Seattle's starting offensive line also isn't necessarily set for this season, either. Oluwatimi should start at center. Lewis will be replaced by veteran Laken Tomlinson. Right guard is still a mystery, and so is right tackle to a degree. The former spot should belong to Abe Lucas but he has had knee issues for a while now and is still working his way back from offseason surgery. Plus, left tackle Charles Cross has been better than most seem to admit.
In a best-case scenario, Tomlinson is a more consistent performer than Lewis was, Oluwatimi is a huge upgrade over 2023 starter Evan Brown, right guard is held down long-term by 2024 draft pick Christian Haynes, and Lucas finds a way to stay healthy for a full season. There are likely too many unknowns there for all of them to work out, but possibly a few of them could.
Seattle Seahawks offensive line gets disrespected in recent ranking by Pro Football Focus
The worst-case, of course, is that Oluwatimi does not turn out to be the player that Seattle hoped he would be when they chose him in the 2023 draft and he is a turnstile to opposing pass rushers, Lucas gets injured early and remains out for most of the season, Tomlinson looks old and is on the last legs of his career, and right guard is a rotating mess of underperforming players. This has as much a chance of being true as the best-case option.
Pro Football Focus (subscription required) believes far more in the bad option. They have the Seahawks' O-line ranked as the second-worst unit in the NFL. There is a flaw in their theory, though. PFF projects 2023 draft pick Anthony Bradford to start at right guard - he was a part-time starter last year - but more likely as the season wears on, Christian Haynes will be the starter and an upgrade at the position.
PFF also writes, "The Seahawks moved on from starters Evan Brown and Damien Lewis, and their interior trio consists of former backups —Olusegun Oluwatimi and Anthony Bradford..." Former backups? That's weird. Oluwatimi and Bradford were rookies last year so while they have been "backups" in the league, only for one season while they were working toward hopefully starting in the second season.
PFF's implication about Oluwatimi, specifically, is where the falsehood in the ranking of the Seahawks with the 31st-best (?) offensive line in 2024 lies. Oluwatimi's emergence should be a positive and not dismissed that he was a backup last year. Plus, Seattle's O-line should be better under the direction of new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and new offensive line coach Scott Huff.
