Here’s my best attempt at trying to guess Seattle’s thought process with regards to their offensive line this off-season.
Plan A — sign Will Fries
The Seahawks were clearly in the mix. He was a great scheme fit and his tape showed signs of real promise. There’s no doubt Fries was the best option available in free agency.
The Minnesota Vikings went above and beyond to get him. They didn’t just beat the Seahawks to his signature but several other suitors. You might say they should’ve done whatever it takes to get him. It’s not that simple though.
Many think it is — and that’s been the frustrating thing over the last few days. It’s why I probably came across as a grumpy so-and-so during my Puck Sports show yesterday. I appreciate Seahawks fans want a solution and that’s understandable. That can’t come at any cost though. Let me try and explain why.
Bob Condotta reported that the Seahawks wanted Fries to come in and take a medical after he suffered a broken leg last season.
John Schneider confirmed this today:
“We wanted a visit. Another team didn’t want a visit and they just went ahead and did the deal. So what does that mean? Does that mean you just go ahead and start panicking and throwing money at other guys that aren’t quite as good? No, you make the smart, patient decisions.”
It’s a perfectly logical position for the Seahawks to take. He ended up signing a contract worth $17.5m a year. You could argue it’d be reckless to sign him to a mega-deal without doing a medical, as Minnesota did.
Secondly, the Vikings did something that no other team has done for any player at any position in free agency this year by signing him to a five-year contract. We’ll need to wait for the details on the deal to see if the extra year or two means anything — but is it reasonable to criticise the Seahawks for the way they structure their contracts, when no other team — other than the Vikings in this instance — are doing deals like this?
I really liked Fries and wanted the Seahawks to sign him. By all accounts, the team felt that way too. At no point, though, did I voice an opinion saying caution should be thrown to the wind on the medicals, any amount of money should be spent on him or any length of contract agreed. As I mentioned on Tuesday, his strong zone-blocking PFF grade was based on 67 snaps in 2024. Before that, he graded poorly. You were investing in promise, not proven quality.
Plan A didn’t work out — and it’s OK.
What’s the pivot then?
The reaction to missing out on Fries by many fans and media is to say they had to immediately turn their attentions to Teven Jenkins, Mekhi Becton and Kevin Zeitler. It wouldn’t be acceptable not to produce solutions through free agency.
I think this misses the point. A General Manager in this situation has to ask whether these players are actually any good and are they going to be part of a great line in the future?
The situation with all of the free agent linemen paints quite an interesting picture and arguably justifies Seattle’s position so far:
Teven Jenkins — Ben Johnson replaced him and clearly decided he wasn’t part of the future as a starter in Chicago. He remains a free agent.
Mekhi Becton — Failed in his first gig in New York amid plenty of concerns about his application and attitude. The Eagles didn’t make a big effort to retain him. He remains a free agent.
Kevin Zeitler — The Lions haven’t re-signed him and he’s since joined the worst team in the NFL in 2024, the Tennessee Titans.
It seems like the league universally viewed Fries as ‘the guy’. Drew Dalman was also in the running but his contract is cheaper than Fries’. His deal seems reasonable and appealing — but it’s also possible he had his heart set on joining Johnson’s Bears revival.
Even the Colts seemingly didn’t make a big push to keep Fries or his team-mate Ryan Kelly. They preferred to spend their available money on Cam Bynum and Charvarius Ward.
‘Plan B’ for the Seahawks didn’t seem to exist in free agency. Not because the Seahawks can’t be bothered to address an issue they undoubtedly accept is a huge priority, or because they have cash-flow problems or are overly strict on contract-length. Plan B doesn’t exist in free agency because the options are, to put it bluntly, ‘a bit crap’.
So what is Plan B then?
It’s the draft.
I understand all the concerns that come with this. Seattle’s O-line is already quite young. In an ideal world, proven quality would’ve been added as a quick fix. Ideal worlds don’t exist though. Fries joined the Vikings and now the Seahawks have to reassess.
It might mean there are some teething problems at the start of the season. It might mean the Seahawks are not at their peak contender level as a consequence. Was anyone expecting that in 2025 anyway?
The upside of this approach is the ability to draft cost-effective players who are actually capable of building a quality interior structure. I’m not saying this as a cope. I’m not saying there are really good players in this draft to excuse Schneider or anyone else. I genuinely believe, having studied countless hours of tape since last summer, that there are players in this draft who can get Seattle’s O-line to a place we all want it to be.
I appreciate people will bring up Schneider’s history of drafting linemen. What I’d say is, this is the best draft class for interior linemen in a while. Plus, they have an O-line coach with a lot of experience and a track record. They have a better chance compared to previous seasons to draft and develop players.
So what might ‘Plan B’ actually look like?
In November I was talking up Grey Zabel as an outstanding prospect. My words in a text to Jeff Simmons were something along the lines of, ‘get this guy in Seattle’.
Personally I prefer him at guard. Many others see him as a better fit at center. How about this for a proposal? What if the Seahawks didn’t really pursue Drew Dalman because they feel very good about their chances of landing Zabel? I’ve not seen any mock projecting him above the 18th pick. I don’t think it’s a reach, personally. I think in a draft where the player taken 18th will have a similar grade to the player taken 45th, it’s completely acceptable to think he’d be a worthy pick in the top-25.
