Expecting any rookie to do well immediately in the NFL might be expecting too much. Any first-year employee is bound to have some struggles, no matter the walk of life. But Seattle Seahawks right guard Christian Haynes failed more than most last season.
Not only did the third-round draft pick not work his way into starting at right guard, a position that needed someone (anyone) to step forward, make the spot their own, and be halfway decent, but he eventually even lost ground to later-round selection Sataoa Laumea. Not exactly the way you want to start your career.
Haynes seemingly even lost the respect of some of the coaching staff, but by ill-prepared and too laid-back in his work ethic. Maybe he simply didn't know how to be a professional, but he also did not appear to know how to reach that level of knowledge.
Seattle Seahawks offensive lineman Christian Haynes struggles with fundamentals
To be fair, however, most of the Seahawks' offensive line, save for left tackle Charles Cross, underwhelmed in 2024 (and in the years prior). Perhaps, the biggest issue was the coaching staff, and not that Haynes was just a bad draft pick who would never amount to much of a player.
This offseason, Seattle hired a new offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, and along with him a new offensive line coach, John Benton. Benton has been in the league for a very long time, so if anyone was going to make Christian Haynes a better player, Benton was the guy.
Maybe that still happens, but so far in training camp, Haynes has once again failed. He is definitely running behind Anthony Bradford, himself an underperforming lineman, at right guard, and he also appears to be behind center/guard Jalen Sundell at the spot, too. Haynes is also getting some work at center, though.
The problem is that while Christian Haynes has the size at 6'3" and 320 pounds to play in the middle of the offensive line, he has shown a lack of ability to do the most fundamental skill: Snap the ball.
Haynes has been slow snapping the ball, has struggled to get the ball directly to the quarterback when the QB is lined up in shotgun, and then Haynes has issues going from snapping to blocking. This could stem from the right guard not having played center in the league, but other players have struggled less doing the same thing.
The Seattle Seahawks are likely going to keep Christian Haynes around. A third-round pick usually has value and is expected to develop into a starter. Or Seattle could see that they have Olu Oluwatimi and Sundell at center, and Bradford and Laumea at right guard, and feel there is no room for Haynes. His future with the team might be decided by how the rest of training camp plays out.