Big Ray: Quenton Nelson changes ‘the temperature’ for Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has often discussed his vision of creating a style of football no opponent wants to face.

Analyst: Quenton Nelson to Seahawks is ‘bigger’ than Rams’ offseason moves

The defending Super Bowl champions have certainly accomplished that on defense.

With their blockbuster trade for three-time All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson earlier this week, they took a major step toward toward replicating that on the offensive side.

“When Quenton Nelson’s plane landed, the temperature changed in the locker room,” Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL offensive lineman Ray Roberts told Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “This dude is a climate changer – the way he plays, the way he approaches it, the success he’s had. So now you have a dude that plays like the defense on offense.

“Quenton Nelson is a pit bull,” Roberts added. “When he straps it up, he is trying to drive you back into the dirt 24/7.”

Widely regarded as one of the NFL’s best offensive linemen, the 6-foot-5, 330-pound Nelson was a Pro Bowler in all eight seasons since the Indianapolis Colts drafted him with the No. 6 overall pick in 2018.

And at age 30, Nelson is still very much in his prime. Since the start of 2025, he has allowed only one sack in 912 pass block snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. This season, he ranks third among guards in PFF pass block grading and seventh in PFF run block grading.

Roberts believes Nelson’s success and pedigree will be invaluable for the Seahawks’ young offensive line. Aside from Nelson, the other four starters up front are left tackle Charles Cross (age 25), center Jalen Sundell (27), right guard Grey Zabel (24) and right tackle Abraham Lucas (28).

“It gives you a North Star to go, that’s how you do it,” Roberts said. “You have a bunch of young dudes on the offensive line who’ve had various levels of success, but none of them have done it in a sustainable way (like Nelson).

“This dude walks into the room and I don’t care how you were doing it, you’re going to say, I’m going to do it like he’s doing it,” he added. “It’s a really cool thing to have someone in the room who has been there and done it at a high level for a long time.”

Listen to the full Wyman and Bob conversation with Ray Roberts at this link or in the audio near the middle of this story. Tune into Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

Seattle Seahawks news and more

• Macdonald reveals how Seahawks will shuffle OL after Quenton Nelson trade
• Salk: Should the Seattle Seahawks make another trade?
• Brock: 3 things to like about Seahawks’ trade for Quenton Nelson

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