Tag: Joey Hunt

Seahawks center Joey Hunt officially signs RFA tender

Seattle Seahawks center Joey Hunt will return on a $2.13 million salary for the 2020 season, and will compete to start at center.

Seattle Seahawks center Joey Hunt officially signed his restricted free agent tender, bringing him back into the fold for the 2020 campaign. He will make $2.13 million in 2020, assuming he makes the team, and will become an unrestricted free agent after the season unless he works out another deal with Seattle beforehand.

Hunt will return to serve as the backup center to Justin Britt, a role he has held for the past three seasons after getting selected in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft out of TCU.

Hunt did fill in as the starter for Seattle last season following Britt’s season-ending injury, and with Britt a potential cap casualty (the Seahawks would save $11.4M by cutting him) it’s possible he competes to start again in 2020.

Of course, the team also signed B.J. Finney and returns Ethan Pocic, and either of them would give Hunt plenty of competition for that starting role if the team decides to move on from Britt.

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A look at Seahawks’ offensive line after Week 1 of free agency

The Seattle Seahawks overhauled their offensive line this offseason. Here’s a look at each position battle as the roster comes together.

The Seattle Seahawks used the first week of free agency to shore up a handful of positions of need, including adding a wide receiver and bringing back an old friend on the defensive line in Bruce Irvin.

However, most of the overhaul has been done on the offensive line, where the team has signed four new players and let two players, George Fant and Germain Ifedi, leave via free agency.

Although there are likely still moves to be made, including potential cuts, more signings and of course the NFL draft, we are going to take a look at how things project out on Seattle’s offensive line as of now, and what they could look like come September.

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Seahawks tender contracts to Joey Hunt and Branden Jackson

The Seattle Seahawks have extended tenders to four of their five restricted free agents after offering Joey Hunt and Branden Jackson.

The Seattle Seahawks have now tendered contracts to four of their five restricted free agents, with ESPN’s Field Yates reporting that center Joey Hunt and defensive end Branden Jackson both received tenders.

Hunt and Jackson join tight end Jacob Hollister and wide receiver David Moore among Seattle players to receive tenders on Monday.

Hunt was a sixth round pick in the 2016 NFL draft. After spending three years as a backup/special teamer, Hunt ended up starting eight games down the stretch for Seattle last year in place of Justin Britt, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

Britt is a potential cap casualty, and inking Hunt to a deal gives the team an option to start at center if the team decides to move away from Britt to save some money.

Jackson appeared in a career-high 15 games last year, recording 20 combined tackles, two passes defended and two sacks as a reserve defensive end.

The Seahawks struggled to rush the passer last year, and while Jackson is not an option to start next year he does give the team added depth at perhaps the most important position of need heading into 2020.

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Why Wisconsin center Tyler Biadasz is good fit for Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks could look for a new starting center in the 2020 NFL draft, and Wisconsin’s Tyler Biadasz would be an ideal fit.

The Seattle Seahawks have long sought continuity on the offensive line, something they are really going to struggle to demonstrate in 2020.

Left tackle Duane Brown isn’t going anywhere, but left guard Mike Iupati and right tackle Germain Ifedi are both unrestricted free agents, along with backup tackle George Fant.

Additionally, backup center Joey Hunt is a restricted free agent and starting center Justin Britt and right guard D.J. Fluker could both find themselves released in order to clear cap space.

The team does have a plethora of young offensive line talent, including Ethan Pocic, Jamarco Jones and Phil Haynes, but they’ll need to explore either the free agent market or the NFL draft if they want to create a strong enough position group to protect Russell Wilson next season.

If they do decide to look for upgrades at center, one option in the draft is Wisconsin’s Tyler Biadasz.

Biadasz won the Rimington Award for the best center in the college ranks last season, while anchoring Wisconsin’s exceptional running game all year.

A shoulder injury prevented him from participating in combine drills, and will likely stop him from participating at the school’s Pro Day as well. However, his high football IQ, excellence as a run blocker, balance and footwork have many believing he could be an immediate starter in the NFL.

