Field Gulls
With new a new coaching staff and a new offensive system in place, many fans have hopes for big changes up front from the Seahawks offensive line. However, according to a report Tuesday it appears Bradford could be in the lead to be the Week 1 starter for a second consecutive season.
As the Seattle Seahawks prepare for the upcoming NFL season, many fans are hopeful that the new coaching staff and new offensive system will bring improved play from the big men up front.
Gone is 2024 starter at left guard Laken Tomlinson, who signed with the Houston Texans in free agency, with first round pick Grey Zabel likely to open the season lined up next to left tackle Charles Cross. At center it appears Olu Oluwatimi and Jalen Sundell are set to battle it out during training camp, with Abe Lucas likely manning the right tackle spot, assuming his troublesome knee does not give him excessive amounts of trouble.
And then there’s the battle at right guard, where many fans have called for 2024 third round pick Christian Haynes, while others hope that Sataoa Laumea or Bryce Cabeldue or Mason Richman or anyone other Anthony Bradford starts at the position.
Bradford has started the most games at the position for the Seahawks in each of the past two seasons under both of the past two offensive coaching regimes, and according to Brady Henderson of ESPN on Tuesday morning, Bradford may currently hold the lead in the battle at right guard heading into training camp is set to open. In a pre-training camp 53-man roster projection for the 2025 Seahawks, Henderson noted that, “Anthony Bradford, who was uneven in 11 starts before his season ended due to an ankle injury, took most of the first-team reps in the spring.”
So, there it is. Certainly it’s not a highly detailed breakdown of exactly how many reps each player took with the first team, but the simple fact that Bradford was with the first team for “most of” the reps would appear to be an indication that the new coaching staff has similar views on the players at the position as the prior coaching staff.
Obviously, there will be be competition during training camp, and there is plenty of time between now and Week 1 for any of those in competition at the position to lay claim to the starting role. However, an experienced coaching staff looking to develop one of the youngest, least experienced offensive lines in the league into a group capable of delivering competent line play likely didn’t spend the offseason giving “most of the first-team reps” to a player they intend to sit on the bench.
And now it’s on to the training camp position battles.
