Garry Gilliam, J’Marcus Webb get final audition for Seahawks’ RT job

Garry Gilliam was projected to be the Seahawks’ starting left tackle when training began back in late July.

Whether he’ll be the starter at his former position of right tackle is an open question as September begins. In fact, that is perhaps the only question left in the Seahawks’ lineup as they still haven’t settled on Gilliam or J’Marcus as the starter entering tonight’s preseason finale in Oakland.

“We have a competition at the spot, which is good,” coach Pete Carroll said of right tackle. “J’Marcus is doing a nice job there, too. This game will be important for those guys as they play. We think both guys could play right now, so we’re in good shape there.”

Thomas Rawls could play in Seahawks’ preseason finale vs. Oakland

But what happened to Gilliam? He was one of the team’s most promising linemen last year. In fact, he played so well last August that Seattle juggled its offensive line two weeks into training camp, moving Justin Britt to left guard to clear the way for Gilliam to start at right tackle. When the Seahawks watched as Russell Okung signed with Denver as a free agent, the assumption was that they felt confident with Gilliam stepping into Okung’s former spot at left tackle.

When Carroll was asked to evaluate Gilliam’s play through training camp, he pointed to an offseason procedure to remove a cyst in Gilliam’s knee, which limited his availability over the summer.

“This was a difficult offseason for him,” Carroll said, “because it took him so long to get right and where he could really jump back in and get back to work. But he has done well. He has worked at left and right (tackle).”

Gilliam moved back to right tackle after Webb injured his knee in the second week of training camp, with Bradley Sowell stepping in to left tackle. The thought was that Sowell was better suited to play on the left side, but even after Webb returned, Gilliam stayed on the right side, where he’s now trying to hold onto the starting job he had a year ago.

Webb looked like he might have trouble making the team through the first week of training camp, but he’s making a push now that he’s adjusted to Seattle’s pace and its approach along the line.

“He needed to make even a bigger kind of change just to get (used) to our style of play, run game and pass game,” Carroll said of Webb. “But the last 10 days he’s looked very good, and I’m anxious to see him play again.”

NFL starters usually don’t play much in the fourth preseason game if they play at all. That might be a little different for Seattle’s offensive line this year, especially as Gilliam and Webb compete for the final starting spot.

Here are three other things to watch for tonight in Oakland:

Who’ll take the fifth? That would be the fifth wide receiver spot. Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Tyler Lockett and Paul Richardson are certain to be on the roster. Now it’s a question of who can grab hold of the fifth spot. Undrafted rookie Tanner McEvoy is a leading candidate, though a groin injury suffered late in last week’s preseason game against Dallas has cast at least a little bit of doubt. A hamstring injury halted Kevin Smith’s bid to be back on the team before it ever really got going, and Kasen Williams has been slowed by the same injury and is pressing just to make it back for this game. Seventh-round pick Kenny Lawler’s performance has been up and down, and he hasn’t made any impact on special teams. Is the door open enough for Douglas McNeil to earn a spot?

Snap decision. On one hand, the fact that the long-snapper is one of the biggest concerns on Seattle’s roster gives you an indication of how strong this team is. On the other hand, it’s pretty silly for a team this good to have a question at long-snapper, but rookie Nolan Frese has had five less-than-ideal snaps over the past two preseason games, with two of those being outright awful. There are some extenuating circumstances, though, as he suffered a shoulder sprain on the first play of the second preseason game and played through it without telling anyone. “It has bothered him some,” Carroll said of the injury. “It’s right in his shoulder, so it does affect his snapping some.” Frese has five tackles, which Carroll praised, but his snapping accuracy needs to improve.

Is the running game still Prosise? Rookie C.J. Prosise looked good in his preseason debut against Dallas and not just because he gained 11 yards on his first attempt. He carried out his blocking assignments well, which is crucial for any third-down back. Another error-free performance would go a long way to earning the coach’s trust that he’s ready for that role in the regular season.

Follow @dannyoneil