Seattle Seahawks 90-Man Roundup: Will Stone Forsythe See More Playing Time in 2024?

Splitting nearly 500 snaps at both offensive tackle positions last season, Forsythe was used heavily in his backup role a year ago and will try to maintain that spot into the new season.

Dec 24, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Stone Forsythe (78) looks to block Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark (55) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

With OTAs wrapping up across the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in just under two months, officially ushering in the first season under new coach Mike Macdonald.

In preparation for the new incoming season, we’ll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, diving into scheme fits, exploring best- and worst-case scenarios and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2024 campaign.

After seeing a career-high in snaps in 2023 due to Seattle’s injury struggles on the offensive line, has Stone Forsythe shown enough to stick around as a backup tackle on the Seahawks roster?

Background

A three-star recruit out of West Orange High School, Forsythe landed at Florida, only about 100 miles north of his hometown. Forsythe attended Florida for all five of his college seasons from 2016–20 and played in four after redshirting his first year. As a senior, Forsythe started all 12 games at left tackle protecting Heisman Trophy Finalist Kyle Trask and concluded his college career with 40 games played. Forsythe was drafted by Seattle in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, playing most of his rookie season snaps on special teams, aside from a brief appearance at right tackle in Week 13. As a primary backup tackle for Seattle in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Forsythe has seen his snap counts grow each year, topping out at 497 offensive snaps last season — split between left and right tackle — when starters Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas have been sidelined with injuries.

Scheme Fit

Forsythe benefitted greatly from Seattle’s lack of depth behind its starters last season, playing 213 snaps at left tackle early in the schedule when Cross was inactive and 283 snaps at right tackle in the latter half of the season with Lucas playing just six games, per Pro Football Focus. At 6-8, 307 pounds, Forsythe is the tallest player on Seattle’s 90-man roster. That size has aided him in pass protection at the NFL level but hindered his run-blocking due to a high degree of difficulty keeping his pad level low. That said, Forsythe has improved in all areas throughout his three-year career and remains a quality backup, especially because he can play both tackle positions.

Best Case Scenario

Continuing to show more upside than any rookie or unproven players Seattle brought in this offseason, Forsythe maintains his primary backup role behind Cross and Lucas. However, with plug-and-play veteran tackle George Fant now on the roster, Forsythe sees a slight decrease in snaps from last season as he is shifted to primarily backing up Cross at left tackle — Forsythe’s natural position — instead of being the top option on both sides of the offensive line.

Worst Case Scenario

With Fant’s presence, Forsythe’s opportunities to see the field on offense decrease dramatically, as Fant fills the role Forsythe played last season. Seattle opts to plug in Fant on both sides of the line in a pinch, and Forsythe needs both starters to be out to get in on offense. Regardless, he maintains his role as a special teams protector on the Seahawks’ active roster.

What to Expect in 2024

Fant, who is certainly the better, more proven player, is the main threat to Forsythe’s playing time in 2024, namely because they each possess a similar skill set to play both sides. However, after Fant, Forsythe is by far the most battle-tested backup tackle Seattle has, and that experience gives him a leg-up on the players further out on the Seahawks roster bubble. It would make the most sense to have each of them ready to plug in on either side of the offensive line should anything happen to either of Seattle’s starters.

The ceiling appears lower for Forsythe this season, and he will probably see fewer snaps than in 2023 even if Lucas continues to be sidelined by nagging knee issues. Adding Fant shows Seattle was likely unhappy with Forsythe being needed to play both sides of the line in a pinch, but it’s unlikely he falls lower than second on the depth chart at left tackle. If he can continue to show improvement through the 2024 campaign, Forsythe may be able to earn himself a starting job with another team or a quality backup deal with Seattle once his contract expires at the end of the season.

Previous 90-Man Roundups

Buddha Jones | Devin Richardson | TaMerik Williams | Rason Williams II | Ro Torrence | Nathan Pickering | Dee Williams | Devere Levelston | Kobe Lewis | Sunny Anderson | Mike Novitsky | Max Pircher | Easton Gibbs | Hayden Hatten | Garret Greenfield | Carlton Johnson | Matt Gotel |George Holani | Cody White | Ty Okada | Drake Thomas | McClendon Curtis | Easop Winston Jr. |Nelson Ceaser | Jonathan Sutherland | Lance Boykin | Joshua Onujiogu | Patrick O'Connell |Jack Westover | Raiqwon O'Neal | Tyler Mabry | Dareke Young | Tremayne Anchrum | DJ James | Artie Burns | Kenny McIntosh | Myles Adams | Dee Eskridge