Baldinger on Seahawks’ O-line: ‘They look like backups’

The Seattle Seahawks’ nearly decade-long struggles along the offensive line are once again a major issue this season.

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Seattle has struggled mightily to protect quarterback Geno Smith, ranking 25th in both Pro Football Focus’ pass block grading and ESPN’s pass-block win rate (53%). Smith has sacked 28 times, which is fourth-most in the NFL. And he’s been pressured on 39.6% of his dropbacks, which is the fifth-highest rate according to PFF.

The Seahawks’ run blocking has also been problematic. Seattle ranks 20th in PFF’s run block grading and 29th in ESPN’s run-block win rate (67%). The lack of push up front has resulted in a sputtering rushing attack that’s averaging just 91.2 yards per game, which ranks 28th in the league.

NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, who had a 13-year career as an NFL offensive lineman between 1982 and 1993, provided a blunt evaluation of the Seahawks’ offensive line during an appearance Thursday morning on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“They’re not a strong group,” Baldinger said. “I mean, outside of (left tackle) Charles (Cross), who’s struggled also at times this year, they look like backups. That’s what they look like right now. … They’ve got backups in there right now and (offensive coordinator) Ryan Grubb is a deep-ball thrower. He wants to push the ball down the field, and those guys aren’t holding up in order to run that style of offense right now.”

According to PFF’s grading, the Seahawks have gotten average to above-average play at three of their five offensive line positions. Cross ranks fifth out of 77 tackles in the league, veteran left guard Laken Tomlinson ranks 30th out of 77 guards and Connor Williams ranks 18th out of 36 centers.

However, the right side of the line has been a disaster. Second-year right guard Anthony Bradford ranks 72nd out of 77 guards. And at right tackle, injuries have forced Seattle to lean primarily on third-stringer Stone Forsythe and fourth-string rookie Michael Jerrell. Forsythe ranks 74th out of 77 tackles and Jerrell ranks 76th.

Yet as difficult as the personnel challenges have been on the right side, Baldinger said there are ways to scheme around that. He pointed to the Los Angeles Rams, who also have dealt with injury issues up front. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has been sacked just 17 times this season, including a sack-free performance in their overtime win over the Seahawks on Sunday.

“Stafford still took some hits the other day, but you look at the way that they protect and how they do it, there is a firm game plan and coaching difference,” Baldinger said. “… They had a third-string right tackle in there playing, yet they still were able to protect the quarterback for the most part. And that’s scheme, that’s protection differences right there. And so the good teams still figure out how to work around some weaknesses or some youth that you might have on the offensive line.”

"They look like backups."

Hear the complete conversation with Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) here:

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How can Seahawks scheme better for their O-line?

Baldinger said Seattle and other teams with pass-protection issues could learn from Rams head coach and offensive guru Sean McVay. He pointed to how the Rams use techniques such as chip blocks, where a running back or tight end will try to knock a pass rusher off his path before proceeding with their route.

“When (the Rams) were on their third left tackle when Alaric Jackson wasn’t in there, and they were going against good pass rushers, (they’re like): ‘Here’s a chip, here’s a back, here’s a slide, here’s a wide receiver before he goes out,'” Baldinger said. “They protected first and ran their routes second. And it showed up.

“And I was just sitting there going, ‘Why aren’t other teams doing this?’ … When you have a weakness or you have an inexperienced player, give that kid as much help as you possibly can, yet still try to run your offense the best that you can.”

As for the Seahawks’ run-blocking struggles, Baldinger said the tight ends have been a major factor.

Seattle lost tight ends Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson in free agency this offseason, both of whom were strong run blockers. Rookie fourth-round pick AJ Barner has helped fill the void, ranking 14th among tight ends in PFF run blocking this season. But Noah Fant, who is a receiving-first threat, ranks 61st among tight ends in PFF run blocking. And No. 3 tight end Pharaoh Brown has played somewhat sparingly, logging a snap count higher than 30% in just two games.

“It’s more than the offensive line,” Baldinger said. “I don’t want to go backward and turn a page here, but one thing (former head coach) Pete Carroll did was those three tight ends they had last year and for the years before that – they were excellent on the edges. … They were all really good run blockers and they took a great deal of pride in it. And I can’t really say that (this) tight end group is a strong group.”

Baldinger thinks a return to more three-tight end sets could help create more space for running back Kenneth Walker III.

“They played a lot of three tight ends (last year) – probably more than any other team in the league – (and) it really helped Kenneth Walker just avoid the penetration that they’re getting right now, where you’re trying to avoid somebody before you even get to the line of scrimmage,” Baldinger said. “And so, the movement isn’t there the way you need it to be there to be a consistent running team.”

Listen to the full conversation with NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger on Brock and Salk at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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