The Seattle Seahawks saw tremendous growth from their offensive line in 2018, the first year under coach Mike Solari.
With four of the five starters returning, the consistency up front will provide a big boost for this Seattle offense in 2019.
“Well, the first thing I feel is consistency,” quarterback Russell Wilson commented on Friday about the offensive line. “I think that’s the most important thing is that consistency from the left to the right.”
The Seahawks return Duane Brown, Justin Britt, D.J. Fluker and Germain Ifedi to the starting unit, while replacing veteran guard J.R. Sweezy with fellow veteran Mike Iupati.
“I think big Mike [Iupati] coming in, his knowledge of the game, his understanding of how to play the game and how to play the guard position at such a high level, is awesome for us too,” Wilson continued. “I think we are going to be really tough. I think we are going to be passionate; I think we are going to be really smart, and those guys are going to give me a really great time.”
The Seahawks not only have a formidable starting five up front, but the addition of rookie guard Phil Haynes and the emergence of young players like Jamarco Jones and Jordan Simmons gives them something they have lacked in the past few years up front: depth.
“What we are going to need is those five guys are going to be the main guys, but you know, six and seven, and maybe number eight, they have to be ready to play too,” Wilson continued. “That’s really important for us, figuring out who those extra few guys are.”
The Seahawks have plenty of competition at the backup spots. In addition to Haynes, Jones, and Simmons, the team also returns Ethan Pocic, Joey Hunt, Jordan Roos and Elijah Nkansah, while adding undrafted free agent Demetrius Knox and free agent Marcus Martin.
Regardless of how the back end of the offensive line shakes out, the consistency up front for Wilson and the rest of the offense will be critical for this team to once again break the double-digit win barrier and find themselves playing meaningful football in January.
