Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider signed free agent center Connor Williams in early August to boost the team’s offensive line. Williams was still recovering from a torn ACL injury suffered with the Miami Dolphins in Week 14 last season. Thankfully, he recovered in time to start both of Seattle’s regular-season wins so far.
Naturally, Williams had some rust to shake off in the Week 1 victory over the Denver Broncos. Pro Football Focus assigned him a run-blocking grade of 67.6 in that contest. Head coach Mike Macdonald recently told reporters that Williams played far better in the Week 2 overtime win over the New England Patriots.
“Williams made a big jump [in Week 2],” Macdonald said, before adding, “we’ll be cooking [on the offensive line] if he continues that progression.”
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Macdonald’s note is interesting because PFF didn’t necessarily agree with that assessment. They credited Williams with allowing three pressures, including a sack en route to a disappointing pass-protection grade of 37.8. Williams was also whistled for a penalty. It’s worth noting his run-blocking grade improved to 74.2, highest on the team among the starting five. Even with the lackluster numbers in protection, we’ll trust Macdonald’s opinion.
Williams should continue flashing improvement as the season progresses forward and he gets further removed from last year’s ACL injury. Seattle’s overall offensive line play has been somewhat disappointing despite the perfect 2-0 start. As Macdonald said, they’ll “be cooking” once Williams fully shakes off the rust.
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