Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: LT Charles Cross - Most Improved Candidate?

Coming off a steady, if unspectacular rookie season with 17 starts under his belt, the Seattle Seahawks hope to see Charles Cross transform into a top-10 tackle after a full offseason to get stronger and continue refining his technique.

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jul 23, 2023 2:43 PM EDT

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to July and offseason activities in the rearview mirror, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC later this month, officially ushering in the 2023 season.

To celebrate the new incoming season, we'll be detailing every member of 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 2023 campaign.

Charles Cross, Left Tackle

Height/Weight: 6-5, 311 pounds

2022 Stats: Seven sacks, 48 pressures allowed

Starring in pass protection for Mike Leach's Air Raid attack at Mississippi State, Cross allowed just two sacks and 16 pressures on north of 700 pass blocking reps as a junior, earning First-Team All-SEC honors and All-American honors from ESPN and The Sporting News. Rather than return for his senior season, he declared early for the 2022 NFL Draft and with a gaping hole at the left tackle position without veteran Duane Brown under contract, the Seahawks used their ninth overall pick acquired in the Russell Wilson trade to select the Mississippi native as Brown's successor.

Without any clear competition protecting the blind side, Cross stepped into the lineup as a day one starter for his new team. At times, as expected, he struggled riding a rookie roller coaster, surrendering at least four pressures in five regular season games and battling inconsistency as a run blocker, which was a given considering his limited run blocking experience in college. He also drew nine penalties, a number that will have to be cut down in future seasons. Still, he started all 18 regular season and playoff games for Seattle played some of his best ball down the stretch, including allowing only two pressures against Nick Bosa and a fearsome San Francisco pass rush in the wild card round.

Best-Case Scenario: After an excellent offseason in the weight room, a stronger Cross makes notable improvements against power rushers, cuts his pressures allowed by nearly 20 compared to his rookie season, and displays substantial growth in the run game, helping propel a top-three scoring attack for the Seahawks and earning his first career Pro Bowl selection.

Worst-Case Scenario: Still raw as a run blocker and continuing to have issues with bull rushers off the edge, Cross doesn't make the significant jump that Seattle hopes for and while he has comparable numbers to his rookie year, his lack of progress creates a bit of concern within the organization about his long-term trajectory as a former top-10 draft pick.

What to Expect in 2023: Turning just 22 years old in November, Cross largely exceeded expectations as a rookie considering his lack of refinement as a run blocker and concerns about play strength at the point of attack coming into the league. After yielding nearly 50 pressures during his first season with the Seahawks, the team will be counting on him to trim that number substantially in his sophomore campaign and following a strong offseason program, his development in the run game will bear watching once the pads come out in training camp.

Assuming Cross takes a big step forward towards reaching his lofty ceiling as the organization envisions, he has a chance to emerge as a top-10 left tackle in his second season in Seattle. Even if doesn't quite reach that level of play, steady improvement in pass protection and run blocking departments would go a long ways towards solidifying a young, largely untested offensive line into a viable strength in the present and future for the franchise, setting the offense up for an explosive year. But if his play stagnates, with at least one rookie potentially starting in the interior and two new starters at center and right guard guaranteed, that could be the one thing that truly holds this group back from fulfilling its potential.

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