He’s still months shy of only a year removed from getting his knee reconstructed.
He didn’t join the offensive line he is anchoring until late this summer. He didn’t meet the quarterback he is partnering with until late August. He didn’t practice for the first time with his new team until a couple weeks before the season opener.
Yet ask Connor Williams for his assessment of his first six games as the Seahawks’ center, and the seventh-year NFL veteran gives a blank stare.
The former starter for the Dolphins and Cowboys sees what he calls his own substandard performance epitomizing the struggles of Seattle’s entire, iffy offensive line.
The News Tribune asked Williams this week to assess how Seattle’s line has played so far this 3-3 season, including in three straight defeats through last week’s 36-24 loss to division rival San Francisco.
He answered by focusing on himself.
“I’m a perfectionist of my game. I’m definitely nowhere close to where I want to be,” said Williams, who signed a one-year, $4 million contract with $2.98 million guaranteed with Seattle Aug. 23. “And I’m nowhere close to contributing to this team and to this offense.”
Williams has been beaten off the snap at times in the first six games. That included on the Seahawks’ second offensive snap of the season. Sept. 8 against Denver, Broncos nose tackle D.J. Jones got past Williams and into Geno Smith’s legs as the quarterback threw short of open DK Metcalf by 10 yards over the middle. The interception led to the Broncos’ first points, and Seattle into rally mode within seconds of the season starting.
On the Seahawks’ offensive line, it’s felt like they’ve been chasing — opposing pass rushers, run stoppers, the season — ever since.
Williams hasn’t been helped by the guards next to him.
Laken Tomlinson, signed this offseason for his 10th NFL season, has had defenders faster than he’s been off the snap cutting toward Williams. A guard getting beat inside is a fast way to ruin for an offense’s play; it’s the quickest, shortest route for the defender to the quarterback and ball carrier. Tomlinson’s 16 pressures allowed is 95th among 101 NFL guards, according to Pro Football Focus.
At right guard, Anthony Bradford spent the first month of the season second in the NFL in penalties. His six flags in six games are still fourth-most in the league.
His holding penalties have ruined drives. The sacks he’s allowed have ruined others. Bradford, the team’s fourth-round draft choice in 2023 from LSU, has allowed 18 pressures. That’s 109th out of 101 NFL guards, per PFF.
Bradford has split time in four of the six games with rookie Christian Haynes.
The third-round pick from Connecticut played 40% of the snaps Sept. 30 when Bradford started that Monday night game Seattle lost in a shootout at Detroit. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said they would continue the rotation and line coach Scott Huff has said they are going to do it until “we get it right.” Yet Haynes played just 10% of snaps, in the first half only, last week against the 49ers.
Right tackle Stone Forsythe is the third option at that position. Starter Abe Lucas hasn’t practiced or played since January after knee surgery this offseason. Lucas is eligible to come off the physically-unable-to-perform list, but coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday, four days before Seattle plays at NFC South-leading Atlanta (4-2), that Lucas isn’t coming back anytime soon.
George Fant signed back for a second go-round with Seattle this offseason to be a swing tackle backing up on the right and left. The 32-year-old, ninth-year veteran started the opener, then left after 13 plays with a knee injury. He remains on injured reserve. Macdonald said Wednesday Fant is improving but not ready to play yet.
Forsythe played all of the 49ers game, and allowed 11 pressures by San Francisco edge rusher supreme Nick Bosa. The sixth-round pick in Seattle’s 2020 draft has allowed a league-high 35 pressures this season, according to PFF; that’s 16 more than any other NFL offensive lineman.
Forsythe missed practice Wednesday with a new hand injury.
That became a reminder the Seahawks signed back 42-year-old tackle Jason Peters to their practice squad Oct. 1. Peters needed a few weeks after he signed during last season to be ready to play.
He said two weeks ago upon his return to the Seahawks he’d need two weeks to be in playing shape this time.
Asked Wednesday about Peters’ availability to play this week at Atlanta, Macdonald said before Forsythe missed practice of Peters: “He’s in shape to do it. He’s practicing well. He’s talking it up with all the guys. Love what he’s bringing to the table right now.
“But, if and when, he’d be ready to go.”
Pro Football Focus has Charles Cross as its highest-rated Seahawk so far this season. But his 19 pressures allowed is 109th of 111 left tackles rated by PFF.
The best among one of the league’s worst, or something like that.
Williams has allowed seven pressures in six games, PFF says.
The line would get help if the Seahawks had a running game. If lead back Kenneth Walker hadn’t missed 2 1/2 games with an oblique injury through last month. If Smith wasn’t throwing more passes than any quarterback in the league.
Some of the reason the pressure numbers for Seattle’s offensive line are so high is they have to pass block more than any other team.
Of course, the reason Smith is throwing so much is partly due to the lack of consistent run blocking up front. That’s put Seattle in many long-yardage situations on second and third downs, and Grubb’s called more pass plays trying to convert those.
PFF gives the Seahawks a run-blocking grade of 72.6, 13th in the 32-team NFL. It rates Seattle’s pass blocking at 57.3. That’s 26th in the league.
This line having the most pass-blocking tasks in the NFL is absolutely a scary situation for Grubb, Smith and Seattle.
Yet it’s not even Halloween. So Williams sees hope.
“I just think I think just as a unit, as a whole, we can get better,” Williams said, “but most certainly, individually, I can get better.
“In many areas.”
As for that torn ACL Williams got in what became his final game for Miami in December, then subsequent knee reconstruction, he isn’t making excuses.
“No,” Williams said, flatly, “we are not doing that.”
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