The Seahawks head into training camp with something most teams would love to have: all five offensive line starters back in place from a Super Bowl 60-winning season a year ago. Charles Cross is set at left tackle, Grey Zabel at left guard, Jalen Sundell at center, Anthony Bradford at right guard and Abe Lucas at right tackle. That kind of continuity gives Seattle a steady base before camp even begins.
The bigger question now is what the depth chart looks like behind those starters, and the early read points to a clear group of primary backups.
Josh Jones is expected to handle the swing tackle job, giving Seattle a veteran option on both the left and right sides. He already showed he can step in when needed, logging 242 snaps at left tackle last season after Cross was injured. That kind of flexibility matters, especially for a team that wants to stay stable if injuries hit.
At guard, rookie Beau Stephens looks like the next man up to watch. The Seahawks may see him as a future starter at right guard, but for now he’s expected to work behind both Zabel and Bradford and pick up second- and third-team reps at camp. Seattle is clearly intrigued by what he could become.
Olu Oluwatimi remains the backup center after losing a position battle to Sundell last offseason and staying in that role ever since. With Sundell having locked down the starting job, there doesn’t appear to be any real competition for that spot this summer.
Christian Haynes is also no longer in the mix to challenge Bradford at right guard. Instead, he may end up battling Stephens for the top backup job at both guard spots during camp. The source material goes so far as to say Haynes might be John Schneider's biggest NFL draft miss in recent years.
In Other News...
Jake Bobo Could Force An Uncomfortable Seahawks Veteran Decision
The Seahawks have spent the summer sorting through a receiver room that suddenly feels deeper and more complicated than it did a year ago. Jake Bobo is part of that conversation again, with the young wideout still trying to carve out a bigger role behind established names while Seattle weighs how the group should look going forward.
Bobos path matters because his camp and preseason work could help determine how much room there is for him in the rotation, especially with Rashid Shaheed expected to handle a larger share of the passing game. Cooper Kupp still brings value and experience, but the emergence of younger options has made every snap at receiver feel a little more consequential for the Seahawks. [Read more 🡒]
Several Seahawks Veterans Enter Camp With No Real Job Security
Training camp always has a way of turning the depth chart into a live document, and this one looks especially unsettled for a handful of Seattle veterans. Uchenna Nwosu, Ty Okada and Christian Haynes are all heading into a stretch where younger players are pushing hard behind them, while the Seahawks are also sorting out the backup quarterback picture as the roster starts to take shape.
For Nwosu, the question is less about what he has done than what the team wants to learn about Derik Hall. Okada has a rookie challenger in Bud Clark as the secondary continues to sort itself out, and Haynes is trying to hold off a wave of younger competition at guard. It is the kind of camp pressure that can sharpen a roster, but it also means a few familiar names are going to spend the next few weeks fighting for the same jobs they thought they had secured. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Open Camp With A Surprise Mike Macdonald Hadn't Seen Yet
The Seahawks opened training camp with a cleaner bill of health than theyve had in a while, and that matters as much for the mood in the building as it does for the roster. Every veteran passed physicals and conditioning tests, leaving Seattle without any players on the nonfootball injury or physically unable to perform lists when camp began, a welcome change for a team trying to build momentum under Mike Macdonald.
It also marked the first time in Macdonalds tenure that the Seahawks got through the opening stretch of camp without anyone failing the conditioning test. Rookie Deven Eastern did land on the PUP list, but with no rookies on NFI and the veterans all cleared, Seattle at least starts camp with a healthier-looking depth chart than it has had at this stage before. [Read more 🡒]