Seahawks beat reporter says quiet part out loud about recent draft bust

Normally, calling a player a draft bust after one season is unfair. The argument can be made for that. But in the case of one Seattle Seahawks 2024 draft pick, there might be no better way to describe him. Instead of ascending in year two, he apparently has less of a home position than he did as a rookie.

Christian Haynes was chosen in the third round of last year's draft. Through a seemingly poor approach to how to prepare for the season and a game, Haynes was passed over during the season at right guard by another 2024 draft pick after starter Anthony Bradford was injured.

Instead of replacing Bradford with Haynes after the former was injured in Week 12, beginning in Week 13, Haynes took a seat on the bench, and sixth-round choice Sataoa Laumea, someone who had yet to play a down in the NFL, took over right guard. While Laumea wasn't great, the team trusted him more than Haynes.

Christian Haynes appears to have no home on the Seattle Seahawks offensive line

Nothing has changed ahead of the 2025 season, either. Bradford seems cemented at right guard, but Haynes is being bounced around all of the interior offensive line as a backup. The Seahawks clearly are not sure if the 2024 draft pick can help anywhere.

According to The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar, "Bradford winning the right guard job would be bad news for Haynes, who has been playing backup left guard, backup right guard and third-string center at different points in training camp...(Bradford) appears headed for a second consecutive season as a reserve."

Dugar could probably go on and say "third consecutive season" and so on. The excellent writer might just plan on copying and pasting for the next couple of years. Haynes, as he hasn't proven even to the new Seahawks offensive coaching staff any better than he did the 2024 staff, is likely to only lose further ground in the future.

Left tackle, left guard, and (hopefully) right tackle are set for the foreseeable future. If Jalen Sundell or Olu Oluwatimi takes hold of the center spot and plays well, that spot is set, too. Anthony Bradford appears to have firm and long-term control of right guard.

Even if Bradford fails again, Seattle is more likely to choose a guard in the 2026 draft than take another chance on Haynes. The presumed right guard even failed in his reps at center in training camp. He couldn't snap the ball consistently. That is fundamentally ridiculous.

While Christian Haynes is likely to make the roster, he could also be a surprise cut. The Seattle Seahawks chose two offensive linemen in the draft, and maybe the team will choose to keep one of them and make them a backup guard. If Haynes is released, he would be the epitome of a draft bust.