John Clayton’s 4 things to watch in Seahawks’ opener vs Dolphins

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

Tom Cable spent the entire offseason and training camp trying to fix the offensive line. He seemed to hit a home run with Mark Glowinski and Germain Ifedi at guard and Justin Britt at center. Then on Wednesday, in the first big practice for the Miami Dolphins game, Ifedi suffered a high-ankle sprain and will probably miss a month.

Figuring out his replacement will be a big part of Sunday’s opener.

Here are four things to consider when Seattle and Miami meet at 1 p.m. Sunday, live on 710 ESPN Seattle and KIRO Radio 97.3 FM.

• 1. With Ifedi out, the Seahawks have two options. They could put J’Marcus Webb at right guard or they could move Britt to right guard and start Joey Hunt at center. Webb would be the easier solution because Britt has never played right guard. That would be his third move in a little more than a year, a little too much to ask. But the timing is horrible. The Seahawks open against Ndamukong Suh of the Dolphins and then play Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams. They needed to be solidified in the middle of the offensive line. Now they have questions. The test for the offensive line is how well the team can run the ball the next two weeks. By going with Webb, the Seahawks would have a big offensive line. That would help going against the Dolphins, who have trouble stopping the run. What was strange about the Suh signing before last season is the Dolphins – believe it or not – got worse stopping the run in 2015, particularly between the guards. Last year, the Dolphins ranked 30th in the league stopping inside runs. They gave up 93.6 yards a game and 4.15 yards a carry. Suh can be unblockable and is relentless. Still, the Dolphins are expected to have problems stopping the run between the guards. Christine Michael is expected to start while Thomas Rawls will continue to work his way into more carries each week coming off ankle surgery. With the adjustment along the line because of the Ifedi injury, the Seahawks need to take the easier approach. They need to run first and try not to expose Russell Wilson to unnecessary hits.

• 2. On passing plays, the Seahawks probably will test Dolphins rookie cornerback Xavier Howard more than old friend and former Seahawk Byron Maxwell. Howard is learning on the job, and Maxwell has done his best to help him through the project. Maxwell left the Seahawks after the 2014 season and signed for $10.5 million a year with the Philadelphia Eagles, who traded him to the Dolphins. Around the league, Maxwell is considered more of a No. 2 corner than a No. 1. Last year, quarterbacks completed 51 of 83 passes against him for 813 yards and three touchdowns.

• 3. One of the keys of the game will be the Seahawks’ ability to stop the run. Last year, the Seahawks led the league in run-stopping, allowing only 81.5 yards per game. The Dolphins really don’t know what they have for a running offense after losing Lamar Miller to the Houston Texans in free agency. Arian Foster is coming off an Achilles injury and he just turned 30. In the preseason, he had only seven carries for 5 yards. The return of Tony McDaniel and the debut of second-round pick Jarran Reed should make the Seahawks stronger in stopping the run.

• 4. It will be interesting to see the running back rotation of the Seahawks. I’m figuring Rawls will have a limited time on the field. Maybe that means about five or six carries. He had two in the preseason. That number will grow each week. Michael will have his best chance to be the workhorse Sunday because after that, Rawls should get more carries each week. The Seahawks will also get to use C.J. Prosise more on passing downs. A 160-yard running day would give the Seahawks a good chance to win.

Want more John Clayton? Listen on-demand to his weekday and Saturday shows as well as his “Cold Hard Facts” and “Clayton’s Morning Drive” segments on 710 ESPN Seattle. Also, check out his all-new “Schooled” podcast and look for his columns twice a week on 710Sports.com.

Related

John Clayton Memorial Fund benefiting the Multiple Sclerosis SocietyClayton: What’s next for Seahawks after kicking off ‘major’ rebuildClayton: Won’t be easy for Seahawks to replace Wilson after surprising tradeClayton: Why you shouldn’t worry about salary cap with Seahawks this offseasonClayton: The big news from Seahawks, NFC West as combine beginsClayton: How RBs in NFL Draft should help Seahawks this offseason