Huard: What the Seahawks’ O-line should be when Lucas returns

The Seattle Seahawks are getting closer and closer to having a fully healthy offensive line.

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Things fell apart on the health train in Week 1 when starting tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas suffered injuries. Cross, who had a toe injury, didn’t play again until Week 6, while Lucas is still on injured reserve.

Starting right guard Phil Haynes has also missed three full games this season with a calf injury while his backup, rookie Anthony Bradford, has been out of action the last two weeks with a knee injury. Starting center Evan Brown and starting left guard Damien Lewis have also each missed a game this year due to injury.

Lucas is returning to practice this week, though, and while he may not play this weekend against the Los Angeles Rams, he could return for the Seahawks’ Thanksgiving clash with the San Francisco 49ers.

When Lucas is back and the Seahawks’ offensive line is at full strength, what should their starting five be? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard broke it down during Wednesday’s Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports.

“Well, you would have our big boy at left tackle, so that doesn’t change,” Huard said of Cross.

That’s to be expected. As for left guard, though, Huard would entertain a change.

“Left guard – Damien Lewis has been still quite up and down,” he said. “I think I’d have a real conversation about maybe moving Jason Peters there. Having Jason Peters at left guard, Evan at center, Bradford at right guard and Abe at right tackle – you are talking about a massive, massive group of men. I mean, at that point, you’d be the largest O-line in the NFL and I don’t think it’d be close. And yet you would have a bunch of guys that could still move.”

Lewis, a 2020 third-round pick, has been a Day 1 starter for the Seahawks. He spent his rookie year at right guard before moving to left guard in 2021, where he has remained.

With Lucas coming back, Huard thinks the 41-year-old Peters, a likely future Hall of Famer who has played at right tackle the last few weeks, has shown he should be a regular contributor on Seattle’s offensive line.

“How many snaps did (head coach Pete Carroll) tell us Jason played the other day? (It was) 54,” Huard said. “And he played at an incredibly high level … Jason Peters, you know what he did in his 54 snaps? He had 35 pass-blocking snaps. Do you know how many pressures he allowed? In 35 pass-blocking snaps – because they threw it a ton – he allowed one pressure and no sacks. The numbers back up what my eyes saw and what Pete Carroll said, which is yeah man, he played his best. He played a ton of snaps, he’s getting in shape.

“And Jason Peters could play guard or tackle. Remember that. When he first got here, he was working in some guard because there were a bunch of guard injuries. Phil Haynes and Damien Lewis are fine. They’re good. But I think your best group could be with Bradford and Peters. I would sure at least like to see that group get their chance in the rotation.”

Listen to the second hour of Wednesday’s Brock and Salk at this link or in the player near the top of this story.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Bumpus: How Seahawks’ Leonard Williams is impressing right away
• Seahawks Notebook: Carroll on Jason Peters, Dre Jones, injuries
• Bumpus: Seahawks’ Riq Woolen quietly playing better each week
• Rost: Seattle Seahawks’ Geno Smith shows why he’s Carroll’s QB

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