Seahawks Lose Former Starting C Ethan Pocic to Browns

Pocic started 40 games during his tenure in Seattle, but the franchise decided to go a different direction at center following another season negatively impacted by injuries.

After five seasons in the Pacific Northwest, versatile lineman Ethan Pocic is heading to the southern shores of Lake Erie.

According to Jordan Schultz, Pocic has agreed to terms with the Browns on a one-year contract. Financial details have yet to be revealed.

Drafted in the second round out of LSU in 2017, Pocic started 11 games as a rookie at left guard for the Seahawks. Injuries hindered him over the next two seasons, however, as he lost his starting job to J.R. Sweezy early in the 2018 season and then missed all but four games the following year with multiple injured reserve stints.

But following the decision to release long-time starting center Justin Britt before the 2020 season, Pocic beat out B.J. Finney to earn the job in training camp. He wound up starting 14 games at the pivot position for the eventual NFC West champions and the team re-signed him to a new one-year deal last March.

Continuing to struggle with durability, Pocic missed most of training camp last August with a hamstring injury, allowing Kyle Fuller to steal the Week 1 starting nod. Pocic then injured his knee in the season opener, leading to a three-week stay on injured reserve.

Eventually, Pocic supplanted Fuller in the lineup in a Week 8 win over Jacksonville and wound up playing some of his best football while starting Seattle's final 10 games. Ranking 10th among qualified centers, he earned the highest run blocking grade of his career (76.0) from Pro Football Focus, helping Rashaad Penny explode for over 700 rushing yards in the final six games of the 2021 season. He also was only penalized once.

In contrast, Pocic didn't perform as well in pass protection as he did in 2020. He allowed more quarterback hits and the same number of pressures (18) on roughly half as many pass protection snaps compared to the season prior and earned a dismal 43.8 grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 31st out of 33 qualified centers with 500 or more snaps.

Due to his inability to stay healthy and inconsistent play both as a pass protector and run blocker, the Seahawks opted to go a different direction this offseason. Instead of re-signing Pocic, the team signed former Rams starter Austin Blythe, who previously played for offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and offensive line coach Andy Dickerson and knows their scheme inside and out.

Behind Blythe, Seattle re-signed Fuller to a one-year deal after not tendering him as a restricted free agent. The team also will bring back Dakoda Shepley, who was claimed off waivers from San Francisco last September and dressed for eight games in 2021.

With Pocic's departure, the Seahawks officially have only one player - running back Chris Carson - remaining on the roster from their 2017 draft class. Joining the Browns, he will now have a chance to compete against former Washington standout Nick Harris to replace long-time starter JC Tretter, who was released as a cap casualty earlier this offseason.