Seahawks Final Report Card: How Did Charles Cross, Tackles Hold Up Playing Musical Chairs?
Despite finishing with a winning record for a second straight season, the Seattle Seahawks weren't fortunate enough to earn a playoff spot in 2023, bringing a disappointing season to a close earlier than expected.
After making history as only the third pair of rookie tackles to open an NFL season as starters for the same team and starting 16 games together, the Seahawks expected Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas to take massive leaps in their second campaigns. Unfortunately, both exited the season opener with significant injuries and while Cross returned to action to start 14 games, Lucas ended up missing most of the season, forcing Stone Forsythe, Jake Curhan, and an ageless Jason Peters into action for an offensive line that played musical chairs for months.
Continuing my annual post-season report card series, I hand out my year-end grades with areas of strength and areas of improvement while taking a look into the crystal ball to see what's next for the Seahawks at the tackle spots up front.
*All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.
Charles Cross
Overall Grade: 76.5
Areas of Strength: Several weeks after returning from a big toe injury that cost him three games, Cross exhibited his immense potential in arguably the best four-game stretch of his career, surrendering eight pressures and zero sacks while facing several quality defensive lines for the 49ers, Commanders, Rams, and Cowboys. Aided largely by a great month in the middle of the season, his 69.7 pass protection grade ranked 21st out of 56 tackles, a substantial improvement compared to his rookie season. He also made major strides in the penalty department, nearly cutting his infractions in half with five compared to nine in 2022.
Playing at less than 100 percent for a big portion of the 2023 season, Charles Cross had his best stretch in November when he didn't allow a sack in four consecutive games.
© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Areas of Improvement: For as well as Cross played in November, the rest of his sophomore season proved to be a disappointing struggle. Dealing with a nagging injury early on, he allowed three sacks to the Browns and Ravens in successive weeks and after his play improved for a month, he finished on a poor note, including yielding a whopping nine pressures in a devastating loss to the Steelers in Week 17. Playing nearly 200 fewer pass protection snaps, he gave up 42 pressures and six sacks, nearly equaling his total from his rookie season while posting a lower 95.4 percent pass protection efficiency rate and seeing his run blocking grade dip almost five points.
Abraham Lucas
Overall Grade: 73.0
Areas of Strength: When healthy enough to play, Lucas gave the best he could at well below 100 percent, giving up no sacks in four of the six games he suited up for. His presence showed up in Geno Smith and Drew Lock's stats, as the two quarterbacks combined to throw 10 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions in those six contests. After being penalized seven times as a rookie, he didn't draw a single flag on 273 offensive snaps.
Areas of Improvement: Since Lucas missed most of the season dealing with a troublesome knee, it isn't necessarily fair to criticize him for his struggles between the lines when he gutted it out. Still, his pass protection efficiency rating dipped two whole percent compared to his rookie season and he gave up more than half of the pressures (17) he did starting 16 games in 2022 in just six starts. Unable to generate push off the line of scrimmage due to his injury, he also didn't make the impact expected as a run blocker with the Seahawks averaging just 3.8 yards per game on the ground when he was in the lineup.
Stone Forsythe
Overall Grade: 75.0
Areas of Strength: Starting a career-high eight games in place of Lucas and Cross, Forsythe outperformed expectations in the majority of those starts, particularly as a run blocker. With his 6-8 height often creating leverage problems as a run blocker, he overcame that potential issue with his athleticism to execute reach blocks and win in space, earning a respectable 71.4 run blocking grade that ranked 21st out of 85 qualified tackles. He only gave up two sacks in his eight combined starts, with both of them coming in a win over the Panthers in Week 3.
Areas of Improvement: While Forsythe gave up no sacks in seven of his eight starts, that factoid doesn't paint the most accurate picture of his play in pass protection. On 312 pass blocking snaps, he surrendered 32 quarterback pressures for a 93.9 pass blocking efficiency rate, which ranked a dreadful 80th out of 85 qualified blockers. He also allowed seven quarterback hits in limited action, which ranked as the 17th most despite starting fewer than half of Seattle's games.
Jake Curhan
Overall Grade: 63.0
Areas of Strength: When first thrust into action to replace Lucas, Curhan performed admirably against the Rams and Lions, allowing no sacks and eight pressures against talented defensive fronts. He also did a fine job in the run game department, posting a respectable 67.1 grade in six games played.
Areas of Improvement: Unfortunately, Curhan's issues giving up pressures early proved to be a bad sign for things to come, as the third-year blocker out of California struggled mightily over the next three weeks. Eventually losing snaps to Forsythe once Cross returned from injury in Week 6, he allowed 18 pressures and three sacks in his final three starts, functioning like a turnstile as pass rushers frequently harassed Smith in the pocket. Leading to a demotion to the practice squad, he posted an ugly 91.3 pass blocking efficiency rate while giving up 27 pressures on fewer than 200 pass protection snaps.
Jason Peters
Overall Grade: 71.0
Areas of Strength: Still capable of playing at a quality level at 42 years young, Peters joined the Seahawks practice squad after Cross and Lucas suffered Week 1 injuries and eventually started a pair of games at right tackle. He played his best football in spot duty against the Commanders, yielding one pressure on 32 pass blocking reps, proving he could still get the job done. He did his best in the run game, earning a strong 71.2 grade in eight games.
Areas of Improvement: While Peters performed better than many players 10 to 15 years younger would have, his age still presented problems in pass protection against NFL edge rushers. Though he didn't give up a sack all season, he did surrender 14 pressures on 135 pass blocking reps for a below average 94.8 percent efficiency rate. He also had issues with penalties, drawing four of them in his first five games, and he was banged up for most of the second half dealing with nagging injuries.
What's Next?
Injuries can't be used as an excuse in the NFL, but the Seahawks were robbed of what could have been an exciting sophomore season for Cross and Lucas, who missed a grand total of 14 games. As a result, they shuffled six different players into the lineup at left and right tackle, including undrafted rookie Raiqwon O'Neal receiving a handful of snaps, while putting nine different starting combinations on the field.
Moving towards 2024, Seattle has to figure out what Lucas' long-term prognosis looks like. He underwent surgery on his ailing knee last month, which could be a good sign because the team couldn't figure out how to treat the issue over the course of the season. Since the balky knee has bothered him for more than a year, however, it remains to be seen whether a surgical procedure will be the cure all, creating questions about his future.
As for the rest of the group, Cross showed flashes of promise despite being less than 100 percent himself and still has a high ceiling as Seattle's blind side protector. Behind him, Forsythe demonstrated enough skill to be a viable swing tackle as a backup, while O'Neal and McClendon Curtis could get a more extended look after basically redshirting their rookie seasons. Given Lucas' status, adding more depth to the position through the draft could be imperative.
Previous Seahawks Report Cards: Quarterback, Defensive Tackle, Running Back, EDGE/Outside Linebacker, Receiver, Inside Linebacker, Tight End, Cornerback
