Why '23 will be better than '22: OL

[toffee]

our OL will be better than '22.

LT	Charles Cross	Stone Forsythe		Kendall Randolph
LG	Damien Lewis	Greg Eiland
C	Evan Brown	Olusegun Oluwatimi
RG	Phil Haynes	Anthony Bradford
RT	Abe Lucas	Jake Curhan

1. Tackles: Cross (PFF 63.7) and Lucas (68.5) were flew into fire in their rookie season, both finished at above average league level. One year of experience and growth, yes they are still young and growing, they will be better this season. Same backup, also one more year of experience.
2. C, Brown (64.8) was way better than Austin Blythe (51.9), and we have a exciting rookie Oluwatimi backing him up. Major improvement.
3. LG, Damien Lewis (71.8) on his contract year,
4. RG, Jackson (55) retired, Phil Haynes (57) was signed to take over, but we also have a rookie Anthony Bradford competing for the role.
5. Continuity, same OC, same OL coach, same QB, and 4 return players.

In short, we made major improvement in Center, and minor improvement in RG. Overall, our OL '23 enjoys continuity and some upgrades, This is a better OL.

Agree?

 

[Seahawk_Dan]

I imagine Oluwatimi will be in competition for the starting role off the bat and Bradford may have a legitimate shot at RG as well. It's possible that by Week 1 the offensive line is starting two rookies, two second years, and Lewis by the longest running vet on the squad.

 

[toffee]

I imagine Oluwatimi will be in competition for the starting role off the bat and Bradford may have a legitimate shot at RG as well. It's possible that by Week 1 the offensive line is starting two rookies, two second years, and Lewis by the longest running vet on the squad.

Entirely possible that Bradford out compete Haynes.

 

[toffee]

Rumor on signing Cameron Fleming to backup our sophomore bookends.

Cam Fleming | Denver Broncos T | NFL and PFF stats | PFF

NFL and PFF player stats for Denver Broncos T Cam Fleming on Pro Football Focus.

www.pff.com

 

[Jerhawk]

I like the starters for sure. Let's see if they have the ability to gain some key depth, especially at tackle.

I wonder if they'll utilize Stone Forsythe as a sixth linemen in certain heavy packages just to keep him motivated

 

[renofox]

Entirely possible that Bradford out compete Haynes.

Yes, I hope so. Haynes is good depth but played 485 snaps last year with a PFF of 57 and an eye-test that said he was borderline starter material at RG.

 

[toffee]

This could be our best OL in the past 5 years, agree?

 

[renofox]

This could be our best OL in the past 5 years, agree?

Yes, but that's not saying much.

If Olu Olu and Bradford win a fair competition vs Brown and Haynes, we may have a top 15 OL, or better.

 

[toffee]

Seahawks positioned for fully homegrown offensive line in Week 1 for first time since 2014

It all hinges upon the center position battle between Evan Brown and Olusegun Oluwatimi.

www.fieldgulls.com

 

[bileever]

A lot depends on how big a leap the two tackles can make. It's a big transition going from college to pro ball, so it's amazing they did as well as they did last year. And it bodes well for a second year improvement. But both Cross and Lucas graded better as pass protectors than run blockers. If those two can stay healthy and improve on their run blocking, we will see the offense improve.

I hope they have spent the off-season getting stronger and studying film. As much as any position, the offensive line is a product of hard work and preparation.

And yes, I'm optimistic about the two rookies we drafted, but we won't know what we really have until they put their pads on. Way too early to pencil them in as starters, but if they do end up being better than what we have, watch out!

 

[GemCity]

our OL will be better than '22.

LT	Charles Cross	Stone Forsythe		Kendall Randolph
LG	Damien Lewis	Greg Eiland
C	Evan Brown	Olusegun Oluwatimi
RG	Phil Haynes	Anthony Bradford
RT	Abe Lucas	Jake Curhan

1. Tackles: Cross (PFF 63.7) and Lucas (68.5) were flew into fire in their rookie season, both finished at above average league level. One year of experience and growth, yes they are still young and growing, they will be better this season. Same backup, also one more year of experience.
2. C, Brown (64.8) was way better than Austin Blythe (51.9), and we have a exciting rookie Oluwatimi backing him up. Major improvement.
3. LG, Damien Lewis (71.8) on his contract year,
4. RG, Jackson (55) retired, Phil Haynes (57) was signed to take over, but we also have a rookie Anthony Bradford competing for the role.
5. Continuity, same OC, same OL coach, same QB, and 4 return players.

In short, we made major improvement in Center, and minor improvement in RG. Overall, our OL '23 enjoys continuity and some upgrades, This is a better OL.

Agree?

Agreed Toffee. I think Olu is going to be a monster once he gets his feet wet.

