Seahawks Retain Offensive Line Depth, Tender ERFA Kyle Fuller

The Seahawks have made their first move in building offensive line depth for 2021, retaining one of their exclusive rights free agents.

The Seahawks are not only in need of two interior offensive line starters this offseason, but depth as well. Several members of their 2020 unit - starting center Ethan Pocic included - are no longer under contract, so filling out their ranks by midsummer may be a relatively lengthy task. 

One player who will be returning to Seattle in 2021 is Kyle Fuller. Per ESPN's Brady Henderson, the Seahawks have tendered Fuller a one-year contract for the upcoming season. The 27-year old interior lineman was an exclusive rights free agent and will earn $850,000 determined by the amount of credited seasons he's logged (three or more games played per year), per OverTheCap.com.

Fuller began the 2020 season on a two-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on substances of abuse. After serving his time off, Seattle kept him on the roster through the whole season and eventually threw him into game action in the second half.

Fuller's biggest moment of the season came in a Week 10 Seahawks loss to the Rams where he filled in at center for the injured Pocic. It was his first start since 2017 and he drew the toughest possible matchup, lining up directly across from future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. 

The game played out about as expected for Fuller. He failed to contain the Rams' daunting defensive line, earning abysmal pass and run block grades from Pro Football Focus of 16.1 and 45.2, respectively. Though he didn't give up a sack, he was credited for five allowed pressures. 

While retaining Fuller was expected, the Seahawks' willingness to stick with him despite his suspension and late season struggles proves just how much they like him. For now, he'd likely be the team's starting center if the season started today, but that will change over the coming weeks. However, when projecting how everything could shake out between now and September, Fuller appears to have a strong chance to start the year on their active roster.