Seattle, WA
The changes Big Ray sees in Seattle Seahawks OL Olu Oluwatimi
There’s been plenty of investment and retooling amongst the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line this offseason.
Salk: Why Seattle Seahawks’ O-line injuries are a bit concerning
The Seahawks are likely to feature at least two and potentially as many as four new starters on the unit when the season kicks off in September, which is partially dependent on the health of right tackle Abraham Lucas. One position across the front Seattle will definitely have a new starter at is center, which opened up after Evan Brown’s departure in the offseason. A top candidate to fill that role is second-year lineman Olu Oluwatimi.
The Michigan product was a topic of discussion Friday when former Seahawks offensive lineman Ray Roberts joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk for Blue 88. Co-host Mike Salk was curious as to if Roberts thinks Oluwatimi is ready to take on the responsibility of starting center.
“Yeah, I think so,” Roberts responded. “I was at practice yesterday and just watched him a lot, and it seems like his body has changed a little bit. And then I think (offensive line) coach (Scott) Huff has him really being a little bit more explosive out of his stance, especially in the run game.”
Growing pains
Roberts noted that physicality was a facet of Oluwatimi’s game that he thought needed improvement from last season. When entering the draft, strength was supposed to be one of the more NFL-ready aspects of the Upper Marlboro, Maryland, native’s skill set, but Roberts explained why that doesn’t always translate to the NFL right away.
“The thing is when you’re in college and you’re a dominating like offensive line player, a lot of times once you get your hands on a guy, those dudes kind of know that they’re done and they kind of stop trying,” Roberts said, “In NFL, those dudes keep playing. So you have to keep driving, moving your feet, leaning on them, pressuring them with your hands and those types of things. I think last year he fell into a little bit of like, ‘Hey, this is how I did it at Michigan.’ And then sometimes the guys would fall off his block at the line of scrimmage and get the tackle.
“… So trying to fit into the block and then finish the block I think is where his improvement needs to be at on this level, and from watching the drills and the teaching that’s going on with the offensive line, I think they’re working really hard and bringing that out of him.”
Oluwatimi appeared in 16 of 17 games and made one start last season. He was in on 13% (129 plays) of the team’s offensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference.
Prior to arriving in Seattle, he was standout on the nation’s best offensive line at Michigan. The Wolverines won the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the country’s best O-line, during Oluwatimi’s final collegiate season, and he won the Rimington (best center) and Outland (best interior lineman) trophies for his efforts as the linchpin of the group. The standout season with Michigan came after Oluwatimi spent three years as a starter at Maryland. So he has plenty of playing experience.
“The intelligence part of it, I have no problem,” Roberts said. “He’ll get all the calls right, he’ll be able to communicate to the offensive line and those types of things, but I did think that last year he needed to be a little bit more physical, and I think that they’re working on that in the offseason.”
Find the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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SEATTLE – High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures. Skies will be sunny, warm and dry through the middle of the week.
High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures.
What’s next:
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington, with highs in central and eastern Washington getting close to 100 degrees. The coast and northern interior will remain in the 70s with mostly sunny skies.
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Risk Levels
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. East of the cascades is already dry and warm, so the increased chance of new fire starts will be something to watch with the storms.
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Looking Ahead:
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing inland Thursday. This low will increase changes of showers and isolated thunderstorms on Thursday, and temperatures will be back to normal for this time of year. This cool down is short-lived as high pressure builds again and highs warm back up into the 80s by the weekend.
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing in Thursday.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
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