The Seahawks got one preseason game in the books, and the offensive line picture already looks a lot less blurry.
Seattle opened against its second-team front with Josh Jones and Bobby Hart at tackle, Mason Richman and Christian Haynes at guard, and Olu Oluwatimi at center. That group handled the first drive well, moving the ball quickly and finishing with a touchdown. The same five stayed on the field for a few more drives that were less productive before line coach John Benton started rotating pieces, and from there the offense unraveled over the final three quarters.
Even with the usual preseason caution tape still up, the first game said plenty about where this group stands. My read: eight of Seattle’s nine or ten offensive linemen are already set, and a ninth is probably locked in too. The only real roster question, assuming health doesn’t throw everything off, is whether the Seahawks carry a tenth lineman when cutdown time comes.
Jones looks like the cleanest call on the depth chart. That hardly comes as a surprise. He was strong when pressed into action last season and profiles as the steady backup if Charles Cross or Abraham Lucas misses time.
Richman is the more interesting development. Seattle took him with the 234th pick in the 2025 draft, and he’s already pushing past a few guards with stronger draft resumes, including Christian Haynes and Bryce Cabeldue.
After spending most of last season at tackle, Richman has emerged as the team’s best reserve guard so far this year. He was sharp in the run game early and handled stunts and twists well in pass protection.
Put Jones and Richman together, and they looked like a perfectly functional starting pair.
Oluwatimi didn’t make much noise, and Federico Maranges could still make this a discussion, but that feels like a long shot. Right now, Jones, Richman, and Oluwatimi look like the primary backup linemen Seattle wants in place.
That leaves a crowded fight for the final one or two spots. Rookie Beau Stephens seems hard to leave off the roster.
He’s currently behind Haynes on the depth chart, and Haynes got the start Saturday, but Stephens brings the kind of upside teams don’t like walking away from. Haynes moved well, yet the right side didn’t generate much push in the run game while he was out there.
Cabeldue, who seemed to have carved out a role midway through his rookie year, suddenly has more ground to make up with Richman and Stephens both climbing.
If Mike Macdonald keeps a fourth tackle, the battle appears to be between Amari Kight and Bobby Hart, with Logan Brown also in the mix. None of the three had a strong day. Hart and Brown were on the field late when Seattle’s line looked its roughest, and that only strengthened the sense that Kight may have the edge for that last spot.
There’s also a strategic angle here. With Jones and Richman looking ready, Seattle can afford to lean toward younger players with higher ceilings instead of defaulting to veterans who may feel safer in the short term.
And the long view is encouraging. Abraham Lucas is the oldest starter on the line at 27, which says plenty about where this unit could be headed.
The starting group should grow together, and with Jones, Richman, and Oluwatimi, the Seahawks already have a solid reserve core behind them. Unless injuries turn the season sideways, this line should be in pretty good shape.
In Other News...
Seahawks Preseason Opener Raised A Troubling Question About This Offense
Seattles preseason opener against Dallas offered an early look at Brian Fleurys first game calling the offense, but the bigger takeaway was how uneven the unit looked in a 17-7 loss. With a new coordinator in place and Christian Parker making his debut on the Cowboys defensive side, the Seahawks spent much of the night sorting through a choppy offensive performance while the defense tried to keep things within reach.
There were still a few bright spots in the building. Tyrice Knight was active throughout the night and Rashad Rochelle sparked the crowd with a long punt return that gave Seattle a much better field position late in the third quarter. Even so, the game raised a familiar preseason concern for Seattle: whether this offense can find enough rhythm soon enough to make the new system feel like a step forward rather than a reset. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Macdonald Sends Early Warning After Seahawks Sloppy Opener
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What stood out most was the coachs focus on the basics, not a single busted play or one side of the ball. He said the Seahawks need cleaner communication, better alignment and sharper execution on both offense and defense, a reminder that even after a championship run there is no shortcut to looking like a complete team again. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Suddenly Have A Backup QB Problem Fans Can See
The Seahawks first preseason game against the Cowboys offered plenty to sort through, but the most jarring takeaway came from the quarterback room. Tyrice Knight was one of the brighter spots on a rough night, yet the offense as a whole struggled to find rhythm, and the evaluation of the backups quickly turned into a broader conversation about how much trust the team can place behind the starter.
Jalen Milroe drew the sharpest criticism for slow processing and shaky decisions, and that matters because Seattle is trying to build confidence in the depth chart, not raise more questions about it. When the play under center looks uneven and the other options on the roster dont separate themselves, preseason becomes less about reps and more about whether the Seahawks have a real answer waiting if they need one. [Read more 🡒]