Seattle Seahawks: Retooled offensive line is key to 2020 success
Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks. (Photo by JC Winker, via Flickr)
Whether the Seattle Seahawks let Russ cook or ground and pound opponents into submission, they’ll need their rebuilt offensive line to play better than unit did in 2019.
12s know the excellence quarterback Russell Wilson is capable of in any given week. He has outstanding weapons among his wide receivers, and the tight end group is both deep and talented. If that wasn’t enough, the Seattle Seahawks also have a pair of 1,000 yard running backs ready to trample opposing defenses. For as good as the skill position players are, none of it matters if the men in the trenches don’t get the job done.
Seahawks General Manager took some heat in the offseason when he jettisoned 60 percent of his starting offensive line and a few key subs. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Seattle’s O-Line was 28th best in the NFL last year. What they had didn’t work. By changing personnel, the Seahawks have a better chance of improving the status quo. Frankly, it couldn’t get much worse.
In other words, Germain Ifedi, George Fant, D.J. Fluker, Joey Hunt, and Justin Britt, thanks for your service, but for the same money or less, we can do better without you. Seattle signed B.J. Finney, Brandon Shell, and Cedric Ogbuehi as free agents; and drafted Damien Lewis in the third round of this year’s draft.
So the Seattle Seahawks opened the training camp with up to four possible OL positions up for grabs among a group of new faces and a few familiar ones. Competition is a good thing and by all reports has brought out the best in those involved.
This year, a bad block or missed assignment could be the difference between winning the NFC West, earning a Wild-Card slot, or missing the playoffs altogether. For a team with championship aspirations, the last of those outcomes is unacceptable.