Some claim Schneider refuses to draft for the interior O-line early. Yet in 2016, there was a lot of buzz about his interest in drafting Ryan Kelly. He was taken 16th overall, before Seattle’s pick at #26. What if the Seahawks believe they can draft Zabel at #18, they think he’s very much worth the pick and in the worst case scenario of them missing out — which seems unlikely — they’re content to go with the centers already on the roster? Or see what options are available in the middle rounds, such as Jake Majors or Jared Wilson? On Wilson, his testing profile is very similar to Erik McCoy’s. He excelled for Klint Kubiak in New Orleans.
Zabel is 6-6, 312lbs, he has 32-inch arms and 9.5 inch hands. He jumped a 36-inch vertical and a 9-3 broad, with 26 reps on the bench press. We don’t have any speed or agility numbers, which is a shame.
Creed Humphrey, the NFL’s top center, is 6-4 and 302lbs. He has 32-inch arms and 9.5 inch hands. He jumped a 33-inch vertical and a 9-4 broad. There’s not a massive difference between the two in terms of profile, provided Zabel can run a similar 4.49 short shuttle.
They could also draft Zabel to play guard. Chris Lindstrom, the former #14 overall pick by Atlanta, was the #1 guard in the NFL per PFF in 2024. Zabel, for me, can match his production. If you’re concerned about Zabel coming from North Dakota State, know that PFF’s #2 ranked guard went to UW-Whitewater and their #5 ranked guard went to Bowling Green.
Whatever his role, he has incredible potential coming into the league.
Another potential target, Tyler Booker, might be more likely to reach #18 after a poor combine testing performance. However, it’s worth noting that the 49ers drafted Aaron Banks in 2021 for the same scheme Seattle is now running. Let’s compare their testing numbers:
40 yard dash: Booker – 5.38, Banks – 5.34
10-yard split: Booker – 1.96, Banks – 1.91
Short shuttle: Booker – 4.83, Banks – 4.92
Kyle Shanahan picked Banks in round two. Green Bay just gave him $19.25m a year to play in Matt LaFleur’s offense. This is ample evidence we shouldn’t rule out Booker in Seattle.
I don’t think it’s preposterous to suggest they have their eye on several draft targets and believe — not unfairly — these players are a lot better than the free agent options available.
Clearly if a top player, a ‘can’t miss’ player, lasts to #18, they’ll need to pivot again. I’m not sure the Jihaad Campbell types will be there, paving the way for Zabel as an option. If he or others are, they’ll likely have alternative plans with their other high picks.
They might double-down on the interior. If they took Zabel and started him at center, I’d be very interested in drafting Tate Ratledge to play guard. His testing at the combine was elite. A 4.97 forty, 1.72 10-yard split, 32-inch vertical, 9-5 broad jump, 7.38 three-cone. He ticks every single box for athleticism and explosive power.
If he goes in the second round, we may well be asking ‘why?’ a few years down line, just as we do with Humphrey in Kansas City.
Put these two together in the interior and what do you get? A tough-guy mentality, extreme physical quality and you re-shape your identity in their image. The Eagles draft guys like this. I think both can start quickly. Isn’t this more preferable than signing Teven Jenkins just so we can say they ‘did something’?
As I keep saying, the aim is to create a top-10 line. It isn’t to sign veterans for the sake of it. If we have to live through a challenging-at-times 2025, with two brilliant young interior blockers, to emerge with greatness in the future, sign me up.
The beauty of having five picks in the top-100 is you can justify a double-dip on the O-line and still:
— Add a young receiver if you want
— Draft a quarterback if you want
— Bring in another defensive tackle or pass-rusher if you want
— Consider any other position
The signing of DeMarcus Lawrence takes a little bit of pressure off needing to draft an EDGE rusher. If they sign Cooper Kupp, the same will be true at receiver (although they’ll almost certainly add one — it just might be in rounds 3-4 where the options remain strong).
My suggestion to all Seahawks fans is, let’s see what happens. I accept some will reject that plea. I think it is quite limiting, though, when people say the idea of drafting and developing for the O-line this year is “stupid” while implying the Seahawks didn’t go “all-in to fix” the problem as Michael Shawn-Dugar suggests in this video. My response to that would be, show me what ‘all-in’ constitutes? Is it the recklessness discussed at the start of this article? Paying out $50m contracts for players recovering from injury with no checks? Is it signing a veteran or two ‘just because’? This feels very much like trying to win free agency on the internet — the downfall of many teams in the past.
Every single person who reports on or follows the Seahawks can agree that ideally top veterans would’ve been added. My aim over the last few days has been to try and provide some perspective as to why that’s easier said than done and why the draft can provide solutions.
If they take a receiver at #18, a cornerback at #50 and a linebacker at #52, I’ll be the first one to challenge and question their approach to the O-line. My guess is that won’t happen — but let’s at least wait to find out.
A final note to make today. I hope this means something to some people, because regulars to this blog know I don’t cheerlead for this team.
I’ve been tremendously impressed with Schneider and the front office so far this off-season. I think they’ve found a gem of a Head Coach in Mike Macdonald and put a strong offensive staff around him. I think they handled the situations with Geno Smith and DK Metcalf superbly — not wasting any time, effectively moving on and getting value via trade within a good draft class. The way they replaced Smith with no fuss, signing Sam Darnold, was incredibly efficient.
I’m optimistic. I accept other people feel differently. I see great opportunities in the draft to set up the future of this team and improve upon recent years where the team was stuck in a ‘good not great’ middle-area. This off-season so far has been a success and I’m upbeat, not downbeat, about the direction of this team.
