How Will Seahawks Proceed if Connor Williams Can't Suit Up vs. 49ers?

With two young backups on the roster, the Seahawks have an interesting decision to make in the event Connor Williams isn't available this week and potentially longer.

Oct 22, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks center Olu Oluwatimi during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - Closing in on kickoff for their must-win rematch against the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks are facing the prospects of being without center Connor Williams, who has been away from the team this week due to personal reasons.

While losing a starting offensive lineman is never ideal, as offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb noted after practice on Thursday, replacing the starting center presents a different set of challenges, as Williams holds the responsibility of making line calls for the rest of the unit. The pivot man has to identify the MIKE linebacker pre-snap and communicate potential blitzes to ensure everyone on the line knows who they are supposed to block on that particular play.

Plugging a backup into that role can have a negative domino effect on the entire offensive line, and facing a quality defense the caliber of San Francisco's only will heighten the pressure if Olu Oluwatimi or rookie Jalen Sundell has to start in place of Williams on Sunday.

"It's disruptive for anybody. Obviously, center is tougher.," Grubb said. "That guy's making a lot of decisions, but I hope the guys have adapted and done a great job being ready. I think, obviously, any position guys have to be ready at any time to step in and be ready for the spotlight to hit them."

Up to this point, Willams, who signed with Seattle in mid-August, hasn't quite provided the lift to the offensive line expected upon arrival. Coming off a torn ACL, a somewhat slow start wasn't a surprise, but in recent weeks, he has struggled mightily snapping the ball to Geno Smith, including airmailing a snap in the red zone in a loss to the Bills three weeks ago. He also stepped on the quarterback's foot and tripped him up on a fourth down on another red zone miscue in the same game.

However, Williams has been rock solid in pass protection, allowing 11 pressures on 427 pass blocking reps for a 98.3 percent pass block efficiency rate, easily the highest mark on the Seahawks offensive line through nine games. Per Pro Football Focus, he also has scored favorably as a run blocker, ranking 10th out of 30 qualified centers with a 71.0 grade.

Considering those numbers and the aforementioned responsibilities, either Oluwatimi or Sundell will have massive shoes to fill in Santa Clara if Williams isn't with the team. As for which one would start in that scenario, Grubb wasn't about to give up that intel on Thursday, but he expressed confidence in both players if they had to jump into the lineup.

If prior experience is valued, Oluwatimi should be next in line behind Williams. The former fifth-round pick out of Michigan hasn't played a ton of regular season snaps in the NFL and hasn't seen any action at center this year, but he did start for the Seahawks in a win over the Cardinals last season, playing well in place of an injured Evan Brown.

In limited action as a rookie, Oluwatimi surrendered just one pressure on 68 pass blocking reps, performing at a high level when called upon. Grubb has been impressed by how the second-year pivot man has upped the ante since Williams joined the team and responded to losing out on the starting job in training camp, believing he has improved leaps and bounds since the start of OTAs in April and will be ready to roll if called upon.

"I think since Connor has gotten here, Olu has really stepped up and his competition with himself has went up. The way he pushes himself at practice and how he prepares and gets ready for a game I think really has changed," Grubb explained. "I just feel like, honestly, he's a different guy than he was in OTAs. I feel like it was kind of him growing as a young player and realizing how difficult it is to win a job in the NFL. I feel like instead of him backing down to that challenge, he's really stepped up to it."

Interestingly, Oluwatimi has been a healthy scratch for two games earlier this year, however, thanks in large part to Sundell's rare versatility. The undrafted rookie earned All-American honors as a tackle at North Dakota State last season, allowing only nine pressures and a sack as a senior, and the Seahawks have been working him at both tackle spots as well as center since signing him in late July before the start of training camp.

With veteran tackles George Fant and Abraham Lucas sidelined for most of the season, Seattle has had limited depth behind Charles Cross and Stone Forsythe, who also went down to an injury last month. As a result, Sundell, who may have been the biggest surprise to win a roster spot out of camp and the preseason, has suited up for every single game to this point as an emergency tackle option while also serving as Williams' backup for a couple of games.

"Smart and tough. He really has done a good job," Grubb said. "You think about how far he's come and his knowledge retention within the system. When you're asking a guy to be a backup center and a backup tackle, either side you're talking about a lot of information there and he doesn't flinch with that. And I do think he's a gritty player that really has a good mindset and likes to play ball."

Based on the fact Sundell has dressed for more games than Oluwatimi this year, one may jump to the conclusion the rookie is ahead of Oluwatimi on the depth chart. But that may not necessarily be the case, as Sundell's positional flexibility has had more to do with those game day decisions than anything, and Oluwatimi clearly offers more experience and has Remington Award pedigree as college football's top center in 2022.

Ultimately, whoever Seattle rolls with will be presented with an excellent audition opportunity, as Williams will be a free agent in March and if Oluwatimi or Sundell plays well in his stead, the player could be set up to earn a full-time starting job in 2025.

If Williams ends up returning on Friday and can play on Sunday, this debate obviously will become a moot point. But it's probable the veteran center won't be coming back in time for the game and he could potentially be out longer, making the decision on whether Oluwatimi or Sundell will receive the starting nod in his absence one of the most intriguing storylines moving into the second half of the season for the Seahawks.

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