Week 4 against the Chargers was a quiet one for Seattle’s rookies, and that’s putting it mildly. With Jadarian Price already on injured reserve, Avery Smith inactive again and Bud Clark still sidelined, only two Seahawks rookies even got onto the field.
One of them, Julian Neal, never left special teams. The other, Beau Stephens, kept his hold on a rotating role at right guard.
Stephens logged 25 of Seattle’s 60 offensive snaps, while Christian Haynes handled the other 35 at the position. That split has now held for three straight games, but this one was easily Stephens’ toughest outing yet.
The fifth-round pick had some bright spots, but too many of his reps were derailed by problems with strength, leverage and positioning. On one play, Stephens tried to execute a pull, only for the EDGE to blow up the block.
On another, he got driven backward and forced the running back to bounce the run outside. There were also moments where he simply got out of position early and gave the defender access to the outside gap, with the first step putting him behind before the rep really got going.
Still, Stephens kept battling. That showed up again and again, even on the plays where he lost the leverage battle.
And when he did win cleanly, it was because he used technique and leverage the way he has to, given that he doesn’t bring overwhelming raw power to the job. One of his better reps came when he got good leverage and moved the defender off his spot.
Haynes had a rough day too, and that matters because this rotation already feels temporary. The expectation is that, eventually, the Seahawks will settle on one guard the way they did after Haynes’ rookie season, when Anthony Bradford took over. Haynes has generally graded out better than Stephens, but this was his worst game of the three, which could slow that process down.
His first snap was a mess. He couldn’t get to the defender in time, the pressure got home and it helped lead to Sam Darnold’s bizarre interception.
On another rep, the issue was less about power or athletic ability and more about technique, with poor initial contact opening the door for the defensive tackle to get into the backfield. Haynes also had a better sequence later, including a snatch-and-trap attempt and another snap where he finally got to use his beloved snatch-and-trap move of the week.
Neal’s night was limited to 23 special teams snaps, nine more than he had in the loss to the Commanders, and he was flagged for illegal use of the hands. For now, that’s still his only path to the field on game day. The third-round pick has yet to carve out a defensive role.
Price’s absence was the biggest setback in the rookie group. He missed the game after being placed on injured reserve with a chest injury, which is a frustrating turn after he opened the season as Seattle’s primary rookie running back and built a meaningful role through the first three weeks. His Week 3 against Washington had already been rough, with his second lost fumble in three games cutting into his workload, and now he has to watch Emanuel Wilson and George Holani handle most of the backfield work.
There’s still reason to think Price can matter for Seattle. He flashed enough explosiveness early to justify the early optimism. But when he returns, he’ll have to win back his place in a backfield that may look different by then.
Clark remains on injured reserve as well, while Smith was inactive again despite some encouraging special teams work early in the season. With Seattle having some issues with its cornerback depth, he seemed like a player who might eventually find a lane, but he’s still outside the active rotation.
Four weeks in, Seattle’s rookie class has turned into an unusual story. The Seahawks are getting very little immediate production from the group, but it’s not a clean verdict. Price showed flashes before the injury, Stephens is getting real game reps, Neal still has time to grow into a role, and Clark is expected to become a meaningful piece once healthy.
The problem is simple: very few rookies are actually part of Seattle’s plans right now. And with the schedule about to get significantly tougher, the question is whether the Seahawks keep developing Stephens inside the rotation or finally hand the right guard job to one player full-time.
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