Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: G Damien Lewis - Centerpiece of O-Line?

Already with 45 starts under his belt since being drafted in the third round three years ago, Damien Lewis now finds himself as the grizzled veteran on an otherwise young, inexperienced front line and has a lot on the line heading towards free agency.

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jul 19, 2023 4:16 PM EDT

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to July and offseason activities in the rearview mirror, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC later this month, officially ushering in the 2023 season.

To celebrate the new incoming season, we'll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2023 campaign.

Damien Lewis, Guard

Height/Weight: 6-3, 332 pounds

2022 Stats: Four sacks, 19 pressures allowed

An instant starter after being selected by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Lewis performed well in 16 starts as a rookie, helping the team to an NFC West title and a 12-4 record while garnering All-Rookie Team recognition from the Pro Football Writers Association. Unfortunately, the mauling guard wasn't quite as effective in his sophomore season, however, as multiple nagging injuries cost him four games and negatively impacted his play for large chunks of the season as the team dipped to last place in the division.

Luckily for Seattle, Lewis avoided a significant injury when his ankle was rolled up on during a preseason game and after sitting out the season opener, he returned to start each of the final 16 games and played arguably the best football of his career. Graded out as a top 12 run blocker and pass protector at his position by Pro Football Focus, his veteran presence helped rookie running back Ken Walker III rush for over 1,000 yards and played a key role in Geno Smith's breakout first season under center replacing Russell Wilson, setting the stage for an important final year of his rookie contract.

Best-Case Scenario: With plenty to play for as free agency approaches, Lewis takes his game to another level in his fourth year as a starter up front, allowing only two sacks in pass protection while being a catalyst for Seattle's top-five rushing attack, creating big running lanes for Walker and rookie Zach Charbonnet to help fuel one of the league's premier scoring offenses.

Worst-Case Scenario: Though he starts the majority of Seattle's games, Lewis once again struggles with penalties and regresses to an extent allowing 23 pressures in pass protection, casting questions about whether or not the franchise should pay up and invest a long-term deal in him as a foundational piece of the offensive line.

What to Expect in 2023: As one of Seattle's most notable looming free agents, Lewis has plenty of money on the line entering the last year of his rookie deal. Up to this point, he's been an above average starter at his position and provided excellent value as a former third-round pick, but he hasn't been consistent enough in pass protection to vault into the discussion as one of the top guards in the league either, making it difficult to assess his market value.

On most teams, Lewis would still be one of the younger players along the offensive line, but after Austin Blythe retired during the offseason, he now stands as the most experienced elder statesman in the trenches for the Seahawks at 26 years of age. Now in his third season working with line coach Andy Dickerson, with a rookie potentially starting at center and/or right guard, he will be asked to carry great responsibility on his broad shoulders as the veteran leader for an otherwise very young line. If he can keep penalties and down and take another steady step forward keeping Smith clean while upping his game as a vocal leader, he could have a lucrative extension coming his way as a cornerstone for the group moving forward.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Profiles