Huard: Seahawks OL has favorable matchup vs Broncos pass rush

When the Seahawks open the 2022 season at home against the Broncos, all eyes are going to be on how Seattle’s defense does against Denver’s offense.

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That’s a given as the Seahawks traded star quarterback Russell Wilson to the Broncos this offseason and it will not only be the first time Wilson faces his former team, but its both sides’ first game in general without the other.

But a different matchup has caught the eye of former NFL quarterback Brock Huard, and he thinks it favors the Seahawks. That would be Seattle’s pass protection going up against Denver’s pass rush.

Yes, the Seahawks’ offensive line, which has been a common critique of the team for years now and played a part in Wilson’s departure, has the upper hand entering Monday’s game, Huard said Thursday morning on Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports 710 AM.

“The more favorable matchup that they will have compared to some of the teams they could have faced in Week 1 is you get a guy in Bradley Chubb at defensive end who had zero sacks in 2021 … and then Randy Gregory, who the Broncos signed to a big monster megadeal instead of Von Miller, who’s missed all the preseason coming off a shoulder injury,” Huard said.

“The fact is those two with really no depth behind it … they’re gonna put rookies in positions on rookies Monday night. To me that’s a favorable matchup,” Huard later added.

The Broncos were tied for 18th in sacks last season at 36, and of the four players who recorded more than 2.5 sacks last year for Denver, just one defender – Dre’Mont Jones – is back on the roster. In fact, the Broncos’ leading sacker last season was Shelby Harris, who is now with the Seahawks as he came to Seattle in the Wilson trade.

The Broncos’ pass rush being lackluster on paper could help a Seahawks team that will likely be rolling out rookie starters at both tackle positions in first-round pick Charles Cross on the left side and third-rounder Abraham Lucas on the right side.

“That’s not Leonard Floyd, that’s not Chandler Jones, that’s not Aaron Donald, that’s not (Nick) Bosa. That’s not a bunch of dudes who it could have been for your two rookies who are going to feel a noise and a speed they’ve never felt in their life,” Huard said. “Now, hopefully the fans are smart enough – and they will be – to quiet down when the Seahawks are on offense. But still, from an emotion, a magnitude, a speed it will be a whole other gear for Abe and for Charles compared to what they faced with hacks in the preseason. But, if I could pick the teams to play in the opener, (the Broncos are) a matchup that’s actually more favorable than not.”

Listen to the entire second hour of Thursday’s Brock and Salk at this link or in the player below.

Seahawks on the radio

Catch the Seahawks’ season opener Monday night against Russell Wilson and the Broncos on Seattle Sports 710 AM and streaming at SeattleSports.com, on the Seahawks app and the Seattle Sports app. Coverage begins at 2 p.m. with the pregame show, followed by kickoff at 5:15 p.m. and the postgame show, which airs for roughly two hours after the end of the contest.

Note: Due to NFL restrictions, Seahawks games are available to stream from Seattle Sports only if you are within 75 miles of Seattle. There are several Seahawks Radio Network affiliates throughout the Pacific Northwest. Find your nearest affiliate at this link. If you are outside of the Pacific Northwest and want to stream Seahawks radio broadcasts, the NFL offers a subscription streaming service. For details, click here.

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