What does Connor Williams addition mean for Seahawks?

The Seattle Seahawks made a big move Tuesday with the addition of veteran offensive lineman Connor Williams, who reportedly agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal with the team.

Big Ray’s perspective on Seahawks adding OL Connor Williams

Williams, a former second-round draft pick, has made 77 career starts over his six NFL seasons. He spent his first four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, where he primarily played left guard. Then after signing with Miami in 2022, he moved to center and started 26 games for the Dolphins before suffering a torn ACL last December.

Since changing positions, the 6-foot-5, 317-pound Williams has been one of the best centers in the league. He graded as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-best center in 2022 and its second-best center in 2023. Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald confirmed to reporters after Thursday’s training camp practice that they plan to use Williams at center.

In the wake of the reported signing, here are a few questions about what his addition means for the Seahawks.

Can Williams finally be the answer at center?

Center has been a revolving door for the Seahawks ever since they parted ways with Justin Britt after the 2019 season. Since then, they have cycled through a handful of starters, including Ethan Pocic, Kyle Fuller, Austin Blythe and Evan Brown.

If healthy, Williams can give Seattle a level of talent at center it hasn’t had since Max Unger earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods in 2012 and 2013. Williams excels in both facets of the offense, grading second among centers in run-blocking last season and seventh in pass-blocking, according to PFF.

Williams also brings a major upgrade in experience over Seattle’s other two options at the position, with second-year pro Olu Oluwatimi and fifth-year pro Nick Harris having combined for just five NFL starts.

“He has a presence that says, ‘Look, I’ve been there. I’ve done that,'” former Seahawks wide receiver Michael Bumpus said Wednesday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. “… He brings something that they don’t have at that center spot when it comes to experience.”

The big question mark, of course, is Williams’ health. He is less than nine months removed from a torn ACL in his left knee. He also suffered a torn ACL in right knee in 2019.

Williams reportedly passed a physical with the Seahawks during a free agent visit last month, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Williams’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told 560 WQAM sports radio in Miami on Monday that he expects Williams to be ready to play in Week 1.

“I don’t think they sign him and guarantee him three million dollars with a potential to make six (million) if they don’t think they’re gonna see him early (this season),” Bumpus said. “So he must have killed that workout and instilled some confidence in these guys.”

What does this mean for Oluwatimi?

Heading into training camp, Oluwatimi appeared to have the upper hand for the starting center job over Harris. However, Macdonald told reporters Monday that the battle between Oluwatimi and Harris was open. And one day after that, news broke that Williams was signing with Seattle.

“Is that commentary on Oluwatimi and Nick Harris and what (the Seahawks) haven’t been seeing from that spot?” Bob Stelton said Wednesday on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob.

The 6-foot-3, 309-pound Oluwatimi had a decorated college career at Virginia and Michigan. As a senior at Michigan in 2022, he won the Rimington Trophy as the best center in the country and the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior lineman.

However, Oluwatimi didn’t quite have the athleticism or length of some other top centers in the 2023 draft, which likely contributed to him falling to Seattle in the fifth round. He spent last season as the backup to Evan Brown, appearing in four games at center and making one start when Brown was out with an injury.

Given Macdonald’s comments on Monday, it appears that Oluwatimi didn’t separate himself from Harris in training camp.

“They’re bringing (Williams) in to be the starter, because either coaches feel like Nick and Oluwatimi aren’t getting it done, or you just need some experience out there,” Bumpus said.

How does this impact the rest of the offense?

The offensive line has been widely regarded as the Seahawks’ biggest question mark. That was reflected in PFF’s annual offensive line rankings, which had Seattle at No. 31 out of 32 teams at the time of publication on July 1.

There are plenty of causes for concern. Starting right tackle Abraham Lucas remains on the physically unable to perform list, with no clear timetable for his return from offseason knee surgery. Right guard is relatively inexperienced, with the battle likely between second-year pro Anthony Bradford and rookie third-round pick Christian Haynes. And the presumptive starting left guard is veteran Laken Tomlinson, who is coming off two down seasons with the New York Jets.

How much does Williams’ addition elevate the unit as a whole? It doesn’t erase those other question marks, but it certainly could have a pretty significant impact. If Williams stays healthy and former No. 9 overall pick Charles Cross turns in a solid third season at left tackle, Seattle could be above average to very strong at arguably the two most important spots on the line.

Furthermore, the pass-protection upgrade that Williams provides could pay major dividends for quarterback Geno Smith. Earlier this summer, former Seahawks offensive lineman Ray Roberts explained why interior pass protection is so vitally important for a quarterback like Smith who likes to step up in the pocket.

“When you set and make the pocket for the quarterback, the guards and the center set the depth of the pocket, and the tackles set the width of the pocket,” Roberts said. “And Geno is more of a step-up-and-then-get-out type of quarterback than he is a sprint-do-a-360-spin like Russell (Wilson) and run to the outside and make plays. … And so it’s important that those interior linemen are able to set the depth there and not have a whole lot of penetration in that space.”

Smith frequently dealt with a muddled pocket last year, as the Seahawks’ injury-ravaged offensive line ranked No. 28 out of 32 teams in PFF pass-block grading. Smith’s production dipped as a result, with his ESPN QBR metric dropping from seventh in 2022 to 14th in 2023.

“Last year, there was a lot going on in there, so then he was having to escape a lot and throw on the run – when that’s probably not Geno’s game,” Roberts said. “… To me, (the interior O-line) is where the question mark is with the offense, because as they go, I think Geno’s production goes.”

Listen to full conversation about Connor Williams on Bump and Stacy at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Hear the full conversation about Williams on Wyman and Bob at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story.

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