Seahawks Analysis: Who Will Win RG Competition?

Looking to build off momentum from platooning with Gabe Jackson last season, Phil Haynes will open training camp as the Seattle Seahawks projected starter at right guard, but at least one new challenger will be ready to push him for playing time.

Competition has always been one of the pillars of coach Pete Carroll's philosophy and among several looming battles set to take place at training camp later this month, finding a new starter at right guard will be critical up front for the Seattle Seahawks.

Opening up more than $6 million in cap relief, Seattle cut ties with veteran starter Gabe Jackson in March after the team platooned him with Phil Haynes for most of the 2022 season. The latter returned on a one-year "prove it" deal worth $4 million, while the organization invested a fourth-round pick in LSU's Anthony Bradford as a potential long-term starting option who will compete for snaps right away.

Looking towards the 2023 season, with the team breaking in a new starter to replace Jackson in the interior, which player holds the edge going into camp and who could be a wild card to watch in the trenches?

Here's a case for each of the three players in consideration to step into the lineup at right guard and a final verdict on who will win the job:

Phil Haynes

Since being selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Wake Forest, injuries have kept Phil Haynes from having a legitimate opportunity to compete for a starting spot in Seattle. As a rookie, he didn't play a single regular season snap due to hernia surgery, though he did perform admirably checking in at right guard during a playoff loss in Green Bay. The following season, a hip injury landed him on injured reserve not once, but twice, leading to the team trading for Jackson the ensuing March.

But when Haynes has been healthy, though he has been marred by inconsistency at times, he has flashed promise in pass protection and as a run blocker for the Seahawks. When he started a pair of games at both guard spots late in the 2021 season, he helped pave the way for running back Rashaad Penny to break loose for over 170 yards in both contests. He also allowed only one pressure and no sacks against the Lions and Cardinals in those two starts.

When healthy, Phil Haynes has demonstrated enough upside in pass protection and as a run blocker to warrant a closer look as a full-time starter for the Seattle Seahawks

Last season, Haynes wasn't quite as effective while seeing an uptick in snaps rotating series with Jackson, allowing four sacks and 18 pressures while posting a 96.4 percent efficiency rate in pass protection, which ranked 69th out of 84 qualified guards. Pro Football Focus also didn't grade him favorably in the run blocking department, scoring him 52nd out of 87 qualified guards.

Still, it may not be a coincidence that Seattle went 3-0 in Haynes' three starts in 2022, as the team averaged nearly 120 rushing yards per game with him creating consistent push at the line of scrimmage that Jackson simply did not. It's also worth noting that aside from a rough outing in Kansas City where he surrendered five pressures and a sack, the fifth-year veteran gave up only 13 pressures on nearly 300 pass blocking snaps the rest of the season, outperforming Jackson in that aspect as well.

Anthony Bradford

Taking his talents south after starring at Muskegon High School in Michigan, Bradford had to wait multiple seasons before becoming a starter at LSU due to a bevy of future NFL talent in front of him on the depth chart. This included current Seahawks starting left guard Damien Lewis, who starred for the national championship squad in 2019 when Bradford was a freshman and ultimately redshirted after playing just 22 snaps.

But when he finally broke into the lineup as a redshirt junior last season, Bradford performed at a high level against top-notch SEC competition, including performing better than advertised in pass protection. While he did yield four sacks, he only allowed only 12 total pressures on over 420 pass blocking reps. He also held his own as a run blocker, using his massive size and power to consistently maul defenders off the ball as an anchor for the Tigers rushing attack.

While he didn't play even 1,000 snaps at the college level, Anthony Bradford shined in his lone season as a starter and looks poised to eventually break into the lineup for the Seattle Seahawks / CollegePressBox.com

Coming into the NFL, forcing Bradford into a starting role early may not be ideal for the Seahawks or the player, as he remains relatively raw after playing just 991 total snaps in four seasons at LSU. Given that minimal playing experience and the resulting technique-related question marks, he could need time to grow under the tutelage of coach Andy Dickerson before he's ready to play on Sundays and throwing him into the lineup too quickly likely would do more harm than good for his development.

At the same time, however, Bradford possesses elite athletic traits for a 332-pound guard and plays the game with the nastiness Seattle covets up front. Playing for a coach in Dickerson who hasn't shied away at all from playing rookies right away, including tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas a year ago, those qualities could help him acclimate to the league faster than expected and push for snaps out of the gate.

Evan Brown

The only notable free agent signing made by the Seahawks on offense this spring, Evan Brown was brought to the Pacific Northwest to compete to replace retired center Austin Blythe at the pivot position. When camp opens in four weeks, he will be battling against fifth-round pick Olu Oluwatimi aiming to win that starting job.

But if Oluwatimi makes a strong impression early and the rookie seizes the opportunity to be a Week 1 starter, Brown would actually be the second-most experienced starting guard on Seattle's roster behind Lewis and could be worth a close look at the position. Compared to Haynes and Bradford, who have five combined NFL starts, his 12 starts at right guard for Detroit a year ago instantly would make him the seasoned veteran of the trio.

The Seattle Seahawks signed Evan Brown to play center, but he has more starting experience at guard than Phil Haynes or Anthony Bradford

While Brown excelled as an injury replacement at center for Pro Bowl starter Frank Ragnow with the Lions, his performance at guard wasn't quite as sterling. After yielding only eight pressures at center in 2021, he surrendered 22 of them as a guard last season, receiving a dismal 45.5 pass blocking grade from PFF. But on the flip side, his physical run blocking graded out well opening up lanes for Jamaal Williams and D'Andre Swift, ranking 13th out of 55 qualified blockers.

Considering Seattle's desire to run the football, Brown's quality tape as a run blocker could make him a desirable alternative at right guard if neither Haynes nor Bradford seizes control of the competition early in camp.

Final Verdict?

Though it's not out of the question Brown's hat could be thrown into the ring at some point in August, this looks to be a two-horse race between the incumbent Haynes and a new challenger in Bradford for now.

In some regards, the players have striking similarities, starting with their outstanding athletic profiles at 320-plus pounds and underrated physicality. Neither offers much experience either, as Haynes has played fewer than 400 offensive snaps in the NFL and Bradford obviously has yet to step foot onto the field for a regular season game.

Still just 27 years old, Haynes will enter training camp in the driver's seat after showing well in limited action the previous two seasons. His experience playing in Seattle's offense and working with Dickerson should give him a significant advantage early in camp and given his youth and untapped potential, he will get every chance to secure a starting job in his first legitimate chance to compete for one as a pro. Hedging bets, he should be the favorite to start against the Rams in the opener.

But if Haynes isn't able to capitalize on the opportunity or struggles through injuries again, Bradford will be waiting in the wings to steal his spot. Depending on how well he adjusts to sparring against NFL competition and takes to Dickerson's coaching, he could be primed to replace the veteran at some point during the season even if he isn't able to lock down a starting job in Week 1 like Lewis did as a rookie in 2020.

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