The Seattle Seahawks expected their offensive line to be a strength again in 2026. Instead, five games in, the surprising problem has shown up on the left side, where Grey Zabel has gone from promising rookie to the unit’s most worrisome performer.
That’s a sharp turn from what Seattle saw last season. Zabel was solid at left guard as a rookie, and the belief was that he’d take another step forward.
Instead, he’s been less efficient than he was in his first year, and two of his last three games have been especially rough. Against the Washington Commanders in Week 3, he gave up four quarterback pressures, all of them hurries.
In Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers, he surrendered four more pressures, including a sack.
The numbers tell the story. Last season, Zabel allowed four pressures in a game only once through Week 14, and over the full year he gave up just two sacks, both in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Rams. This season, he has already matched that four-pressure mark twice, and the trend is headed the wrong way.
What makes it more jarring is that many Seahawks fans would have guessed the issue would come on the right side. Anthony Bradford, the longtime starter at right guard, had struggled for years and was in the final season of his rookie contract before getting hurt in Week 1. Since then, Christian Haynes and rookie Beau Stephens have handled the spot.
And they’ve actually been better than Zabel has been on the left. In Week 5, the right guard position allowed just one pressure.
In Week 3, Haynes and Stephens didn’t allow any. Week 4 was tougher for Haynes, but overall right guard has outperformed left guard this season.
It’s not time to sound the alarm just yet on Zabel. He already showed last year that he can play well, and there’s a chance he’s still adjusting to the slightly changed blocking scheme under new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury.
There’s still reason to think he can turn it around, and the Seahawks could end up feeling good about the right guard spot too if Beau Stephens keeps the job and holds it for years. But Zabel needs to stabilize fast. Denver is next, and the Broncos are excellent defensively.
In Other News...
Leonard Williams Changes The Feel Of Seahawks Niners Week 5
Leonard Williams is trending the right way at just the right time for Seattle. After dealing with an ankle injury, the veteran defensive lineman was back to full practice participation and is expected to start in Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers, giving the Seahawks a needed boost up front as they head into one of their most familiar division matchups.
The injury report, though, still has plenty of moving parts on both sides. Seattle is set to be without running backs Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price, cornerback Julian Neal and linebacker Chazz Surratt, while San Francisco will be missing edge rusher Nick Bosa and fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Williams return changes the look of the game for Seattle, but it also adds another layer to a meeting already shaped by absences. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Niners Clash Took An Ugly Turn Fans Need To See
The Seahawks-49ers rivalry got heated in a hurry when San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw was ejected after a sideline altercation with Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV. The flashpoint came after a personal foul penalty for a late hit on Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold, turning a physical game into something even uglier in front of a crowd that was already locked into every hard hit and extra shove.
Greenlaws latest outburst adds another chapter to a profile that has already drawn attention for moments like his profanity-laced confrontation with Broncos head coach Sean Payton after a previous game. For Seattle, the immediate concern is less about the aftermath and more about the kind of edge this matchup keeps producing, because when emotions spill over this quickly, the next snap can feel like it matters even more. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Fans Are Still Arguing Over The Call That Ended It
A tense Week 5 loss to the 49ers is still hanging over Seattle, and for good reason. The Seahawks pushed San Francisco to the edge before falling 32-29, with the game turning on a controversial fourth-and-10 ruling late in the fourth quarter after officials judged Cooper Kupp short of the first-down marker when he went out of bounds.
The call was upheld on review, wiping out Seattles comeback push and helping the 49ers stay unbeaten through their first five games. Even after the final whistle, the sequence has kept Seahawks fans arguing over what they saw and what the officials decided, a frustrating finish in a game that felt very much within reach. [Read more 🡒]