Seahawks Opening Up Competition With Anthony Bradford Sidelined

While Christian Haynes played the majority of the snaps at right guard for the Seahawks on Sunday, another rookie will have a shot to see his first action in Week 13.

Aug 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Sataoa Laumea (63) stands on the sideline during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - With starting right guard Anthony Bradford likely to miss at least one game with an ankle sprain, the Seattle Seahawks plan to re-open the competition this week to determine who will replace him in Sunday's road contest against the New York Jets.

Speaking with reporters on Monday, when asked about the performance of Christian Haynes stepping in for Bradford in Sunday's win over the Cardinals, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald corrected the assumption he would start in Week 13. Instead, while praising Haynes for staying prepared to play as a backup, he indicated unprompted that fellow rookie Sataoa Laumea will get a shot to earn his first career start.

"Sataoa is someone we're going to take a long look at as well," Macdonald said.

For the first nine weeks of the regular season, Bradford and Haynes were engaged in an extended competition, only for the Seahawks to finally announce Bradford as the full-time starter on November 1. The second-year veteran saw most of the snaps during that span and started each of the first eight games with the rookie unable to push him for playing time in limited action.

Playing a season-high 35 snaps against Arizona after Bradford had to be helped off the field in the first quarter, per Pro Football Focus charting, Haynes allowed two pressures, no sacks, and no quarterback hits, posting a quality 97.1 pass blocking efficiency rate. However, Macdonald's assessment of his play on Monday wasn't necessarily glowing and more of the lukewarm variety, as he pointed out the rookie still had room to improve fundamental-wise, which has been a regular issue previously pointed out by offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

"Christian played winning football for us, but I want him to grow, keep growing," Macdonald remarked. "You gotta go prove it every week on the practice field and in preparation. But right now, he deserves a lot of credit for having a guy that was rotating in and A.B. [Anthony Bradford] kind of took over, still prepared and knew all the things - no mentals on the day - but some technique stuff we got to clean up. But overall, good enough to win the game."

By quickly shooting down the notion Haynes would be the starter this week with Bradford sidelined, Macdonald made it clear he and the rest of the coaching staff weren't thrilled by the rookie's performance in his first extended action for the Seahawks. Even more telling, they now clearly want to see what Laumea can do despite the fact the sixth-round pick hasn't dressed for a game during his rookie season so far, let alone play any snaps.

But behind the scenes, Macdonald has liked what he's seen from Laumea, a former four-year starter and multi-time All-Pac 12 selection at Utah who played over 1,200 snaps at tackle and guard at the college level. In the preseason, he played 70 snaps at left guard for the Seahawks, allowing one pressure on 33 pass blocking reps.

After rewarding players such as safety Coby Bryant and cornerback Josh Jobe for their efforts during the week by putting them in the lineup, doing the same with a rookie guard in the heat of a playoff race would suggest Laumea has outperformed his 2024 draft counterpart on the practice field and has earned this opportunity to compete to start after biding his time the past few months.

"Just a guy that continues to work his craft, take it day by day," Macdonald said of Laumea. "But he can play both left and right guard. Just a guy we're really excited about bringing him in and seeing his approach every day. Now that he gets his opportunity, it's another example of 'What are you gonna do with it?' and go to work."

Playing in 10 games so far, Haynes has allowed six pressures and a sack on 102 pass blocking reps, receiving a dismal 51.9 pass blocking grade from PFF. His run blocking hasn't been viewed much more favorably in limited action, as his 52.4 run blocking score ranks 75th out of 82 qualified guards and he has consistently struggled to deal with the strength of NFL defensive tackles when it comes to winning at the line of scrimmage.

Such numbers and underwhelming film have put Haynes in a precarious spot, as he already was held out as a healthy scratch a few weeks ago after Bradford won the full-time starting job. While he could still get the nod on Sunday in New Jersey with a strong week of practice, the fact Macdonald wasn't willing to declare him a starter on Monday hints that the Seahawks may want to go a different direction, and past precedent isn't a good sign for the third-round pick.

In his first year at the helm, when Macdonald has corrected assumptions that certain players would start or see significant snaps as injury replacements, he typically has gone with different players. In just a couple of examples, Jobe has stayed in the lineup even when Tre Brown returned healthy as one of Seattle's boundary cornerbacks, while two weeks ago Ty Okada stepped in off the practice squad as a third safety instead of Jerrick Reed against San Francisco.

Based on that track record, reading through the tea leaves, Macdonald seemed to be publicly presenting Laumea with his shot to finally play before the practice week gets fully underway. If he can take advantage of his practice reps, as Jobe, Bryant, and others have done, he could easily be in the lineup in Bradford's spot instead of Haynes, creating a significant storyline to watch this week for a Seahawks offensive line that has been under the gun for much of the season.

More Seahawks News

Jets Confirm Aaron Rodgers as Starter for Week 13 vs. Seahawks

Leonard Williams 'Leading the Charge' in Seahawks' Defensive Resurgence

Rapid Reaction: Leonard Williams, Seahawks Feast on Cardinals in 16-6 Win

5 Turning Points in Seahawks' Slugfest Win vs. Cardinals