Report: Seahawks Bolster Interior Offensive Line, Sign C Austin Blythe
With the new league year officially in effect, the Seahawks have reportedly made their third outside addition of the day on Wednesday. Veteran interior offensive lineman Austin Blythe is following cornerback Artie Burns and linebacker Uchenna Nwosu to Seattle, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The deal is worth $4 million for one year.
Blythe, a seventh-round draft pick by the Colts in 2016, just recently wrapped up a season with the Chiefs. However, the sixth-year man out of Iowa played only 12 snaps in Kansas City after signing a one-year deal last April. Before that, he was a three-year starter for the Rams at right guard and eventually center, with his best year coming in 2018 at the former position.
That season, Blythe received pass blocking and run blocking grades of 70.3 and 73.1, respectively, from Pro Football Focus and was credited with 36 pressures allowed and just one sack in 18 games played, including Super Bowl LIII. Unfortunately, he strikingly regressed to the tune of an abysmal 50.2 overall grade from PFF while splitting time between right guard and center. Blythe then played the entirety of the 2020 campaign as a center and fared better in the run game, but he still earned poor marks as a pass protector before hitting free agency.
During that time, current Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and offensive line coach Andy Dickerson were members of the Rams' coaching staff. Waldron was the pass game coordinator from 2018 through 2020, while Dickerson worked directly with Blythe as Los Angeles' assistant offensive line coach.
Therefore, Blythe is a natural fit for the offensive scheme Waldron and Dickerson employ in Seattle. With Ethan Pocic still a free agent and the Seahawks reportedly prepared to non-tender restricted free agent Kyle Fuller, Blythe appears to have a good shot at being the team's starting center in 2022.
