Lions' Playoff Loss Opens Door For Seahawks to Court Hank Fraley

After interviewing a pair of candidates for their offensive coordinator vacancy a second time on Friday, the Seattle Seahawks can now aggressively shift focus back to zeroing in on Detroit Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley for the position if they wish.

Per NFL rules, if the Lions would have advanced past the divisional round on Saturday, Fraley would not have been available to interview until at least January 27. But with the Commanders pulling off the upset in Detroit, assistant coaches on Dan Campbell's staff will now be available to schedule for in-person interviews as early as Monday, January 20.

Up to this point, Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Vikings assistant quarterback coach Grant Udinski have emerged as favorites to replace Ryan Grubb as the Seahawks offensive play caller. Both candidates met with coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider for second interviews on Friday afternoon, while the team also reportedly spoke with former Buccaneers coordinator Byron Leftwich earlier in the week.

However, no hirings have been announced in the aftermath of those interviews, likely due to Seattle's lingering interest in Fraley, who was the first candidate to speak virtually with Macdonald and Schneider about the position back on January 10.

Though Fraley has never been a play caller previously at any level, the Seahawks' interest in him shouldn't come as a surprise with Macdonald wanting a "physical, complementary" offense. One of the fast risers on Campbell's talented staff, the 11-year NFL veteran has been pivotal in building a premier offensive line around former top-10 pick Penei Sewell and All-Pro center Frank Ragnow, which has been a catalyst for the franchise winning back-to-back NFC North titles.

Under Fraley's watch, with the offensive line leading the charge in the trenches, the Lions finished 10th in quarterback sack rate (5.7 percent), sixth in rushing yards (2,488), and second in rushing touchdowns (29) this season, helping lead to a 15-2 record in the regular season. Both Sewell and Ragnow earned All-Pro distinction, with the former earning First-Team recognition and the latter earning Second-Team recognition.

In 2023, Detroit ranked fourth in sack percentage (4.8 percent) with 2,311 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground as Fraley's offensive line played a key role in guiding the team to its first NFC Championship game appearance in more than 30 years. Prior to that breakout year, the unit allowed 24 sacks - the second-fewest in the NFL - and a sterling 3.9 percent sack rate in 2022.

In comparison, the Seahawks ranked 24th in sack percentage (8.3 percent) and ranked a dreadful 28th in rushing offense in their lone season with Grubb as the offensive coordinator, struggling to protect quarterback Geno Smith or create consistent run lanes for the tandem of Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet out of the backfield.

Following interviews with Kubiak and Udinski on Friday, the clock will start to tick for Seattle to make a hire at the risk of potentially losing its preferred candidate. As Macdonald indicated in his final press conference on January 7, the organization continues to partake in a balancing act casting a wide net to land the best coach while also understanding the urgency of making a hire before other teams beat them to the punch.

This is especially true in the case of Fraley, as being aggressive in pursuit will be imperative with the potential for Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson or defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to try to bring him with them if they land head coaching gigs elsewhere, creating a unique dynamic compared to other candidates such as Kubiak and Udinski.

But the Lions falling earlier than expected in the playoffs now creates a fortunate opportunity for the Seahawks to request another meeting with Fraley in quick order, still putting them in position to land him if they view him as the top candidate to achieve the means of building a tougher, more physical offense. The next few days should paint a clear picture on whether that will be the case or not.

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