Should the Seahawks bring back offensive lineman J.R. Sweezy?
Jul 2, 2018, 10:08 PM
Seahawks RG J.R. Sweezy (foot) is questionable for Saturday's game. (AP)
(AP)
Are the Seahawks interested in a reunion with offensive lineman J.R. Sweezy? According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the free agent recently underwent a physical for the Seahawks – and despite his injury history in Tampa, 710 ESPN Seattle’s Tom Wassell isn’t opposed to the idea of bringing Sweezy back to Seattle to challenge for a spot on the line.
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“That could be a legitimate competition,” Wassell said Monday during Bob, Groz and Tom. “He’s a guy who’s proved he can play at right guard in this league.”
Sweezy was released by the Buccaneers Friday, ending his brief tenure with Tampa Bay. The 29-year-old guard, who originally signed a five-year, $32.5 million contract with the Buccaneers in March 2016, is coming off a lower-leg injury that landed him on the injured reserve list in December. ESPN reports he was medically-cleared this offseason.
Sweezy was drafted by the Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of North Carolina State. The former defensive tackle was converted to the O-line by then-offensive line coach Tom Cable and went on to become Seattle’s starting right guard from 2013 to 2015. It was a stretch that included back-to-back Super Bowl trips and one Super Bowl win.
If Sweezy is to be brought in to Seahawks’ training camp, he would be greeted by plenty of new faces. Just a handful of players remain from Seattle’s Super Bowl XLVII-winning squad. This offseason also saw the Seahawks replace Cable with former Giants O-line coach Mike Solari – and that’s something, argued Bob, Groz and Tom co-host Bob Stelton, that could work against Sweezy.
“From what I’ve been hearing about Solari and their new scheme is they like size over athleticism and the smaller guy,” Stelton said. “(Right guard D.J.) Fluker is definitely a guy who fits the bill of size. Sweezy’s the opposite of that; that’s a guy who had a hard time getting up to I think 290. So I don’t know how he fits (in this new system).”
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