Why the Seahawks Should Stay the Course at Guard-Without Bringing Back Laken Tomlinson
The Seattle Seahawks have a problem at right guard, and it’s not exactly a secret. Anthony Bradford, the second-year lineman out of LSU, has been a mixed bag all season.
One week he looks serviceable, the next he’s a liability. It’s the kind of inconsistency that can derail drives and frustrate quarterbacks.
And yet, the Seahawks keep trotting him out there, hoping something clicks.
Let’s be clear: Bradford isn’t without tools. He’s a big, powerful body who can win reps when he gets his hands on defenders early.
But in today’s NFL, power alone doesn’t cut it-especially in an offensive scheme like Klint Kubiak’s, which demands mobility from its linemen. Bradford struggles to move laterally and mirror athletic defenders.
When the play calls for him to pull or reach the second level, the results are often underwhelming. In a zone-heavy system, that’s a real issue.
Still, as frustrating as Bradford's development has been, the answer isn’t to reach for a quick fix. And that’s exactly what bringing back Laken Tomlinson would be-a short-term patch that doesn’t solve the long-term problem.
Tomlinson, who spent the 2024 season with Seattle before heading to Houston in free agency, is now available again after being released by the Texans following Week 13. But his stint in Houston didn’t exactly inspire confidence.
In seven games, he gave up 11 pressures and three sacks-and that was the better part of his game. His run blocking, which was already in decline, fell off even further.
For a Seahawks offense that needs to create running lanes for Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, that’s a dealbreaker.
It’s also worth noting that Tomlinson has played almost exclusively at left guard throughout his 11-year career-over 7,000 snaps on the left side, and just 65 on the right. Asking a veteran who’s already showing signs of decline to flip sides midseason? That’s a tough ask, and one that rarely works out.
Yes, Tomlinson had a solid run with the 49ers from 2017 to 2021, and during that time he was a reliable, well-rounded starter. But that version of Tomlinson is long gone.
His recent film shows a player who’s lost a step, both in pass protection and in the run game. He was benched in Houston and eventually became a healthy scratch.
That’s not the profile of someone who’s going to stabilize a shaky offensive line.
The Seahawks’ offensive line needs help-no doubt. But the fix isn’t going to come off the waiver wire in December.
This is a problem that needs to be addressed in the offseason, likely in the 2026 NFL Draft. For now, the team is better off continuing to evaluate Bradford, even with the ups and downs.
At least there’s still some developmental upside there.
Bringing back Tomlinson would be a move rooted in familiarity, not function. And in the NFL, sentiment doesn’t win games-execution does.
Seattle has to think long-term when it comes to the trenches. That means resisting the urge to patch holes with aging veterans and instead focusing on building a line that can grow together and hold up over time.
Bradford may not be the answer. But Tomlinson isn’t either.