Ask any Seahawks fan that follows the team closely what their biggest question mark was coming into this season, they would have rightfully told you it was the offensive line. Chief among those questions would have been what they were going to do at center. Seattle provided an emphatic answer to that question today when it was announced they had signed one of the best centers in football, Connor Williams, to a 1-year deal, worth as much as $6M.
Williams was the 2nd-rated center last season, according to PFF, behind only Frank Ragnow of the Detroit Lions. Ragnow was a 2nd-team All Pro behind the now-retired Jason Kelce. Perhaps more impressively, Williams had the 2nd-ranked run blocking grade of any linemen, regardless of position. His 90.5 run block grade was even higher than Trent Williams of the 49ers, who is a generational run blocker.
Why, you may ask, is a lineman this talented available for the Seahawks to sign so late in the NFL calendar? Williams tore his ACL in December of last year. It was considered an injury serious enough to almost certainly miss the 2024 year, with some rumors it might force him to medically retire.
The Dolphins moved on by signing Aaron Brewer as a free agent. Other teams moved on, assuming Williams would not be an option. Then, 6-8 weeks ago, agent Drew Rosenhaus started spreading word of a miraculous recovery for Williams that could see him ready to play as soon as week one. Many were skeptical, and no teams even had him in for a visit.
That changed when the Seahawks invited him in on July 24th. It was reported that he passed a physical, and that negotiations had begun on a contract. It took almost two weeks for things to finalize, but Seattle was always the likely destination as Williams wants to play center and the other team who he took a visit with, the Ravens, would have wanted him at guard. They also had half the cap space of Seattle.
Make no mistake, Williams is a risk. He may not be available to start the season. He may not be the same player he was even when he is on the field. That does not change the fact that this is an all-upside gamble.
The worst case scenario is the team has less money and the same choices at center that they did before the signing. This could push Nick Harris or even Olu Oluwatimi off the roster, but they could stick around on the practice squad if need be.
The conservative expectation would be that Williams will not be ready to start the season and will be maybe 75-80% of the player he was before the injury. That would still represent a major upgrade. If he is healthy and playing as he did before, Seattle has their most talented center since Max Unger.
I have talked about “The Curse of Max Unger” before. I was one of the very few who immediately came out against the Unger for Jimmy Graham trade as soon as it happened. They prioritized a finesse skill player over the heart and soul of their offensive line. That decision was one of a series of choices that went against Pete Carroll’s stated philosophies and the physical identity of that team.
These have been their starters at center since that deal:
- Patrick Lewis
- Drew Nowak
- Justin Britt
- Ethan Pocic
- Austin Blythe
- Evan Brown
Britt and Pocic had some moments, but it’s largely been a disaster. This signing represents the first real opportunity to end that curse, and it aligns perfectly with the identity that Mike Macdonald, Ryan Grubb, and Scott Huff are trying to establish here.
Consider how many years the Seahawks prioritized positions like safety, wide receiver, inside linebacker, and running back. If it felt like the Seahawks were weak in the trenches, it is because they were.
Look at what they did this offseason:
- Sign Leonard Williams to a big deal
- Drafted Byron Murphy in the first round (first ever time spending a 1st round pick on a DT for John Schneider)
- Drafted Christian Haynes with their second pick (3rd round)
- Signed George Fant as insurance for Abe Lucas
- Signed Jonathan Hankins to stuff the middle and allow Jarran Reed to slide to defensive end
- Asked Dre’Mont Jones to switch from an undersized defensive tackle to a strong edge
- Signed Connor Williams to play center
Few teams in the NFL have made a larger potential leap on both sides of the line of scrimmage than Seattle. It is all unproven until the real games begin, but the prioritization of toughness and physicality is absolutely the right process.
Williams would have been the second best offensive linemen of any position in the NFC West last season. Slide him in the middle of the Seahawks line and both guards get better, Kenneth Walker gets better, and Geno Smith gets better.
It is a bit comical to consider the luck involved here, knowing that the Seahawks lack of attention to this center position is part of what made this scenario even possible. Had they spent a 2nd round pick on a center last year or the year before, Williams does not even make a visit.
More on this as the story unfolds.
Quick camp notes
The player of the day today was cornerback Carlton Johnson, the undrafted free agent out of Fresno State. Johnson is tiny. He weighs only 175 pounds. But he ran an electric 4.28 40-yard dash. Johnson has been gaining confidence in recent days, and it all came together for him in this practice.
He had at least five pass breakups in what was one of the most impressive practices for a corner I have seen at camp. Some of this had the feel of stars aligning for the rookie corner that might not be replicated. Still, he had a fantastic day and made sure everyone knew about.
One of his breakups was a tipped ball that fellow undrafted free agent Dee Williams caught with a full stretch dive, and then hopped up and returned it all the way across the field for a touchdown. Devon Witherspoon was so excited that he sprinted behind him from off the sideline with his helmet off cheering him on.
George Holani continued a strong camp, with good blitz pickup and solid running. He is one to watch in the preseason games.
Geno Smith and DK Metcalf had a number of hookups today. The best was a great route by Metcalf looking like he was running a quick out to the sideline that Riq Woolen bit on, only to have Metcalf turn the route up the sideline and blow past a flat-footed Woolen for what became a 65-yard touchdown.
Smith also hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba multiple times, mostly up the middle of the field. He did have one roughly 10-yard out pattern that JSN caught and cut back inside toward the middle of the field for what would have been a 20+ yard gain.
Kenneth Walker is looking stronger and stronger.
K’Von Wallace continued his vocal ways as he got the defense lined up for a 3rd down from his safety position, “It’s 3rd and 10. Get off the fucking field!”
Amen.
To their credit, they covered up the receivers and forced Smith to dump off to Zach Charbonnet where two defenders were perfectly positioned to bring him down well short of the line to gain.
Woolen has talked about how he has worked on improving his off coverage. That showed up today when he read a pass to JSN perfectly and broke on the ball. He should have had an interception. Those kind of read-and-react plays have not been his strong suit, and represent tangible progress for the type of player he is becoming.
Jake Bobo had a gorgeous deep catch from Smith. Bobo is not a speedster, but he can high point and has great hands. Anyone who remembers the type of player Joe Jurevicius was back in 2005 can appreciate what that can mean for a team.
I will leave it there for now. Back at it tomorrow morning!