12s know that Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider does not care to draft an interior offensive lineman high in the draft. Nor does he spend a lot of cash on IOL free agents. He often tries to pick up aging veteran linemen in hopes they have one or two good years left. This was the case with the signing of Laken Tomlinson in 2024.
The issue was that Tomlinson was a decent pass blocker, but he was atrocious at run blocking. He was not the only reason that the Seahawks could not run well this season, but he certainly did not help the situation. Plus, Tomlinson was only following the same pattern he had had his entire career.
The left guard also did not cost Seattle much money, though. His cap number was $3.25 million. He is a free agent again this offseason, and he could be back with Seattle as long as his contract demands are not outrageous. Bringing him back would not fix the run blocking, though, and Seattle would enter the 2025 season with the same issue it had in 2024 and before.
Seattle Seahawks should be aggressive in trying to sign right guard Kevin Zeitler
Should Seattle be able to spend a bit more money (the team is currently over the projected salary cap this offseason) but get higher quality, and a more versatile guard, the team should be aggressive in signing Kevin Zeitler. Zeitler played with the Detroit Lions in 2024. The entire Lions offensive line was quite good, but a reason for that was the veteran presence of Zeitler.
He has played almost exclusively right guard in his 13-year career, but the Seahawks also have a problem there. If the team does believe in one of its young guards, such as Sataoa Laumea, they could flip to the left side and Zeitler could play the right. This would immediately and greatly improve Seattle's line. Or, the team could also re-sign Tomlinson who would still be better than any other guard on the current roster.
He also stays healthy. He has played at least 15 games a season in every year since 2014.
Last season with the Lions, the right guard had a cap hit of $5.97 million. Teams are not going to overspend for him anymore because he will be 35 years old at the start of next season. He has shown no signs of digressing in high efficiency, though, and he is an even better run blocker than pass protector, though he does both well.
This season, Zeitler allowed 18 total pressures, and he has allowed 21 or fewer in each of his last four seasons, all of which have come after he turned 30. He is also smart and does not hurt his team with silly penalties. Seattle has had a rash of those issues over the last few years. Zeitler was penalized just twice this season.
He will likely command a contract close to what he earned this season. Still, $6 million is not too much to pay a proven veteran who will augment Seattle's offensive line.
