Seahawks 90-Man Roster Rundown: Austin Blythe

Offering starting experience at center and guard, Blythe hopes to put a challenging 2021 season behind him and prove himself once again manning the pivot position for a new-look Seahawks offensive line.

Corbin K. Smith | Jul 24, 2022

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to July and offseason programs wrapped up across the country, NFL training camps will begin around the NFL in less than a month's time. To celebrate the new incoming season, the All Seahawks staff 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 2022 campaign.

Austin Blythe, Center

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 298 pounds

2021 Stats: Four games played, zero starts

Formerly a multi-time state champion in the wrestling-rich state of Iowa, Blythe stayed within state to join the Iowa Hawkeyes, where he would start 45 games during a fantastic career in the Big Ten. Undersized at his position in the eyes of many scouts, he didn't hear his name called until the Colts selected him in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He only lasted one season with his initial team, starting one game and appearing in eight before being cut in May 2017. The Rams swooped in, immediately claiming him off waivers, and by the 2018 season, he had found his way into the starting lineup full time at right guard. Holding his own, he started 32 games before transitioning inside to center during the 2020 season, eventually helping the Rams upset the Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card round. His success didn't follow him to the Chiefs after signing as a free agent, however, as an injury limited him in training camp and rookie Creed Humphrey turned in a fantastic season at the pivot position. As a result, Blythe returned to the free agent market after playing in just four games in 2021 and opted to reunite with Shane Waldron and Andy Dickerson in Seattle.

Best Case Scenario: Healthy and back in a scheme catered to his strengths, Blythe returns to 2020 form under the tutelage of Dickerson and anchors a rapidly improving Seahawks offensive line, providing the most stability the team has had at the position since Justin Britt's departure. With Seattle surprising in the NFC West, he's named a Pro Bowl alternate.

Worst Case Scenario: Unable to get untracked, Blythe struggles in his first training camp and the Seahawks re-open the competition with Kyle Fuller and Dakoda Shepley receiving first-team reps. While he maintains the starting job initially, he winds up being benched midway through the season in favor of Fuller and isn't re-signed next spring.

What to Expect in 2022: Prior to a nightmare of a season in Kansas City, Blythe had established himself as a reliable starter-caliber lineman in Los Angeles, where Waldron and Dickerson served as assistants under coach Sean McVay. While he isn't a mauler and can be physically overwhelmed at times by strong interior defenders, he's an outstanding communicator and moves fluidly laterally, which allows him to excel as a blocker on zone concepts. Potentially playing with two rookie tackles from the outset, his knowledge and experience playing in Waldron's offense will be invaluable for the line to weather early storms and become a cohesive unit. For that reason alone, his starting spot should be all but secured. If he shows improvements in pass protection - he allowed seven sacks in 2019 and 2020 for the Rams - and rounds back into form as a run blocker, he could still play his way into consideration as the long-term answer the Seahawks have been looking for at the pivot position.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Roster Profiles

Published Jul 24, 2022

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.