Going into the offseason, the Seattle Seahawks will once again find themselves with major questions on their offensive line. They will have five offensive linemen who are up for free agency, including starters in Russell Okung, J.R. Sweezy and Patrick Lewis. Okung and Sweezy are both unrestricted free agents while Lewis is restricted. In addition to those three, Alvin Bailey is a restricted free agent and Lemuel Jeanpierre is unrestricted. Bailey is listed as the backup for all four offensive line positions excluding center, where Jeanpierre is the backup.
With the restricted free agents Seattle will get the opportunity to match whatever offer other teams give, but with the unrestricted guys they have the opportunity to go wherever they please. Unfortunately for Seattle, the unrestricted guys are also some of the more vital pieces to their offensive line. With all the shuffling that may occur on the line, it will be essential that Seattle is able to hold onto their left tackle in Okung.
Okung has been one of the biggest names on the offensive line since Seattle drafted him in the first round of the 2010 draft. Unfortunately, he has shown an inability to stay healthy, not being able to play an entire season yet in his six-year career. In 2012 Okung was able to play in 15 games, including the playoffs, which has been the most he has played in a single season, and in that year he was also selected to the Pro Bowl.
According to footballdb.com Okung also leads the team in false start penalties and is tied for second-most holding penalties. The false starts are something that will have to get cleaned up, but Seattle can likely live with a couple holding calls since Okung is protecting Russell Wilson’s blindside.
While Okung’s health and ability to stay on the field is a major concern, Seattle does not have the ability to let him walk this offseason due to the major changes they could potentially face across their line. While the offensive line came together and played well to end the year, it took Seattle almost half of the season to get them to a respectable level of performance. This is not a stretch that they can afford to go through again. Re-signing Okung would go a long way in avoiding that.
