The Seattle Seahawks had two players, Justin Britt and Joey Hunt, combine to start every game at center in 2019.
However, there is a real chance they head into 2020 without either of them on the roster.
Britt is already gone, having been released shortly after the draft in order to save the Seahawks over $10 million in cap space.
Hunt, who started eight games last season after Britt went down with a knee injury, could suffer a similar fate if the team wants to clear some more cap space to make a push for a defensive tackle.
Hunt is currently expected to compete with Ethan Pocic for the backup center role behind veteran B.J Finney, who was signed shortly after the offseason began back in March.
Pocic has had a hard time staying healthy, and when he has his performance on the field has been nothing to write home about. However, he was a second round pick back in 2017 and his cap hit is about $700,000 less than Hunt’s.
That is not a huge amount, but it certainly seems plausible the Seahawks would gamble on Pocic’s upside over Hunt – who at this point is a known commodity and who costs more, despite having less versatility.
Of course, coach Pete Carroll loves Hunt for his high football IQ, and Pocic has been nothing short of a disappointment in his Seattle tenure, so it’s not like this is a done deal.
There’s also an avenue where both players are kept on the active roster, if Pocic can win a job as a backup guard or even backup tackle in training camp, which is set to begin on July 29.
[lawrence-related id=63894]