'Pretty Special Player': Seattle Seahawks OT Jason Peters Proving Age Just a Number
RENTON, Wash. - As they had done for the past couple of weeks with starter Abraham Lucas still sidelined by a knee injury, the Seattle Seahawks planned to rotate tackles Stone Forsythe and Jason Peters in a 50/50 platoon during Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders.
But as coach Pete Carroll often does with his running backs rolling with the hot hand, though Forsythe made his fourth consecutive start in place of Lucas, Peters turned back the clock as the 41-year old easily played his best football as a Seahawk so far, forcing the team to keep him in the lineup. Making a positive impact both in pass protection and run blocking, he logged a season-high 56 snaps at right tackle as Seattle hung on for a 29-26 victory.
“He just played a really good football game. He did a very nice job," Carroll said on Monday. "It was obviously his best play for us, and that’s why we left him in. We had planned to split the time. We liked the way he was going, so we just kind of left him out there and we’re pleased to have him out there at the end and down the stretch. There was some concern about how his endurance would be, staying out there, because he hadn’t played a lot in the last couple of weeks. This week was a chance to see him go and he came through in a big fashion.”
After Lucas and Charles Cross suffered injuries in a season-opening loss to the Rams, the Seahawks made a trio of moves to add depth at the position, including taking a flier on Peters, who last played for the Cowboys in 2022. Not having participated in training camp, the team had to ease him back into football shape on the practice squad and a quad injury prevented him from being elevated to the active roster until a Week 7 home game against the Cardinals.
Upon his return to game action platooning with Forsythe, Peters showed some rust, particularly in pass protection. Per Pro Football Focus, after allowing a trio of pressures on 18 pass blocking reps against Arizona, he surrendered two pressures on only 10 pass blocking reps in Baltimore, getting beat badly a few times in a blowout defeat where Seattle's entire offensive line struggled mightily.
Keeping Geno Smith clean all afternoon long, Jason Peters played like he was 10 years younger in a throwback performance for the Seahawks against the Commanders.
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But on Sunday, Peters more closely resembled his former six-time All-Pro self, going into lockdown mode off the edge. Yielding only a single pressure on 34 pass blocking reps, he helped keep Geno Smith upright throughout the second half, allowing the veteran quarterback to carve up the Commanders for 369 yards, two touchdowns, and a 103.9 passer rating and orchestrate a game-winning drive inside the a minute left to play in regulation.
Along with being a brick wall in pass protection, Peters dominated in the trenches as a run blocker, helping the Seahawks rush for 80 of their 120 yards going behind the right side of the offensive line. The 328-pound ageless wonder helped spring Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet for several big runs after halftime, including a critical fourth down conversion in the fourth quarter.
Nursing a slim 16-12 lead early in the final period and facing 4th and 1 at Washington's 40-yard line, Peters showed off his old man strength by taking out two defenders on a shotgun dive play. Initially blocking the defensive end, he kept his right arm on the defender while getting his left hand/shoulder on linebacker Jamin Davis, eliminating both from being able to make a play. Finding a seam, Charbonnet cut back behind the blocks and power spun his way to a seven-yard gain.
Now remarkably in his 19th NFL season, Peters became only the 33rd player in league history to accomplish that feat when he suited up for the Seahawks in Week 7. The majority of those players were either quarterbacks or kickers, putting him in rarified air with legendary Bruce Matthews being the only other offensive lineman to play that many seasons before him.
Nearly two decades after going undrafted as a tight end coming out of Arkansas, Peters still has unique athletic traits that few offensive linemen who are roughly half his age possess. As Carroll said on Monday, the future Hall of Famer is one of one and the Seahawks are grateful they were able to bring him on board when injuries struck early in the season.
“As far as I’m concerned, there’s one of them. What does it take? Whatever he’s got," Carroll smiled. "The obvious trait that he shows is that he’s got great feet and his quickness. You would think as you get older, you would lose that, but he has the ability to move and change direction and redirect and stuff that guys that are playing that are young don’t have. Pretty special player.”
With Lucas set to return to practice this week and potentially being available to start against the Rams this weekend, the Seahawks will have some decisions looming in regard to offensive line depth. Having used all three of his practice squad elevations, per NFL rules, Peters won't be able to play again unless the team signs him to the 53-man roster.
Once Lucas' practice window opens on Wednesday, Seattle will have 21 days to either activate him to the roster or revert him back to season-ending injured reserve, giving them flexibility to not have to rush his return to the lineup. In the meantime, Cross, Forsythe, and undrafted rookies McClendon Curtis and Raiqwon O'Neal remain on the roster along with versatile third-year lineman Jake Curhan.
Only a few weeks ago, the Seahawks may have been content with moving forward with Curtis and/or O'Neal staying on the roster. But considering how well Peters played against the Commanders on Sunday, along with Lucas coming back in the near future, the franchise would be wise to create two roster spots to have both of them on the roster for the stretch run.
To make that happen, Curtis and O'Neal may be waived with hopes the team can sneak them to the practice squad. Since both players have been on the active roster since being plucked from other practice squads, they would be eligible to be elevated up to three times if injuries strike again at the position, creating a perfect scenario from a depth standpoint.
Of course, other moves could be made too, including the possibility receiver Dareke Young goes back to injured reserve after aggravating an abdominal injury. Regardless, after seeing Peters put on a clinic on Sunday, it would be a surprise if the Seahawks don't have plans for him to be on the roster for the rest of the season as an experienced, reliable insurance policy.
