Seattle Seahawks Still Have 'Little Ways to Go' Building O-Line Cohesion

Due to a few injuries, the Seahawks still find themselves in a bit of a wait-and-see process as they try to figure out the best offensive line group heading towards training camp.

The Seahawks offensive line prepares for a run fit walkthrough drill. From left to right, McClendon Curtis, Olu Oluwatimi, Laken Tomlinson, and Charles Cross. / Corbin Smith/All Seahawks

With close to 50 percent of the offense installed thus far, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has been quite pleased with the progress his new team has made over the course of OTAs heading towards mandatory minicamp next week.

But if there's an area where Grubb feels the Seahawks still may be lagging behind schedule a bit, it would be in the trenches, where injuries have kept key players out of practice, particularly on the right side. Not expected to return until the start of training camp at the earliest, right tackle Abraham Lucas hasn't even been in attendance for voluntary OTAs, while right guard Anthony Bradford has been out since the first session with a sprained ankle.

Without Lucas or Bradford available to practice, Seattle has had to play musical chairs on the right side, sliding second-year blocker McClendon Curtis into the right guard spot and veteran George Fant into Lucas' stead at right tackle. While continuity isn't there yet, however, Grubb has been encouraged by what he's seen from the makeshift line during the installation process.

“We've got a little ways to go there and I just mean more about the reps and opportunity," Grubb told reporters after Monday's final open OTA. "Some of the guys are still working through things and getting back and so there's been a lot of guys shuffling in and out there, but we've been working through some of that, and I think that they'll continue to grow each week."

In regard to injuries, Lucas' status remains the most concerning and bears watching. Landing on injured reserve twice, the third-year tackle missed all but six games last season due to a troublesome knee and underwent surgery in January. Five months later, he's been working diligently to get back onto the field, but coach Mike Macdonald indicated earlier in OTAs that he wouldn't return until late July when the Seahawks report for camp.

Fortunately, Seattle went into free agency proactively preparing for Lucas to potentially be out a while after surgery, bringing back Fant on a two-year deal as a proven insurance policy. After starting his career as an undrafted free agent with the organization, he now has over 1,000 career snaps to his name at both tackle spots and if he has to start early on, the team should feel good about him being able to hold the fort down until Lucas can return.

Inside, once he's able to bounce back from a tweaked ankle, Bradford should enter camp as the favorite to retain the right guard job after starting 10 games as a rookie. But he will have plenty of competition to fend off, starting with third-round pick Christian Haynes, who has been working with the second-team offensive line in OTAs behind Curtis and logged more than 3,000 college snaps at UConn while earning All-American honors twice.

Even Curtis, who joined the team last September after being signed off of the Raiders practice squad, should be considered a legitimate contender to win the job. The former Chattanooga standout offers great flexibility with previous experience at both tackle spots and both guard spots and so far, line coach Scott Huff has stuck with him as the starter with the first-team unit.

Though there are questions on the right side, the Seahawks look to be in much better shape on the other side of the line. Entering his third season, Charles Cross remains entrenched as the starter at left tackle, while veteran Laken Tomlinson, who signed as a free agent in early April, has taken command at the left guard spot as the likely starter alongside center Olu Oluwatimi, who appears poised to take over in Evan Brown's stead at the pivot position.

With more than 100 career starts under his belt in the NFL and a Pro Bowl selection on his resume, Tomlinson's experienced presence already has been a boon for Seattle's line as a whole, and Grubb has seen him and Cross start to establish a strong rapport during OTAs.

"I think Charles [Cross] and Laken [Tomlinson] have done a good job of building the mesh on the left side a little bit there," Grubb commented. "So that's probably the most continuity we've seen is those two guys working together. I think that's the next step for us is continuing to build continuity within that group. And we're coming.”

Assuming Lucas recovers in time for training camp and Bradford returns soon, potentially even for mandatory minicamp next week, the Seahawks may already have four of their starting jobs secured, with right guard being the obvious spot still up for grabs. That should be viewed as a positive, especially with a healthy Lucas back in the lineup.

But as Grubb acknowledged, even with Cross, Tomlinson, and Oluwatimi on schedule, there will be plenty of catching up to do in terms of cohesion, as the group will have to develop chemistry learning a new offensive scheme with different calls on a more abbreviated timeline. Armed with dynamic skill player talent, how the unit up front meshes in July and August will be critical for Seattle's chances of getting off to a fast start offensively once the regular season arrives.