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The Seahawks have signed 33-year old veteran offensive lineman Wade Smith, a former Gary Kubiak zone-blocker much like recently-signed right tackle Eric Winston. The Kubiak scheme is similar to the Tom Cable scheme, and likely makes it much easier for veterans to come in and acclimate to the system quickly.
The Seahawks plan to play Smith at tackle and guard (and he's practicing at guard today); he played left guard for the Texans, and has NFL starts at LT (only two), right guard, and center.
Smith had started the last 71 regular season games for the Texans and was a Pro Bowler in 2012. He fought through some injuries last season, and now comes to the Seahawks looking like a Paul McQuistan-eque type of player -- able to play at left guard or left tackle in a pinch. It's obviously not clear if he'll make the final roster, but he at least provides some competition. For what it's worth, based on reports from Battle Red Blog writers, Smith has struggled pretty mightily the last few seasons. Lance Zierlein had this to say:
Wade Smith: RT @LanceZierlein functional. He can compete for a starting job there. Not optimal, but will be in the mix with that bunch
— Danny Kelly (@FieldGulls) August 4, 2014
The move corresponds with the release of Michael Bowie, adding some depth to Seattle's offensive line. It's unclear right now what the plan will be, but this could signal some sort of shakeup on the offensive line, with Alvin Bailey perhaps moving inside or to the right tackle spot with the loss of Bowie.
The Seahawks also grabbed OT Corey Brandon on waivers last week and reports out of practice this morning have him playing at left tackle. As Jared Stanger pointed out on twitter, he's a cutup of some of Brandon's college snaps:
Andru Pulu was one of Seattle's priority free agents following the Draft and now likely comes in as a replacement for Jesse Williams, who was placed on the injured reserve last week. Pulu is a former Washington Husky that ended his college career at Eastern Washington - he received a $15,000 signing bonus to come to Seattle but was not picked up elsewhere after the Hawks released him earlier this summer. Pulu, 6'1, 322, is a nose tackle.
Ronald Johnson and Brandon Denmark had short tenures with the team but will likely remain on speed dial.