Carroll: Seahawks T Germain Ifedi Currently 'Best He's Been'

Despite his inconsistent performance this season, coach Pete Carroll believes German Ifedi is playing at a higher level than any point of his career with Seattle.

The Seahawks offensive line has been a roller coaster through the first five games of the 2019 season. Similar to earlier years, the front line has had a very tough time protecting quarterback Russell Wilson in the pocket.

Through just five games, the Seahawks have allowed the sixth-most sacks (13) and are tied for the sixth-most quarterback hits (28) in the NFC. Ifedi, a fourth-year pro drafted out of Texas A&M, has appeared to be responsible for several of those sacks and hits on Wilson. Still, coach Pete Carroll surprisingly feels like this has been the 25-year old’s best season yet.

“He’s playing good, solid football. This is the best he’s played. He’s played the most consistent football,” Carroll said in his press conference prior to Wednesday’s practice. “He’s doing a good job. He’s played tough and he’s been really steady and all that.”

Ifedi has definitely improved in the run blocking department in 2019, as according to NFL.com, the Seahawks have produced the sixth-most rushing plays of 10-plus yards behind the right side of their offensive line. After a challenging first few weeks, guard D.J. Fluker and Ifedi have both stepped up their performance in the trenches as run blockers. But each of the veteran linemen have struggled dearly trying to provide Wilson with much protection in the pocket.

Despite Ifedi’s pass protection issues, he continued to receive praise from Carroll regarding his development in pass sets. While he has certainly improved from where he was when he entered the league in 2016, it's up for debate whether or not he's reached the point of deserving such compliments.

“He’s more consistent in pass sets in particular,” Carroll said. “More consistent in general, but his pass sets have been an issue for us over time that we’re trying to get him to settle into a couple technical things that we work on that have been a little hard for him to adjust and change to over time. He’s the best he’s been. He’s getting better.”

Regardless of what’s been said off the field, Ifedi's stats on the field as well as low 51.5 grade from Pro Football Focus indicate he still has a ways to go as a pass protector. His longstanding habit of committing costly penalties also remains problematic, though some of his holds have resulted from Wilson trying to scramble outside of the pocket.

With Ifedi set to become an unrestricted free agent in March, his performance through the rest of the season will be critical in determining his future with the Seahawks. Seattle got a glimpse of what second-year tackle Jamarco Jones could do a week ago and the pressure will be on if he's keen on staying in the Pacific Northwest.

Based on Carroll's assessment, the team likes the progress he's making, which could bode well for a potential new contract in 2020.