For the second time in four years, the Seahawks moved off a successful starting quarterback and did not retool via the draft. Like Geno Smith in 2022, Sam Darnold has worked out early in his Seattle starter debut.
The Seahawks have done a decent job protecting their free agency addition, marking an improvement from Smith’s third and final season at the helm. But the team is believed to be on the lookout for O-line help ahead of the trade deadline, veteran insider Jordan Schultz notes.
Seattle has turned to the trade market to help fortify its front in previous years of John Schneider‘s GM regime, having traded for Duane Brown (2017) and Gabe Jackson (2021). Seattle’s current front five is entirely homegrown, with four draft choices and UDFA Jalen Sundell in place as starters. Sundell won the team’s center competition this offseason, and right guard Anthony Bradford won the battle to retain that gig.
This retooled (via Sundell and ex-North Dakota State teammate Grey Zabel) O-line has drawn mixed reviews. ESPN’s pass and run block win rate metrics respectively rank Seattle’s front 11th and 10th, while Pro Football Focus slots it 19th overall. Bradford has emerged as a potential trouble spot, with PFF slotting the Seahawks’ RG 74th among guard regulars (out of 82 qualified options). He has also surrendered the third-highest pressure rate among guards with at least 200 snaps, per The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar. The former fourth-round pick has made 28 career starts, being Seattle’s primary RG for three seasons.
The Seahawks have versatile backup Josh Jones as a swing option, while reserve center Olu Oluwatimi resides as an interior option. (Ex-third-round pick Christian Haynes is in the IR-return window.) When Sundell won the center job out of training camp, Oluwatimi — Seattle’s initial Connor Williams replacement last season — was announced as the center option in the event Bradford went down. In that scenario, Sundell would have slid to right guard. The Seahawks have kept Sundell at center during the season’s first half. PFF has graded Sundell 27th among center regulars thus far.
Mike Macdonald said the Seahawks did not consider O-line changes during the bye week, but a trade would stand to demote either Bradford or Sundell. For guard options, Dugar lists veterans Kevin Zeitler, Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio. Both 30-somethings are in contract years. The Browns and Titans blockers are currently protecting rookie QBs, which could make their teams hesitant to deal. It would surprise if Cleveland entertained trading both its guards, but with Bitonio in perhaps his final season, it could make sense for the team to see if the career-long northeast Ohio resident would want to be dealt to a contender. Teller, three years younger than Bitonio, also came up as an extension candidate earlier this year.
Jets LG John Simpson is also in a contract year and is playing for a regime that did not acquire him. Evan Neal is believed to be available, but at this point, the disappointing top-10 Giants pick — who has not played in a game this season — would profile more as a backup than a player who would usurp a starting guard. Dugar points to a low-profile trade being the buyer’s move the Seahawks could make, as the roster is in fairly good shape. A final decision will be due at 3pm CT November 4.
