The Seattle Seahawks used the first week of free agency to shore up a handful of positions of need, including adding a wide receiver and bringing back an old friend on the defensive line in Bruce Irvin.
However, most of the overhaul has been done on the offensive line, where the team has signed four new players and let two players, George Fant and Germain Ifedi, leave via free agency.
Although there are likely still moves to be made, including potential cuts, more signings and of course the NFL draft, we are going to take a look at how things project out on Seattle’s offensive line as of now, and what they could look like come September.
Starting Left Tackle: Duane Brown
Left tackle is, without a doubt, the most solidified starting spot on Seattle’s offensive line. Veteran Duane Brown is under contract through 2021, and unless he suffers an injury he will start every game at LT until that contract runs out.
Of course, Brown’s advanced age can’t be ignored, and he did miss four games last season. When he is unable to play, the team will likely turn to either Brandon Shell or Cedric Ogbuehi as a backup – depending which one is starting at right tackle in place of Germain Ifedi (more on that later).
Seattle has more depth options at tackle as well, including Jamarco Jones (who is expected to compete for a starting guard spot) as well as B.J. Finney and Ethan Pocic, who have both played some tackle in the past.
Ultimately, however, this job will not have a training camp competition attached to it unless something happens to Brown.
Starting Left Guard: Jamarco Jones
Assuming Mike Iupati does not return, which seems unlikely, the Seahawks will have a wide open competition for the starting left guard job this summer.
Jamarco Jones, who was originally drafted as a tackle, seems like the early front runner for the position, based on his strong work as a replacement at both left and right guard last season.
Jones will face competition from returners Phil Haynes and Ethan Pocic, who both played some guard last year, as well as newcomers B.J. Finney and Chance Warmack.
Finney and Pocic can both play center, which may make them more likely to begin the season as versatile bench pieces, but Haynes and Warmack will no doubt push Jones for the job.
The team also has Jordan Roos, Demetrius Knox and Kyle Fuller on hand as depth options, and they are reportedly interested in bringing back free agent Jordan Simmons as training camp competition as well.
Left guard will be one of the more interesting battles to watch in training camp this summer.
Starting Center: Justin Britt
For now. Britt is a strong candidate to be released, as he would clear over $11 million in cap space in the final year of his contract.
Considering the team re-upped with Joey Hunt (assuming he signs his RFA tender) and also signed B.J. Finney, it seems likely that Britt will be looking for a new team in 2020.
If that is the case, Hunt and Finney will battle Ethan Pocic for the starting center job.
It will likely come down to Pocic and Finney, as Hunt proved last year that he’s a better fit in a reserve/backup role. Both Pocic and Finney can play guard spots as well, so whichever one does not end up starting will likely still have a valuable role on the team, and could even win a starting spot elsewhere along the line depending how everything else shakes out.
Kyle Fuller and Jordan Roos are both on hand as well, and have some experience at center in case of an emergency.
Starting Right Guard: D.J. Fluker
While I think it’s very likely the team cuts Justin Britt to clear cap space, it’s also possible they’ll cut D.J. Fluker for the same reason – although I ultimately think that is less likely as they’ll want to keep at least one of their starting guards around from last year.
Fluker struggled in his second season in Seattle, battling with injuries but also getting beat frequently in pass protection and seeing a spike in his penalties.
Ultimately, however, he is still the frontrunner for a starting spot (assuming he doesn’t get cut) but Finney and Pocic could both compete for this spot as well, along with Phil Haynes and potentially Jamarco Jones if he doesn’t end up starting at left guard.
Chance Warmack has played mostly left guard in his career, so he’s more likely to end up on that side, but he’s an option over there as well.
Just like at left guard, Kyle Fuller, Demetrius Knox and Jordan Roos are depth options, and Jordan Simmons could be as well if he is retained.
Starting Right Tackle: Brandon Shell
It is official. Germain Ifedi will no longer be the right tackle for the Seahawks after he agreed to a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears.
The Seahawks made it pretty clear they weren’t planning to retain his services after they signed both Brandon Shell and Cedric Ogbuehi, who will both compete to replace Ifedi on the right side.
Shell likely has the upper hand, with 25 starts in the last two seasons compared to zero for Ogbuehi – who seems more likely to replace George Fant as the team’s sixth lineman/big tight end.
Seattle could also look at Jamarco Jones, who was originally drafted to be a potential replacement at right tackle but who transitioned to playing guard last season. If Seattle still feels he is best suited to play tackle, he could compete with Shell for this starting spot.
The Seahawks will have a very fluid offensive line situation throughout the summer as they look to build the best unit possible for Russell Wilson and the rest of the offense.