If the Seahawks are willing to use a Day 2 draft pick on Biadasz, he would likely be the frontrunner to start at center (assuming Britt is cut) and would push Pocic to a guard position.

The line is going to look a lot different in 2020, but some smart drafting and a free agent or two could improve this unit, and Wilson’s performance, as this team looks to once again contend for a deep playoff run.

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Seahawks center Justin Britt’s ACL recovery appears to be on track

Seattle Seahawks center Justin Britt’s appears to be on track for a successful recovery from the ACL tear he sustained Week 8 last season.

The Seahawks lost starting center Justin Britt last year to an ACL tear he sustained Week 8 against the Atlanta Falcons, effectively ending his season. Britt was just one of a number of Seattle players to suffer a serious injury in 2019.

But after successful reconstructive surgery, Britt has been rehabbing diligently and seems on track for a timely return.

“He’s doing great,” Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Tuesday at the combine. “Yeah, he’s doing a really good job. You know, my office is right above the weight room so I heard him in there the other day throwing weights around and listening to Metallica, or whatever he was listening to in there. He’s doing a great job. That’s an unfortunate thing for him, you know.

“But Joey (Hunt) came in and played real well and (Ethan) Pocic can play there, as well.”

Britt has been posting his workout updates on his social media accounts and appears to be on schedule in his recovery efforts.

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2020 NFL Draft: Why Lloyd Cushenberry is good fit for Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks need help on the interior offensive line, and LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry III could be a great fit in the NFL draft.

Perhaps no position group on the Seattle Seahawks will undergo more changes from 2019 to 2020 than the offensive line.

Two of their five starters – left guard Mike Iupati and right tackle Germain Ifedi – are set to hit free agency, along with backup tackle George Fant.

Center Justin Britt is a potential cut candidate, considering his hefty salary, and backup center Joey Hunt is a restricted free agent.

It sure looks like plenty of changes are coming up front for Seattle, and a lot will be determined by how they approach the draft.

Seattle has used early round picks on linemen a fair amount in recent years, including Ethan Pocic in 2017 and of course Ifedi in 2016. 2020 could see more of the same, and one option the Seahawks could pursue in the second round is LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry III.

Cushenberry led LSU’s offensive line to a championship last year, and helped them win the Joe Moore award for best overall unit. He’s known as an outstanding leader with strong intangibles – which will no doubt appeal to coach Pete Carroll – as well as his functional strength, length and overall polish as a blocker, particularly in the run game.

Cushenberry has some footwork issues, most college linemen do, as well as some concerns about his mobility and overall blocking range.

However, he seems to check a lot of the boxes that Carroll, offensive line coach Mike Solari and the Seahawks front office crave in their young linemen, and perhaps reuniting Cushenberry with his former teammate in Pocic will help both players succeed at the next level.

If Britt and/or Hunt are not retained, Cushenberry could absolutely come in and compete for a role on this team right away, and he’d be a very worthwhile gamble in the second round.

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Will the Seahawks bring back restricted free agent Joey Hunt?

The Seattle Seahawks are facing a lot of potential changes to the offensive line in 2020. Will Joey Hunt be among those let go?

The Seattle Seahawks are heading into the offseason facing a potentially massive overhaul of their offensive line.

Two starters – left guard Mike Iupati and right tackle Germain Ifedi – are going to be unrestricted free agents in March, along with key reserve George Fant.

Joining those three is restricted free agent Joey Hunt, a career backup center who ended up making eight starts last year in place of Justin Britt, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in October.

Britt is under contract for 2020, but the Seahawks could choose to cut him, which would save them over $8 million dollars in cap space in a year where they are hoping to re-sign Jadeveon Clowney and add other superstar level talent.

If the Seahawks choose to cut Britt and don’t re-sign Ifedi, Iupati or Fant, it makes sense to bring Hunt back to let him compete for that starting center role alongside Ethan Pocic and potentially a draft pick or free agent signing.

