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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