Seahawks Looking to Stop Revolving Door at Left Guard
As one of the main takeaways from his final press conference earlier this month after a divisional round loss to the Packers, coach Pete Carroll expressed his desire to keep the Seahawks offensive line intact as much as possible.
“It is important. I hope we can keep our guys connected; I don’t want to see a big change there,” Carroll said. “I think the whole group could be a really solid group coming back. I would like to see the guys who have been playing for us to stay with us.”
With free agency and the NFL draft approaching in the next few months, Seattle has several decisions to make in the trenches. Right tackle Germain Ifedi, key reserve George Fant, and left guard Mike Iupati will be unrestricted free agents in March, while center Justin Britt will be coming back from a torn ACL and his future could potentially be up in the air with an $11-plus million cap charge in 2020.
Looking at left guard specifically, it’s been six years since Seattle had the same starter at the position for two consecutive seasons. Former first-round pick James Carpenter started in consecutive Super Bowls before departing as a free agent to join the New York Jets and the position has been a revolving door ever since.
Upon Carpenter’s departure, Britt slid from right tackle to left guard in 2015, eventually moving to center permanently the following season. Mark Glowinski started all 16 games there in 2016 and then the Seahawks made the reprehensible choice to pay former Jaguars draft bust Luke Joeckel $8 million on a one-year deal to start 11 games.
The door has kept on turning the past two years with J.R. Sweezy starting 13 games at left guard in 2018 and Iupati managing to start 15 games in his first season with Seattle. Neither player was viewed as a long-term option, as Sweezy left for Arizona in free agency and Iupati was likely another one-year bridge starter.
As Carroll alluded to, continuity matters along the offensive line as much as any positional unit in football. The Seahawks know firsthand after cycling through countless failed alternatives at left tackle before finally acquiring Duane Brown during the 2017 season.
After entering last year with four returning starters on the offensive line, Seattle could have as many as three new starters in 2020. Ifedi and Fant may both already have a foot out the door, Britt’s status will be one to monitor over the next few months, and the left guard spot once again remains vacant.
Finding a long-term starter at all three positions should be a priority, but especially at left guard. The Seahawks have a few intriguing options already on the roster, including second-year guard Phil Haynes, who Carroll has already indicated will have a chance to compete for a starting role next summer.
Along with Haynes, Jordan Simmons and Demetrius Knox will be returning to action after spending the entire 2019 season on injured reserve. Simmons impressed in three starts at right guard replacing D.J. Fluker in 2018 and coach Mike Solari holds him in high regard, while Knox was a priority undrafted free agent signing out of Ohio State.
Depending on what happens with Ifedi and Fant, Jamarco Jones also started a handful of games at both guard spots last year and could be a possible option as well. Most likely, he’ll be back in the mix at right tackle, however.
Seattle also holds eight draft picks, including three projected compensatory selections, which could be used to add another guard to the fold. Robert Hunt of Louisiana-Lafayette, Ben Bredeson of Michigan, and Logan Stenberg of Kentucky could be day two possibilities.
Regardless of which direction the Seahawks choose to go, Carroll sounded keen on young players battling for the left guard position rather than signing a stopgap veteran rental as they’ve done in prior years. Expect a heated competition throughout offseason activities and into training camp to commence in an effort to finally stop that revolving door.