Hunt struggled mightily in pass protection last year, often getting run straight into the ground by bull rushers, but his high football IQ and low leverage allows him to excel in run protection, and he has made himself a favorite of coach Pete Carroll’s.

It’s hard to imagine this team competing with Hunt as the everyday starting center, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him back in Seattle competing for a backup role in 2020 – regardless of what happens around the rest of the line.

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2020 NFL Draft: Why UW’s Nick Harris is a good fit for Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are expected to overhaul their offensive line in 2020, and drafting UW center Nick Harris would be a great start.

The Seattle Seahawks are heading into the offseason with a potentially massive overhaul of their offensive line in store.

Starting left guard Mike Iupati and right tackle Germain Ifedi are both unrestricted free agents, along with backup tackle George Fant. Center Joey Hunt is a restricted free agent, and both center Justin Britt and right guard D.J. Fluker are potential cut candidates.

This almost certainly means 1-2 starters will be new in 2020, and the team will have to choose whether to pursue veterans on the open market, or to try to find replacements via the NFL draft.

One of my personal favorite targets, should they choose to explore upgrading via the draft, is University of Washington center Nick Harris.

Harris brings versatility as both a center and a guard, and scouts have praised him for his work in run protection, particularly when getting to the second level, as well as his high football IQ .

He seems to be an ideal fit for the offensive package the Seahawks currently employ, and under the tutelage of Mike Solari it’s easy to imagine him turning into a very solid NFL starter.

Most current mock drafts have him in the second or third round range, and if that holds up it would behoove the Seahawks to strongly consider him.

With Ethan Pocic, Phil Haynes and Jamarco Jones alongside Harris, the Seahawks could potentially put together a young, strong, cohesive offensive line in the next year or two.

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A look at the 5 Seattle Seahawks who are restricted free agents

The Seattle Seahawks have five restricted free agents they’ll need to make decisions on in the coming weeks.

The Seattle Seahawks are turning their attention toward what should be another busy offseason.

With 19 unrestricted free agents to make decisions on, including Jadeveon Clowney and Jarran Reed, Seattle will need to budget accordingly if they want to keep some key pieces around.

In addition to the 19 unrestricted guys, the Seahawks also have five restricted free agents to take care of.

A restricted free agent operates similar to a normal free agent, in the sense that they can pursue opportunities with other teams. However, if a different team signs them, Seattle will have five days to match the offer and retain the player.

For the Seahawks, four of their five restricted free agents were either starters or relatively important reserves last season, although most of them project to be depth next year.

It’s likely the Seahawks will want most of these guys back. Still, other teams could certainly make an offer that prices them out.

If that ends up being the case, Seattle should recoup a draft pick for the lost player.

Here is a look at each of the Seahawks restricted free agents, their performance last year, and their potential role in 2020.

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Justin Britt making really good progress in return from ACL injury

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Justin Britt is making good progress while rehabbing an ACL tear, but his timeline remains unclear.

The Seattle Seahawks suffered a litany of injuries to their offensive line in 2019, often resulting in players being forced to play out of position and contributing to Russell Wilson’s league-leading 48 sacks.

Perhaps the biggest loss was starting center Justin Britt, who suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 against Atlanta, costing him the rest of the season.

Britt was replaced by backup Joey Hunt, and while Hunt drew praise from coach Pete Carroll for his high football IQ, he was often overmatched in pass protection, which often resulted in the pocket evaporating for Wilson almost immediately.

Carroll provided a little update on Britt’s status at his post-season press conference on Monday afternoon.

“I saw him the other day, he said he is making really good progress,” Carroll said. “He’s been around a lot. He’s very active in here, so we know that he’s working hard at it. He should be able to get back on normal schedule. After you get about five or six months into it, you have to kind of figure out what’s going on. So, I don’t know how that’s going to turn for him.”

ACL surgery typically comes with an 8-12 month recovery period, so Britt’s availability for the start of the 2020 season remains unclear.

What also remains unclear is his status on the team, as Seattle could opt to release Britt before the final year of his contract is up, saving $11.4 million against the cap – money they could use to bring back Jadeveon Clowney or pursue other free agents.

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