Anthony Bradford is walking into camp with something to prove, and maybe a little more runway than most people want to admit.
Right guard has been a lingering problem for the Seattle Seahawks for years, yet Bradford keeps getting the first shot to hold the job when the season opens. That alone says the organization sees something in him that plenty of fans and outside observers do not.
Seattle has also kept trying to find an answer. Christian Haynes, a third-round pick in 2024, was supposed to be part of that solution, but he has been terrible and, according to the source material, even worse in training camp and practice than Bradford. This offseason, general manager John Schneider added Beau Stephens, another name in the mix as the Seahawks search for stability at the spot.
Stephens could be the one who finally takes over. He was elite in college at Iowa, which gives him a real case to push for the starting job. But the more likely outcome, at least for now, is that Bradford is back in the lineup in Week 1.
And there is at least a path where that turns out to be the right call.
To Bradford’s credit, he has never been a complete liability in the run game. He’s a road grader, the kind of blocker who can use his size to drive defenders backward. The trouble has always shown up when he has to move laterally, and that has made him a shaky pass protector for much of his career.
Still, there was a stretch in 2025 that hinted at something better. From Weeks 9 through 15, Bradford did not allow more than two pressures in any game.
In four of those seven games, he gave up none at all. The rough patches came before Week 9 and after Week 15, with the NFC Championship game and Super Bowl standing out in particular, when he allowed nine pressures combined.
That leaves the Seahawks with a real question heading into 2026: was that middle stretch a fluke, or was Bradford starting to figure out what offensive line coach John Benton was trying to teach him?
If he did finally turn a corner, the fit could even work in new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury’s scheme. And if Bradford puts together a strong season, the payoff could be significant. Former Seahawks guard Damien Lewis landed four years and $53 million from the Carolina Panthers in free agency in 2024, and while Lewis was better overall in Seattle, Bradford could put himself in that kind of conversation with the right year.
The other side of that coin is much harsher. If Bradford struggles again in 2026, he could be looking at a future where he is no longer with the Seahawks and has a hard time finding another home. That kind of season would also mean a much smaller payday.
For now, though, Seattle is still giving him the chance. The Seahawks have kept betting on Anthony Bradford when plenty of people have questioned the move. Maybe this is the year that gamble finally starts to pay off.
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