Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primer: Damien Lewis

An instant day one starter for the Seahawks, Lewis garnered All-Rookie Team honors after starting all 16 games and his best football looks to be ahead of him. Set to flip to the left side of the line with Gabe Jackson's arrival, could the former LSU standout emerge as a star in his sophomore season?

Corbin K. Smith | Jul 18, 2021

With the calendar flipping to July and offseason programs recently wrapping up, NFL training camps will begin around the league in less than a month. To celebrate the new incoming season, we will be breaking down the Seahawks' 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2021 campaign.

Damien Lewis, Guard

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 327 pounds

2020 Stats: Three sacks allowed in 16 starts

Mid-round draft picks rarely emerge as day one starters on the offensive line, especially during an unprecedented season where traditional OTAs and minicamps were axed due to a pandemic. But from the moment he arrived at the VMAC for training camp, Lewis was inserted into the starting lineup at right guard and never looked back, starting all 16 games for the Seahawks as a rookie, including a surprise start at center in place of injured starter Ethan Pocic. The third-round selection out of LSU was far from perfect, as he committed a league-high 12 penalties and Pro Football Focus credited him with 28 quarterback pressures allowed on 633 pass blocking snaps. But while he's a work in progress in pass protection, Lewis instantly became one of the best run blocking guards in the game, using his brute strength and physicality to maul opponents at the point of attack and earn an 81.5 run blocking score from PFF, second-best behind only Quenton Nelson with 900-plus snaps. Capping off a wildly successful first season, he was named to the PFWA's All-Rookie Team in January.

Best Case Scenario: Building off his stellar rookie campaign, Lewis once again starts all 16 games and after cutting his penalties in half and allowing just a pair of sacks, he's named a Second-Team All-Pro selection and makes his first Pro Bowl squad anchoring Seattle's offensive line.

Worst Case Scenario: Though Lewis continues to excel at run blocking, he endures another rough season protecting Russell Wilson and allows five sacks on the season, playing a key role in the offense underperforming and the Seahawks consequently missing the playoffs.

What to Expect in 2021: Thanks to the arrival of veteran Gabe Jackson in an offseason trade with the Raiders, Lewis will be sliding over to the left guard position for the Seahawks, which might potentially create some adaptation issues early in the season in a new scheme coordinated by Shane Waldron. But moving to the left side also means he will have the benefit of playing alongside standout left tackle Duane Brown, whose veteran presence should help him in a myriad of ways. Oozing with toughness, Lewis has already established himself as a top-10 run blocker in the league and if he's able to cut back on penalties and become more consistent in pass protection, he could be a borderline Pro Bowl or even All-Pro player in 2021. Such a development would be a game changer for the franchise following years of playing musical chairs at both guard positions.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primers

Published Jul 18, 2021

CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.