 

[Year of The Hawk]

Not sure where they didn’t improve this off season. No steps back and many forward. Many people talk about young teams needed a couple years to get to the big dance. I don’t believe this to be true. How old were the Hawks overall when they won it all? We have some vets but a young core and great future. Plus if JS keeps drafting this good our future is very bright.

 

[Jville]

Rumor on signing Cameron Fleming to backup our sophomore bookends.

Cam Fleming | Denver Broncos T | NFL and PFF stats | PFF

NFL and PFF player stats for Denver Broncos T Cam Fleming on Pro Football Focus.

www.pff.com

Fleming is more likely to sign elsewhere.

Seahawks return 6 offensive tackles from last year. Although, Greg Eiland has purposely added a lot mass and weight such that he may have greater success inside. Carroll identified the need for swing tackle Forsythe to play and maintain lower pad level. It's an off season goal they no doubt will continue to work on. They need to find a way to get Jake Curhan more snaps.

We will, no doubt, hear more about pad level as we voyage further into the off season. After all, they are carrying a couple of 6'-8" guys on the roster. This will be year 3 for Andy Dickerson. I'm anticipating some new wrinkles on the way to a better blocking game.

By the way, offensive tackle Jalen McKenzie figures to compete for a role.

Kendall Randolph might get a meaningful look as a tackle eligible 6th lineman. Seems to me that there is and un-drafted free agent that they will take a look for a similar role. There are always under the radar projections they look at while making the most of an off season roster.

 

[keasley45]

our OL will be better than '22.

LT	Charles Cross	Stone Forsythe		Kendall Randolph
LG	Damien Lewis	Greg Eiland
C	Evan Brown	Olusegun Oluwatimi
RG	Phil Haynes	Anthony Bradford
RT	Abe Lucas	Jake Curhan

1. Tackles: Cross (PFF 63.7) and Lucas (68.5) were flew into fire in their rookie season, both finished at above average league level. One year of experience and growth, yes they are still young and growing, they will be better this season. Same backup, also one more year of experience.
2. C, Brown (64.8) was way better than Austin Blythe (51.9), and we have a exciting rookie Oluwatimi backing him up. Major improvement.
3. LG, Damien Lewis (71.8) on his contract year,
4. RG, Jackson (55) retired, Phil Haynes (57) was signed to take over, but we also have a rookie Anthony Bradford competing for the role.
5. Continuity, same OC, same OL coach, same QB, and 4 return players.

In short, we made major improvement in Center, and minor improvement in RG. Overall, our OL '23 enjoys continuity and some upgrades, This is a better OL.

Agree?

I think its a good summary. This is the first time in a while that i can look at the depth of the o-line and not be terrified at the prospect of someone going down. In the past, one injury at times could trigger a musical chairs of guys in spots they werent well practiced in. Tihs year, with the exception of the drop-off between Cross and Fprsythe (who should also improve), i thikn we are built much better top to bottom, and front to back.

Will also say that the line play will be aided considerably by an improved run game and wr corp. TOP will improve as we consistently run better, and with the road graders we have inside, we should be able to do that.

Excited about this group.

 

[toffee]

A lot of talk about signing George Fant as backup swing tackle, do we need that since we have two backups in Stone and Jake Curhan. No doubt Fant is more experienced but proven to be league average at best?

 

[Hawkmode]

A lot to like as many of you have noted...the nice thing about a good communicating center is once he gains the QB's trust in setting up pass pro...the less Geno has to look and the quicker the whole O-Line can set...which is important in "making" the defence reveal its starting alignment.

Part of the reason Olu was recognized with rewards was his ability to quickly process what he was seeing and quickly communicate the call along the line at Michigan. Evan Brown is a "center by trade" to ensure Olu isn't "rushed"...Olu won't be "handed" the position.

Toward the end of 2021 Phil Haynes can be seen often "leading the way" in zone blocking for Penny Rashaad "running wild" on tape. A healthy Haynes should prove quite formidable in defending his starting role against Anthony Bradford...in the beginning.

My dark horse based on early camp "chatter" is UDFA Kendall Randolph 6'4" 300lb rookie from Alabama (wearing Jersey #65) (also noted in Post #13 by Jville)

 

[keasley45]

A lot of talk about signing George Fant as backup swing tackle, do we need that since we have two backups in Stone and Jake Curhan. No doubt Fant is more experienced but proven to be league average at best?

I think they'll take Forsythe's potential to be 'average to above average' over Fant's 'average' because Stone is cheaper. No sense overspending for a reserve piece. Too many potential holes elsewhere.

 

[toffee]

I think they'll take Forsythe's potential to be 'average to above average' over Fant's 'average' because Stone is cheaper. No sense overspending for a reserve piece. Too many potential holes elsewhere.

Totally!

 

[bileever]

George Fant has been linked to a bunch of different teams, like the Bears and the Dolphins, and the reported price is $6 to 7 million over two years. That's too steep for what you're getting, an aging, injury-prone, average player. At least we didn't pay him the $27 million the Jets did the last three years.