.
Having nearly a month to have the starting five working together before real games begin should help an offense that has undergone massive changes be more settled to begin the season. It might take a game or three for everyone to settle in, but at least everyone knowing their roles will help.
While the specific quality of Sundell or Oluwatimi, Bradford or Haynes, might not make or break the season in general, poor play could affect the outcome of at least one game. And one untimely loss could be all it takes for the Seattle Seahawks to miss the postseason this coming season.