Something will change in the next few days for the Seattle Seahawks. The fate of the right tackle position, perhaps not just this season but for many years to come, rests on a decision that Seattle will have to make before Week 11. That is whether to activate Abraham Lucas for the game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Seattle's right tackle position has been a horrible mess this season, and that is not a surprise to 12s. Fans have watched as Seattle has lost right tackle after right tackle to injury, and in none of the cases has the player been very good. Lucas might be good, but the bigger question about him is whether he can stay healthy.
Lucas was designated to return to practice on October 23 after he needed offseason knee surgery. He has 21 days after the designation to either be activated to the 53-man roster or revert back to the physically unable to perform list. If that latter part happens, Lucas will stay there for the remainder of the season and miss 2024. This would mean that after being drafted in 2022, he would have played only six games in the last two seasons.
Seattle Seahawks have to make a decision on Abraham Lucas before Week 11
By the time Seattle plays San Francisco, Seahawks fans will know if Lucas is going to play at all this season.
He was solid in his rookie year, even though the Seahawks knew Lucas had knee issues in college. Maybe they had hoped those problems were in the past after Lucas played in 16 games in 2022. Then he suffered a setback with his worrisome knee in Week 1 of 2023 and did not play again until Week 13. This offseason, Lucas had surgery to hopefully help repair the issue, but he still has not made it back to play this year.
The frustration with Lucas missing so many games is complex. His backups have been terrible, and the offensive line without him has been atrocious. The hope is that he would instantly upgrade the line should he return and play consistently. The question that remains, however, is whether Lucas is actually very good.
Most of his potential is still based on hope. A player that has missed almost a year and a half is going to have some rust for a bit. Assuming Lucas comes back for Week 11, he might look terrible against a good 49ers pass rush. He might not be fully back to speed until Week 14. By that time, the season might be completely lost, but at least Seattle would have a clear idea of whether Lucas is the right tackle of the future.
Otherwise, general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald need to re-examine the position and choose a right tackle high in the 2025 NFL draft. Not doing so should put Schneider's job at risk. As Schneider has the final say over all roster decisions, if he doesn't take a right tackle high in the draft, he would unfairly be putting Macdonald's job at risk as well.