The Seahawks depth chart when Pete Carroll, John Schneider took over in 2010

While you’re lamenting the offensive line for the Seattle Seahawks in 2017, I thought it would be a good time to flashback to what the depth chart looked like on February 1, 2010, just weeks after they hired John Schneider to be general manager, who came on board one week after they hired Pete Carroll.

Thank your lucky stars for Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin, Jimmy Graham, Michael Bennett, Earl Thomas, and so on ...

QB - Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, Mike Teel

By the time the season started, Wallace was traded to the Cleveland Browns (Schneider somehow got a seventh round pick for him?) and the backup/competition was Charlie Whitehurst. The pick acquired for Wallace was part of a package deal of picks that also landed them Richard Sherman.

RB - Julius Jones, Justin Forsett, Louis Rankin, Xavier Omon

The Seahawks added Leon Washington in the offseason, but things really started moving in the right direction when they traded a pair of midround picks to the Buffalo Bills for Marshawn Lynch midseason.

FB - Justin Griffith, Owen Schmitt, Tyler Roehl

Seattle fans remember Schmitt because that used to be what we considered a good fifth round pick for the Hawks. Now in the era of Sherman and Kam Chancellor, fans won’t accept the payoff for a day three pick to be a mediocre fullback. Schmitt played 2010 with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Seahawks picked up Michael Robinson after he was cut by the San Francisco 49ers.

WR - T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Nate Burleson, Deion Branch, Deon Butler, Mike Hass, Ben Obomanu, Patrick Carter, Michael Jones

They cut Houshmandzadeh, Burleson signed with the Detroit Lions, and Seattle picked up Mike Williams and Brandon Stokley for cheap.

TE - John Carlson, John Owens, Cam Morrah, Jason Pociask

The Seahawks drafted Anthony McCoy in the seventh round in 2010 but changed things up considerably by signing Zach Miller in 2011. Tight end has clearly always been a priority for Carroll and Schneider, as they’ve spent capital on Miller, Graham, and midround picks for Luke Willson, Nick Vannett. I would not be surprised if they draft another tight end this year earlier than you think they will.

OT - Walter Jones, Sean Locklear, Damion McIntosh, Ray Willis, Brandon Frye

OG - Chris Spencer, Rob Sims, Mansfield Wrotto, Mike Gibson, Trevor Canfield

C - Max Unger, Steve Vallos

Schneider/Carroll wasted no time in trying to replace Jones with sixth overall pick Russell Okung. Unger was on IR in 2010 so Spencer stayed on as the center that season. Free agent signee Ben Hamilton was forgettable at guard, but the low-key pickup of Breno Giacomini proved to pay off as a great signing given his cost.

DE - Patrick Kerney, Darryl Tapp, Lawrence Jackson, Cory Redding, Nick Reed, Brandon Miller

DT - Brandon Mebane, Colin Cole, Red Bryant, Craig Terrill

Tapp was dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles in a move that brought Chris Clemons to the Seahawks. Bryant was moved to five-tech. Terrill stayed on in a minimal capacity. But the defensive line was never truly “fixed” until Bennett and Cliff Avril were signed in 2013.

LB - Lofa Tatupu, Aaron Curry, LeRoy Hill, David Hawthorne, Will Herring, Lance Laury, D.D. Lewis, Anthony Heygood

Curry lasted for a few games in 2010 until being dealt to Oakland, Tatupu last 16 games that season but never suited up again, but this level of the defense truly took off with the picks of K.J. Wright in 2011 and Bobby Wagner in 2012. I think the linebacker spot is actually a great representation, on the micro level, of when Seattle actually started to get good under Carroll; we thought Tatupu and Curry and Hill and Hawthorne were nice players, but then we truly understood how low those expectations really were (Tatupu was awesome early on before his injury issues, don’t get me wrong) once the fresh blood arrived. Schneider/Carroll are truly exceptional at drafting linebackers and I won’t be shocked if they take on in rounds one or two this year.

CB - Marcus Trufant, Josh Wilson, Ken Lucas, Kelly Jennings, Roy Lewis, DeAngelo Willingham

S - Deon Grant, Jordan Babineaux, Lawyer Milloy, Jamar Adams

Earl Thomas and Milloy manned the safety positions in 2010, with Kam taking over the strong safety spot in 2011. Then Sherman took a starting spot midway into 2011, opposite CFL signing Brandon Browner. The model for “the perfect cornerback physique” for the entire NFL then changed thanks to the success of Sherman and Browner in Carroll’s defense. The “ideal secondary of 2017” is truly a byproduct of what Seattle did to their roster in 2010-2012.

K - Olindo Mare

P - Jon Ryan

LS - Kevin Houser, Jeff Robinson

PR - Burleson

KR - Forsett

Clint Gresham was signed as a UDFA in 2010 and started 96 of a possible 96 games at longsnapper until last year. Ryan is the only player remaining from the roster when the changes were made in January, 2010. Washington and second round pick Golden Tate took over kick and punt return duties.

And there you have it, the 2010 roster. It was incredibly awful, but the Seahawks won a playoff game in January of 2011 and then the Super Bowl in February of 2014. I’d say the new guys did a pretty good job.