PFF ranks projected Seahawks offensive line as worst in the NFL

Pro Football Focus released their offensive line rankings for the 2022 NFL season. Obviously we’re not even in training camp yet so these are all just projected starting lineups, but for the Seattle Seahawks the projected OL consists of rookie tackles Charles Cross and Abe Lucas, guards Damien Lewis and Gabe Jackson, and new center Austin Blythe.

PFF ranks based on their proprietary grading system and other data they have, and perhaps unsurprisingly the Seahawks are at rock bottom.

32. Seattle Seahawks

Projected Starting Lineup

LT: Charles Cross

LG: Damien Lewis

C: Austin Blythe

RG: Gabe Jackson

RT: Abraham Lucas

There’s quite obviously a lot of hope for the future with the talent Seattle has brought into the fold, but this has crash-and-burn potential. Starting two rookie offensive tackles — both from Air Raid offenses — is a scary proposition. And considering Gabe Jackson’s decline in recent years, there’s not a single quality starter this unit can rely on.

They bring up Gabe Jackson’s decline, and that’s based off PFF grades. Jackson’s three lowest-graded years are in these past three seasons, and his 63.6 in the 2021 season was his second worst to date. Damien Lewis had just a 57.1 grade moved out to left guard, down from his 70.2 as a rookie right guard. Blythe barely played in 2021 but he did have a 69.3 grade in 2020, his lone year as a full-time starting center. In 2019 he was a pretty weak 50.2 splitting his time at center and right guard while with the Los Angeles Rams.

Cross and Lucas might have graded well in college but that’s college, and rookie tackles more often than not look like rookies over the course of a season.

The optimist says this Seahawks OL with the young players on the squad — Lewis, Cross, Lucas, maybe even Jake Curhan — can be good down the line. Realistically they likely will be bad in 2022, but we’re battle-tested fans who know a thing or two about wretched play. This could be bad with a payoff of being good later, as opposed to that 2016-2017 group that made you question whether there was an effort to get Russell Wilson and every running back on the squad maimed.

By the way, last year PFF actually had Seattle’s OL a mediocre but hardly embarrassing 19th entering the season. I think we’d celebrate a top-20 finish given how much inexperience could be in this year’s starting lineup.