The Seattle Seahawks underwent a major offensive transition this past offseason, but one unit stayed mostly the same. The hope was that a new coach would fix its previous problem. For the most part, that has been the case.
Seattle's offensive line had one major addition as the team chose left guard Gray Zabel in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. He's gotten better in pass protection as the season has grown old, and he's always been stout at run blocking. It helps that he has played next to elite left tackle Charles Cross.
It likely also helped that, to his right, was his former college teammate. Zabel knew what to expect from center Jalen Sundell since they were on the same offensive line at North Dakota State. Sundell was also solid through the first eight games, especially in terms of pass blocking.
Olu Oluwatimi needs to be great for the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11
But in Week 10, Sundell injured his knee and will miss multiple weeks, and could be placed on injured reserve. That would require him to miss at least four games. In his place will be three-year veteran Olu Oluwatimi.
Oluwatimi started eight games for the Seahawks in 2024, and he was just meh. The probability of him being improved this season is good; however, as new offensive line coach John Benton has done a great job making an underwhelming unit for many years into a solid one this season. Oluwatimi was involved in 33 snaps after Sundell's Week 10 injury, and early indications are that the center will be fine.
To be sure, the seemingly simple act of snapping the ball was a problem a few times. On the center's first play after Sundell got hurt, there was a miscue with quarterback Sam Darnold, which caused a fumble that the Arizona Cardinals recovered deep in Seattle territory.
That kind of thing certainly cannot happen against Seattle's much better opponent in Week 11, the Los Angeles Rams. LA is seventh in the NFL, allowing just 3.9 yards per rush, eighth in pressure percentage (24.0), and only fourth in blitz percentage (17.8). This means the Rams trust their front four can supply pressure without help, and for the most part, they have.
Oluwatimi's strength is that he is a far better run-blocker than pass protector. One reason the Seattle Seahawks ran so well in the second half against Arizona is that Oluwatimi was in the game. But how well he protects Sam Darnold in Week 11 could decide the fate of the game, and, at least for a short time, the leader in the NFC West.