Seahawks plan to keep competition open at RG

Sep 16, 2024, 2:06 PM

Anthony Bradford of the Seattle Seahawks is held by teammates during a 2023 game. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

(Al Bello/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

The biggest position battle throughout training camp was thought to be settled for the Seattle Seahawks, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.

10 Seahawks stats that tell the story after Week 2

The Seahawks appear to be heading towards a time share at right guard with incumbent starter Anthony Bradford and rookie Christian Haynes battling for reps at the position. Bradford, a second-year pro, won the starting job in camp, but Haynes rotated in for a couple of series during Sunday’s Week 2 victory over the New England Patriots.

“At right guard, I see it ongoing right now with (Bradford) and Christian,” Macdonald said Monday during his weekly appearance on Seattle Sports. “(Haynes) probably deserved a few more reps (with) the way he played.”

Bradford played all but one of the team’s offensive snaps in Week 1, with the only rep he missed coming after he briefly left the field with an injury. Haynes came in for that play, but didn’t record another snap on offense once Bradford returned.

However, Haynes was on the field for two series and 15 offensive snaps against the Patriots on Sunday in place of a healthy Bradford.

Who had the better game? Bradford was the better pass blocker and Haynes the better run blocker, according to Pro Football Focus.

Bradford’s 67.1 pass-blocking grade ranked second among Seattle offensive linemen behind only left tackle Charles Cross, but his 63.9 grade on run plays was fourth among the six who played across the O-line. Bradford, who played 55 offensive snaps, also committed two penalties.

Haynes was the team’s highest-graded run blocker, regardless of position, at 74.8 in a small six-play sample size. But he was on the opposite end of the spectrum as a pass blocker with team-worst grade of 18.3.

Overall, Haynes received a slightly higher overall grade at 64.7 compared to Bradford’s 59.1. Only Cross had a higher overall grade than both.

“I thought Christian played pretty solid,” Macdonald said. “I thought AB had a lot of really good reps too. So, I think we’ll look at keeping that competition rolling here.”

Listen to the full conversation with Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to the Mike Macdonald Show every Monday at 9:30 a.m. following a Seahawks game.