Seahawks Sign Veteran Offensive Lineman The Day Before Minicamp

With the Seahawks beginning their mandatory minicamp today, the team has signed an offensive tackle to help fill out the roster.

Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Bobby Hart (66) enters the field before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Four months ago, the Seattle Seahawks were playing meaningful NFL football. They were playing in the most meaningful NFL game possible, in fact. So it makes sense that they might have a few players who aren’t quite ready to participate in practice yet. But you need enough players to go through the process of offseason work.

So NFL teams, even ones that weren’t participating in deep postseason runs, often sign assorted players who are still floating around in free agency in June and July, just for the purpose of having a warm body at certain positions. That seems to be the case with Bobby Hart, the long-time offensive lineman the Seahawks just picked up.

Hart’s Long NFL Journey

New York Giants guard Bobby Hart (68) during game 16 of the NFL International Series against the Los Angeles Rams. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A seventh round pick out of Florida State back in 2015 by the New York Giants, Hart deserves a lot of kudos just for still being in the NFL. But it’s an entirely different sum of kudos he should be given for actually still being a starter as recently as last season. Playing for a Los Angeles Chargers team battling massive injuries, Hart started eight games.

But let’s wind the clock back a bit. Hart was a bit player for the Giants as a rookie, then played a majority of offensive snaps over the next two seasons for them, mostly at right tackle. He was let go after the 2017 season, signing soon after with the Cincinnati Bengals. Making all sixteen starts without missing a snap, he was rewarded with a sizable extension.

Three years and just over sixteen million dollars was his reward, and he delivered by playing almost every possible snap over the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Released into free agency at that point (missing the Cincy Super Bowl run by one season), Hart began to bounce around. The Bills gave him a shot, but released him before the season.

Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Bobby Hart (68) walks off the field after the game against the Miami Dolphins. | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Dolphins put him on their practice squad for two weeks before letting him go, allowing the Bills to put him on theirs. A month later, the Tennessee Titans needed him, picking him up for a month before releasing him back onto their practice squad. Four days later, the Bills wanted him again (again) for a few weeks, then waived him to their practice squad for a few weeks.

Still following along? Well, 2022 mercifully saw him get some actual stability, as he spent the entire season with the Bills, who used him as a sixth offensive lineman in certain packages. 2023 saw him try and fail to make the roster cut with the Detroit Lions, then effectively sit out of football until the Commanders needed him for their practice squad in 2024.

In 2025, he didn’t make the cut for the 53 man in Washington, and again waited in free agency until the Chargers had need of him, allowing him to become a starter yet again. So it’d be fair to say that Bobby Hart has had a tumultuous journey through the league so far, as he now finds himself on his ninth NFL team and in search of a roster spot.

Denver Broncos defensive tackle Jonathan Harris (92) with Buffalo Bills tackle Bobby Hart (68). | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Why The Seahawks?

A couple of angles to note here as we kick off minicamp today. First, Josh Jones barely made it through the 2025 season for the Seahawks, held together by duct tape and gorilla glue so he could gut out a few late-season starts for the injured Charles Cross. Based on his lack of participation at OTAs, he’s not all the way back yet. Hence the need for Hart.

It also occurs to me that, right now, the Seahawks are essentially using Josh Jones as the backup tackle on both sides. Mostly, that’s fine, but it does create a precarious situation, as Jones can’t play on both sides of the line at the same time. Amari Kight can serve as a backup tackle as well, but his 21 career offensive snaps might not be enough for comfort.

Hart, who has played almost all of his career at right tackle, could theoretically serve as an experienced backup at right tackle and allow Jones to just think about the left. Josh has been far better as a left tackle throughout his career than any other position, and could benefit from this. There’s no guarantee of a roster spot for Hart, but I’m not ruling it out quite yet.

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