Do Offensive Line Signings Foreshadow Shift in Philosophy for Seahawks?
Living up to his record-setting contract signed last April, quarterback Russell Wilson enjoyed arguably his finest season while guiding the Seahawks to 11 regular season victories and the NFC Divisional Round.
Earning Second-Team All-Pro recognition, Wilson finished third in the NFL with 31 passing touchdowns, ranked sixth in the league with 4,110 yards, and finished second behind Aaron Rodgers with just five interceptions.
But even though the Seahawks finished in the top 10 in total offensive yardage and points last season, Wilson still sees plenty of room for improvement. In an interview with NBC Sports prior to the Super Bowl in February, he indicated he would love to see Seattle become more aggressive on offense and implement a more up-tempo, pass-oriented attack.
“We’ve always been really good at two-minute offense, we’ve always been really good in those end of the half, not always hurry up situations but those up-tempo moments,” Wilson said. “The reality is this: I think the defense gets tired and the second thing is I really know kind of what I want and how I want to get after them. Especially in moments. And guys just make plays in those moments.”
Since coach Pete Carroll took the helm back in 2010, the Seahawks have relied heavily on the ground game as much as any team in the NFL. In the last two years alone with Brian Schottenheimer calling the plays, they've ran the ball 1,015 times, second to only the Ravens.
When asked about Wilson's comments at the NFL Scouting Combine, Carroll simply said, "Yeah, we've been talking about it for years. We've been in and out of tempo throughout. So you'll see what happens."
Such comments may suggest Carroll isn't interested in making any changes, but after seeing the Chiefs capture their first Lombardi Trophy in 50 years slinging the pigskin around the yard with Patrick Mahomes and hearing Wilson's latest plea to adopt a more aggressive approach, there are signs the Seahawks may be finally ready to embrace a shift in offensive philosophy.
Look no further than Seattle's moves along the offensive line to kick start the free agency period. While choosing to let George Fant, Mike Iupati, and Germain Ifedi walk, the team signed three cheaper linemen in guard B.J. Finney as well as tackles Brandon Shell and Cedric Ogbuehi.
The Seahawks haven't been strangers when it comes to being cheapskates spending money on the offensive line. But this crop of players is a bit different than previous years, primarily because all three look to better in pass protection than as run blockers.
Starting with Finney, the former Kansas State standout has started 13 games in the past four years for the Steelers at guard and center. With just 32-inch arms and underwhelming athletic traits, the 318-pound lineman doesn't fit what Seattle has typically looked for in the interior over the years and he isn't a body mover in the run game.
However, while playing more than 1,000 offensive snaps since 2016, Pro Football Focus credited Finney with allowing just two sacks during that span. Though it's a somewhat limited sample size, just last season, Iupati gave up five sacks in roughly the same amount of snaps and struggled with penalties.
At the tackle spots, advanced stats suggest Shell, who was a three-year starter for the Jets, should be a slight upgrade over Ifedi in pass protection at half the cost per year.
Per ESPN's Pass Block Win Rate model, the 324-pound Shell won close to 88 percent of his blocks, while Ifedi was around 86 percent. More interestingly, Ifedi received additional help on double teams in pass protection nearly five percent more in drop back situations than Shell.
Comparing the two players over the past four years, Ifedi has surrendered a sack or committed a penalty on one out of every 58 snaps. On the other hand, Shell has surrendered a sack or been penalized one out of every 81 snaps, which is a substantial improvement.
As for Ogbuehi, the former Texas A&M standout was selected by the Bengals in the first round in 2015 in large part due to his athletic gifts at 308 pounds. He's never been able to maintain a starting job due to inconsistent play and injuries, but he does offer starting experience at both tackle spots and can play a pseudo tight end role as Fant did the last two years.
There's still tons of time between now and when the Seahawks are scheduled to open training camp in late July. With eight draft picks, the franchise could easily select a few linemen in April that fit more of the traditional mold as run blockers.
But if offseason moves thus far are any indication, including adding another pass catching tight end in Greg Olsen to the fold, the organization seems to be taking Wilson's suggestions seriously. It'll be interesting to see how the next few months play out and how personnel decisions impact how Schottenheimer's offense operates next season.
