John Benton hired as new OL coach

[SoulfishHawk]

deFRAUD

 

[Jville]

Credit Locked on Seahawks podcast >>>

 

[Chukarhawk]

Ahead of time. Fire Benton!

6 games until this starts. Guaranteed.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Yep. Shoot, first game we don't put up a 40 burger on offense.

 

[Jville]

I'm encouraged by how the competition at the center position is shaping up.

Olu Oluwatimi has got some experience under his belt and has the off season to work on improving his quickness and movement.

Jalen Sundell has shown exceptional movement skill. Versatile background and excellent football intelligence. He is definitely a fit for the improved scheme with a full off season to add core strength. His athletic movement and quickness reminds me of Connor Williams. I like him.

The return of Mike Novitsky via a futures contract was a solid indicator of the direction the blocking game is headed. Played every OL position at one time or another. Excellent athlete. Exceptional movement skills and leadership background. Adding more core strength over the off season should make him more competitive the second time around. Hind sight being 20/20, Mike's signing might have telegraphed the arrival of John Benton.

 

[Sperrydogg]

All ready having an influence. Adding the latest offensive line developmental prospect didn't take long.​

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Seahawks Sign G Sala Aumavae-Laulu To Reserve/Future Contract https://www.seahawks.com/news/seahawks-sign-g-sala-aumavae-laulu-to-reserve-future-contract​

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The Ravens closed out their 2023 NFL Draft class with a strong offensive lineman they can develop in Malaesala "Sala" Aumavae-Laulu out of Oregon in the sixth round.
Standing in at 6-foot-5, 317 pounds, Aumavae-Laulu is a very powerful blocker with a history of forklifting defenders. He takes pride in being a physical, punishing offensive lineman.
"[He is] a very, very large offensive lineman," General Manager Eric DeCosta said. "A very, very good athlete for his size. [He] can pull, can play on his feet. We look at him as a real strong developmental guy. [He has] a lot of upside potential."

View attachment 69338 https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/sala-aumavae-laulu-ravens-nfl-2023-draft

That dudes arms are bigger than my legs

 

[Sperrydogg]

All ready having an influence. Adding the latest offensive line developmental prospect didn't take long.​

​

View attachment 69339​

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Seahawks Sign G Sala Aumavae-Laulu To Reserve/Future Contract https://www.seahawks.com/news/seahawks-sign-g-sala-aumavae-laulu-to-reserve-future-contract​

View attachment 69337



The Ravens closed out their 2023 NFL Draft class with a strong offensive lineman they can develop in Malaesala "Sala" Aumavae-Laulu out of Oregon in the sixth round.
Standing in at 6-foot-5, 317 pounds, Aumavae-Laulu is a very powerful blocker with a history of forklifting defenders. He takes pride in being a physical, punishing offensive lineman.
"[He is] a very, very large offensive lineman," General Manager Eric DeCosta said. "A very, very good athlete for his size. [He] can pull, can play on his feet. We look at him as a real strong developmental guy. [He has] a lot of upside potential."

View attachment 69338 https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/sala-aumavae-laulu-ravens-nfl-2023-draft

Why did Baltimore give up on this guy

 

[Jville]

Why did Baltimore give up on this guy

He is currently listed on the Ravens practice squad as a tackle / guard until the 12th of March which marks the new league year. On that date, his now future contract signing with the Seahawkis will go into effect as a guard.

I don't know that the Ravens gave up on him as a developmental player so much as they made choices. The Ravens signed 2 younger lighter rookies (a tackle and a guard) from their practice squad to future contracts.

Seahawks will probably add another 5 or 6 linemen for training camp. We likely will see some roster churn beginning with OTAs.

 

[SeaWolv]

Athletic Article on Seahawks OLine

Left guard Laken Tomlinson started every game but didn’t play well. Veteran center Connor Williams struggled before retiring after the Week 10 bye. He was replaced by second-year center Olu Oluwatimi, who was an improvement but didn’t play at a level that should dissuade the Seahawks from attempting to upgrade the position this offseason. Four of Seattle’s five offensive line spots were “shaky at best,” said Thorn, who described the team as having “one of the bottom five or six lines in the league.”

With left tackle Charles Cross due for a potential extension and Lucas now healthy, the interior three positions are the primary points of concern.

Thorn’s top-rated true guard in the class is Tyler Booker, a two-year starter at Alabama. Despite the Crimson Tide deploying a diverse run scheme, Thorn said Booker would make sense for the Seahawks, who could use his combination of size, strength and athleticism in both the run and pass game. He also anticipates Booker winning teams over because of how he carries himself and his reputation as a good teammate.

The big fish in this year’s free-agent class is Kansas City Chiefs right guard Trey Smith, a sixth-round pick in 2021 who was voted to the Pro Bowl on the initial ballot this year and will be only 26 years old next season. Smith has a chance to become the highest-paid guard in the league, surpassing Eagles left guard Landon Dickerson’s average annual salary of $21 million.

Aside from Smith, Thorn said, there’s a second tier of impending free-agent interior linemen that includes Bears left guard Teven Jenkins (27 years old next season), Buccaneers left guard Ben Bredeson (27), 49ers left guard Aaron Banks (28), Lions right guard Kevin Zeitler (35), Steelers right guard James Daniels (28) and Cardinals right guard Will Hernandez (30).