Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: G Phil Haynes - Upgrade in Trenches?

After waiting for his turn behind Gabe Jackson the past two years, Phil Haynes returns to the Seattle Seahawks on a prove-it deal with a prime chance to finally be a full-time starter and potentially work his way back into long-term plans.

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.

Phil Haynes, Guard

Height/Weight: 6-4, 322 pounds

2022 Stats: Four sacks, 18 pressures allowed

A fourth-round selection out of Wake Forest in the 2019 NFL Draft, Haynes struggled through a myriad of injuries during his first two seasons, including missing most of his rookie season on the PUP list recovering from hernia surgery and spending two stints on injured reserve with a hip issue in 2020. After playing just one regular season offensive snaps in his first two years with the Seahawks, the front office dealt for veteran guard Gabe Jackson in March 2021, eliminating a potential starting opportunity for him. But when Jackson and Damien Lewis each missed a game late in the season, the ex-Demon Deacon filled in admirably, allowing just one pressure and helping Rashaad Penny rush for over 170 yards in both contests.

Following a strong finish to a healthy 2021 season, while Jackson remained the starter at right guard, Haynes platooned with him by series and wound up starting three games as an injury replacement. In those three contests, Seattle averaged nearly 120 rushing yards per game and went undefeated, and the young blocker demonstrated enough upside on 485 offensive snaps to warrant bringing him back on a one-year contract with his first legitimate opportunity to be a full-time starter in the NFL.

Best-Case Scenario: Staying healthy and maximizing on his chance to finally win a starting role, Haynes builds off the momentum of last season by outperforming rookie Anthony Bradford as a pass protector and holding his own in the run game, securing his spot in the lineup and playing well enough to potentially receive a multi-year contract next spring from Seattle or another team.

Worst-Case Scenario: Despite opening camp as the starter at right guard, Bradford outshines Haynes throughout the preseason and starts splitting first-team reps on the practice field, eventually leap-frogging him into the starting lineup in the first half of the regular season and creating questions about the veteran's future.

What to Expect in 2023: Still only 27 years old, Haynes has flashed enough potential as both a pass protector and run blocker in limited snaps over the past two years to suggest he could still be a viable starting option. His above-average athleticism at 320-plus pounds coming from his prior basketball background makes him a strong fit for Seattle's zone-centric run game and he plays with enough physicality to generate push off the line of scrimmage, something the team lacked at times from a declining Jackson a year ago. Aside from a rough outing against Kansas City last December, he was rock solid protecting Geno Smith as well.

Given his injury history in four NFL seasons, health will be the biggest wild card for Haynes, who needs to stay on the field to fend off Bradford in what should be a down-to-the-wire competition in the trenches. If he can avoid the injuries that stunted his development early in his career, with the advantage of playing in coordinator Shane Waldron's offense for the past two seasons aiding his cause, it would be a surprise if he isn't starting for the Seahawks in Week 1 with a shot to play his way back into the franchise's plans beyond 2023.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Profiles

Montrae Braswell | John Hall | Bryant Koback | Cam Bright | Jacob Sykes | Benjie Franklin | Tyjon Lindsey | Austin Faoliu | Kendall Randolph | Ty Okada | Patrick O'Connell | Arquon Bush | Chris Stoll | MJ Anderson | Noah Gindorff | Christian Young | Jalen McKenzie | Griffin Hebert | Lance Boykin | Jonathan Sutherland | Easop Winston | Greg Eiland | Mo Osling III | Jake Bobo | James Campbell | Jonah Tavai | Joshua Onujiogu | Holton Ahlers | Joey Hunt | Tyler Mabry | Isaiah Dunn | Tyreke Smith | Cody Thompson | Vi Jones | Cade Johnson | Joey Blount | Matt Landers | Jon Rhattigan | Alton Robinson | Artie Burns | Jake Curhan | Jerrick Reed II | Stone Forsythe | Mike Morris | Myles Adams | Dareke Young | DeeJay Dallas | Tre Brown | Cameron Young | Mario Edwards | Dee Eskridge | Drew Lock | Anthony Bradford | Jason Myers | Michael Dickson | Bryan Mone | Olu Oluwatimi

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