Have the Seahawks decided on the right guys for the right side of iffy offensive line?
The Seahawks’ shaky offensive line solidified by ... a rookie who was playing Division-II college football this time last year?
It looked like that Sunday in Atlanta.
Down to their fourth option at right tackle, the Seahawks got a heartening performance from sixth-round draft choice Mike Jerrell in their win over the Falcons.
Jerrell spent six years at the University of Findlay before Seattle general manager John Schneider found him excelling while moonlighting at Ohio State’s Pro Day this spring. Sunday in Atlanta, Jerrell started for fill-in Stone Forsythe, who missed the game with a hand injury.
George Fant started the opener at right tackle six games ago. He lasted only 13 plays before he hurt his knee. Fant remains on injured reserve.
Starter Abe Lucas hasn’t played since January. He remains sidelined indefinitely following knee surgery nine months ago.
In stepped Jerrell. Playing in front of 70,000 in Atlanta — compared to the 1,500 he routinely played before at Findlay — Jerrell paved Kenneth Walker’s path to a 20-yard touchdown run. Jerrell’s kick-out block of four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Matthew Judon created a freeway-wide lane for Walker to gallop 20 yards. That put the Seahawks ahead 10-0 in the first half.
The Falcons chased the rest of the game in vain. The Seahawks (4-3) ended their three-game losing streak, and returned to first place in the NFC West.
During Sunday’s game, teammates and coaches — including Fant in street clothes — congratulated Jerrell on the sideline and patted him on the back for his blocks. After the game, 12th-year quarterback Geno Smith said: “How about Mike Jerrell? Rookie. Sixth-round pick. Steppin’ in, he played big-time football today.”
In the locker room before they got on the team bus to Atlanta’s airport teammate Derick Hall, Seattle’s hero in the second half Sunday with a fumble recovery for a touchdown, came up to Jerrell. The linebacker hugged the rookie tackle. Hall told Jerrell: “Proud of you, man.”
So, Jerrell has earned a second consecutive start Sunday when the Seahawks host the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills (5-2) at Lumen Field, right?
Well ...
“The guy played hard. He played really hard,” Macdonald said. “There were just a couple of plays where he lost the reps and that’s going to happen. But the guy played hard. The game wasn’t too big for him.”
This has become an pattern early in the 37-year-old Macdonald’s tenure as a first-time head coach, at any level. He rarely praises rookies glowingly. More often he emphasizes their development and need for growth in his system and the pro game.
See: Macdonald’s comments this spring after Byron Murphy’s first offseason practices in the NFL that his defensive tackle and first-round pick “needed to get in a little bit better shape.” Or the coach’s tough-love comments this spring, summer into fall as rookie linebacker and fourth-round pick Tyrice Knight played for injured veteran starter Jerome Baker.
Of Jerrell in Atlanta, and potentially against Buffalo this weekend, Macdonald said: “I am just really pleased with his effort, frankly, and his finish on a per-play basis.
“I think he has earned the opportunity — if it shakes out at right tackle, we have some moving parts going on there right now — but if he was the guy again this week we would be really confident in him.”
Abe Lucas’ progress
Macdonald has said in recent weeks the team’s medical staff and coaches had an internal timeline on when Lucas might begin practicing, but that the coach wasn’t sharing that publicly.
The starting right tackle his first two NFL season for Seattle, Lucas began missing games last season with his pained knee. He played in only six of 17 games in 2023. He remains on the physically-unable-to-perform list through seven games of this season.
Monday, Macdonald gave his most encouraging, albeit incremental, estimation yet of Lucas’ possible return.
“I need some more time to let you know about that. There is a situation where he could come back and start practicing this week,” Macdonald said, “but we haven’t finalized that yet.
“But it’s looking good on the front with Abe. There is a process to get him ready to play. So even if he did start to practice, I think you’re looking at a good chunk of time of practice time to get him ready to go play a game.”
NFL rules state a player on the PUP list must be activated to practice for a window of up to 21 days before he can play in a game. Twenty-one days from Wednesday, the first full practice day of this game week, would be Nov. 13. The Seahawks will be coming off their bye and preparing to play at San Francisco that week.
Seattle next games before the bye are against Buffalo Sunday and home against the Los Angeles Rams (2-4) Nov. 3.
George Fant, Stone Forsythe status
So what of Fant and Forsythe.
Players on injured reserve, as Fant is, can come off after missing a minimum of four games. Fant has missed six.
“George? Not sure right now.,” Macdonald said. “I’m not sure about this week right now.”
It’s worth the question of whether Fant, a nine-year veteran, would or should start instead of Jerrell right now.
Forsythe mangled his hand two games ago in Seattle’s loss to San Francisco. He’s one of the “moving parts” Macdonald referred to Monday about the right-tackle situation.
“We’re working through that right now,” the coach said. “Michael Jerrell obviously if he had to go, we’d be excited about him. Working through George Fant’s situation. Same thing with Stone. And then with Abe, whether or not we bring him back on Wednesday or not, he won’t be ready to play this week.
“So I think it’s really Stone, George and Michael.”
What about right guard?
Anthony Bradford for the seventh time in seven games in Atlanta.
For the fifth time this season, rookie third-round pick Christian Haynes replaced Bradford, the team’s fourth-round draft choice last season. Haynes again entered during the second quarter.
Haynes, who started 49 consecutive games at right guard for the University of Connecticut, teamed with Jerrell to clear Walker’s path to his touchdown run in the first half. He pinned hooked Atlanta linebacker Kaden Elliss inside on the play.
Haynes had a false-start penalty on the next drive in the second quarter. Then he didn’t play in the second half. Bradford played 45 snaps and Haynes 15.
With all the moving parts on the right side of the line in Atlanta, Walker and fellow running back Zach Charbonnet totaled 83 yards on 21 rushes (3.95 yards per carry). Smith was sacked once and hit six times while completing 18 of 28 passes for 207 yards with touchdown throws to DK Metcalf and Walker.
Many times Sunday, Smith moved deftly and with poise inside a broken pocket, dodging would-be sacks against what by pressure statistics was the league’s worst pass rush entering the game. He did that on both his touchdown passes.
Asked Monday how the Bradford and Haynes played against the Falcons, Macdonald said: “I thought both guys took a step in their game.”
After Haynes played well in Seattle’s loss to Detroit four games ago, Macdonald said the rookie probably deserved more time at right guard. The following week, the team’s home loss to the New York Giants, Haynes played less, 18 snaps. Against the 49ers two games ago, he played just eight snaps.
For the season, Bradford has played 81% of offensive snaps at right guard, to Haynes’ 19%.
Will the Seahawks continue this rotation of predominantly Bradford and a little bit of Haynes?
“I think that competition right now is what’s best for both of them and probably what’s best for the team,” Macdonald said. “I’d imagine the rotations still continuing at this point.”
This story was originally published October 22, 2024 at 2:00 AM.
