Seattle Seahawks RT Stone Forsythe Showing 'Steady Improvement' Entering Week 4

Following a rough first two games, third-string right tackle Stone Forsythe showed why the Seattle Seahawks spent a draft pick on him in the Week 3 win.

Sep 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) rushes behind a block by offensive tackle Stone Forsythe (78) against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

For the second straight season, the Seattle Seahawks lost their starting right tackle in Week 1. Stone Forsythe, a 2021 sixth-round pick out of Florida, has been thrust into action each time.

This season, however, Forsythe took the place of veteran George Fant, who was signed in the offseason to fortify Seattle’s depth at right tackle. The Seahawks’ desired starter, Abraham Lucas, is still trying to return from a knee injury he originally sustained in the 2023 season-opener and reaggravated late in the season.

Fant also suffered a knee injury in Week 1 and was placed on injured reserve on Sept. 21. Forsythe, now the third-string right tackle, has struggled at times in Fant’s stead, especially during the first two games.

However, Forsythe began to find his footing versus the Miami Dolphins in Week 3, allowing just one pressure and one quarterback hurry of Geno Smith, per Pro Football Focus. He had allowed seven total pressures, four hurries, two hits and a sack through the first two games.

Forsythe earned season-high grades in overall offense (73.1) and pass-blocking (77.0) from PFF. The latter grade, while not a statistic, was a single-game career-high for the fourth-year lineman. He also showed significant improvement in paving rushing lanes for Zach Charbonnet.

“I think the film kind of speaks for itself. We talked about how he started out in Denver, and then I think since then, you’ve just seen a steady improvement,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said on Wednesday. “If we can get that from our whole football team, we’re cooking. So he’s right there. He’s worked tremendously hard. I think he’s improved tremendously, and we’ve got a lot of confidence in him.”

Forsythe, and his left tackle counterpart Charles Cross, will have possibly their toughest task yet on Monday night versus Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson — the current NFL leader in pressures (25) and sacks (7).

But Forsythe’s quarterback has as much faith in him as his head coach after his performance versus the Lions in Week 2 of last season.

“I thought [Forsythe] played tremendous last year and I think he’s continuing to grow … he’s a guy who’s got to step up and go and do his thing, and we count on him to do that,” Smith said on Thursday. “He performed extremely well against those guys and they have a really good pass rush. And I thought Stone really held his own and we expect the same from him. He’s a great player.”

Hutchinson accounts for almost half of Detroit’s team pressures heading into Week 4. Defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike is second on the team with 12 pressures and two sacks. Marcus Davenport had seven pressures and a sack in two games but was recently placed on injured reserve with a season-ending triceps injury.

Still, Forsythe will have his hands full, and he’ll have to string together multiple quality performances to quell questions about his long-term viability. He is currently the starter for the foreseeable future.

Seattle’s remaining issues at the guard positions have been more glaring than any deficiencies caused by Forsythe, at least in the last two games. For now, that’s taken some of the criticism off of him.

“He’s a young guy who’s still learning, still growing, but he’s got all the tools, obviously, [a 6-foot-8] tackle, man. That’s exactly what you look for,” Smith added. “We’re looking forward to him and his performance [on Monday night].”