Offensive Line Questions Persist as Seahawks Prepare For 49ers Rematch

While Abraham Lucas will finally return to play on Sunday, the Seahawks have lingering concerns in the interior for different reasons coming out of the bye.

Nov 3, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks center Connor Williams (57) snaps the ball to quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - When it comes to the Seattle Seahawks' beleaguered offensive line, it oftentimes seems to be a case of one step forward, two steps back.

Earlier this week, after a prolonged recovery process coming back from knee surgery, the Seahawks received the news they had been hoping to hear for months with starting right tackle Abraham Lucas activated from the PUP list and set to make his season debut against the 49ers on Sunday. But while his return should provide a boost for the unit up front, questions remain with only a few days until kickoff at Levis Stadium.

Without Seattle providing any additional information to this point, starting center Connor Williams has not been in attendance for practice so far this week due to undisclosed personal reasons. If he doesn't return on Friday, he may not be able to play in Santa Clara on Sunday without having any preparation this week, leaving his status very much up in the air.

On Wednesday, coach Mike Macdonald indicated the Seahawks considered possibly sliding Williams to guard, but opted to keep him at center for the time being. With him not being moved or demoted, it's unlikely that discussion has anything to do with his absence, though his recent woes snapping the football may be a big part of that discussion behind the scenes.

In the event Williams isn't able to play, it would interesting to see what the Seahawks decide to do replacing him in the lineup in a must-win road game. Earlier this season, they opted to dress undrafted rookie Jalen Sundell over second-year center Olu Oluwatimi, but that decision may have been made based on Sundell's ability to play tackle in a pinch with Lucas and George Fant sidelined rather than him being viewed as the second-string pivot man.

Since the Seahawks close practices to media members after warmups, it remains unknown whether Sundell or Oluwatimi would get the call. Both players would certainly be active in the event Williams isn't with the team, as there isn't a fourth center on the roster or practice squad currently.

As for the right guard position, the fact Macdonald admitted Seattle has thought about transitioning Williams to the position suggests patience is running thin with starter Anthony Bradford. The second-year blocker has struggled mightily this season, allowing a league-high five sacks on Geno Smith while also being penalized nine times, the most by any guard in the league.

Despite poor performance, however, the Seahawks stopped rotating rookie Christian Haynes with Bradford in their Week 9 loss to the Rams, opting to deactivate the third-round pick as a healthy scratch. Demonstrating little confidence in the rookie, it seems unlikely the team will change course to give him another shot to compete for snaps, and considering moving Williams rather than playing him would be another indictment on his progress so far.

"The right guard spot is what it is at this point. I mean AB [Anthony Bradford] will still be starting right now. I think we can do some things schematically to alleviate some pressure on those guys," Macdonald said on Monday. "So it's a team effort on that front, but I think we haven't made a change right now, but we expect those guys to keep improving. But like we've shown, we're willing to shake it up if we need to."

Using the verbiage "is what it is" isn't exactly the most glowing assessment of Bradford's play, but it highlights a deeper issue that the Seahawks are continuing to deal with. The team doesn't have a proven veteran to slide into that spot and with Haynes not emerging as a viable starting option as the team hoped he would and fellow rookie Sataoa Laumea not even dressing for a game this year, they don't really have any other options right now with the exception of moving Williams, which could just create another gaping hole at center without an experienced backup.

That may explain the hesitancy to replace Bradford with Williams, as Oluwatimi and Sundell have played a grand total of 133 regular season snaps on offense combined. Oluwatimi did start one game as a rookie last season, performing well in a home win over Arizona, but he's only played four snaps as a sixth offensive lineman this year and Sundell played a single snap two weeks ago against Los Angeles.

More information on Williams' status should become known after Friday's practice, as the Seahawks may have to rule him out before they fly to San Francisco if he hasn't returned. Since he's a seasoned vet, however, it shouldn't be completely ruled out that he could try to play without any practice reps, depending on the circumstances he has dealt with and whether he's been able to prepare mentally away from the team.

Either way, even if he does play, Williams won't be suiting up with a full practice workload and right guard continues to be a major concern on top of that. That's not the news Seattle hoped for with Lucas finally ready to play, as the hope was they would have their projected starting offensive line together for the first time.

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