Rookies arrive this week, and veterans a week later. Then, on July 25, the Seattle Seahawks begin defense of their 2025 NFL championship with the first practice of training camp, 2026. Under John Schneider's stewardship, the Seahawks have fielded a young team that is also a veteran team. The roster is deep, filled with stars and quality role players at virtually every position. But it isn’t perfect.
Seattle lost four major contributors to free agency this offseason.
That’s par for the course for a champion. Schneider did replace them with modest free agent moves of his own, but he saved most of his salary cap ammo for re-upping Rashid Shaheed and Josh Jobe, while recognizing he will need a lot of flexibility to retain several of his major young stars in the near future. That work has already begun, but there will be much more to do.
Seattle Seahawks' biggest training camp battle to watch in 2026
Despite the losses, Seattle has an excellent roster. Those modest free agents will compete with the 2026 draft class and a lot of holdovers from 2025 who will be looking for bigger roles this year. The process of sorting that out begins in earnest with the start of training camp.
There will be battles for depth positions up and down the roster, but one of the few starting-level fights will come at right guard. Incumbent Anthony Bradford begins as the starter, but there are a lot of young players eager to show that they deserve a shot.
This is nothing new for Bradford. From his rookie season, questions have been raised about his long-term viability. He was called on in that first year to step in for the injured Phil Haynes. Bradford was himself injured in the second half of 2024.
Last year, he played more than 1,000 snaps for a Super Bowl champion. You would think that would earn him some grace. Not so. In the Super Bowl, a couple of New England’s young linemen struggled mightily. There may be some consequence as a result, but no one is seriously calling for Jared Wilson or Will Campbell to be jettisoned.
Bradford’s struggles were obvious last year – never more so than in the NFC Championship game against the Rams. He gave up one sack and four pressures. He committed a penalty. As a run blocker, he was adequate. But that pass protection? It has been an issue since his rookie season, and unfortunately, it simply has not gotten any better since 2023.
So could Seattle really be looking to replace a starting lineman from a Super Bowl-winning team?
If you look at John Schneider’s recent draft history, it is obvious the Seahawks are not entirely satisfied with the line play. After getting his two starting tackles in the 2022 draft, the Seahawks’ GM has selected nine offensive linemen in the past four drafts.
And that doesn’t count the undrafted free agent he signed in 2024 who now starts at center. Seven of those nine picks remain with the club, though only two are current starters. That’s a lot of recent draft capital slugging it out for roster spots and playing time.
Bradford’s primary competition could come from the newest of those draftees. Schneider gave a fourth-round pick in next year’s draft to select Beau Stephens in the fifth round. Stephens is an excellent prospect. He excelled on a fine Iowa offensive line.
He is a powerful run blocker who also has solid pass-blocking credentials. He probably would have been drafted higher if not for concerns over injuries – both large and small – that plagued him in college.
So one of the first things to look for as training camp begins concerns Stephens’ ability to stay on the field. If he begins missing practices here and there, that is a potential red flag.
Assuming he does remain healthy, it will be interesting to see if he begins taking reps with the starters. He may not be as good a straight-ahead, man blocker as Bradford right now.
Say what you like about Bradford, the man is a powerhouse who can drive defenders off the line if he latches on. But Stephens also has at least some of that ability, and he will probably fare better on and trap schemes.
And if he can hold his own against the Seahawks' interior pass rushers, it seems probable he will get serious consideration as a starter.
Of course, Beau Stephens is not the only player with eyes on Bradford’s starting spot. A couple of other recent draft picks – Christian Haynes and Bryce Cabeldue – will be in the mix. Haynes has had chances in the past, and this might be his final opportunity in Seattle.
Cabeldue showed some early promise as a rookie last year, but when it mattered late in the season, veteran Josh Jones and rookie Amari Kight seemed to have moved ahead of him. Kight plays tackle, and Jones can play both tackle and guard.
And don’t rule out even more radical juggling. Center Jalen Sundell did not play guard in college, but he excelled at both center and tackle. With Olu Oluwatimi in the fold, perhaps line coach John Benton will experiment with moving Sundell. That may result in putting the best five linemen on the field.
That last possibility is not likely. But Seattle is almost certainly going to try out different alignments in camp. That does not mean Bradford is out. However, his rookie deal expires after this season, and it seems as if the Seahawks are thinking about life after Anthony Bradford. That could begin as early as July 25.
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