Seattle, WA

Three-Horse Race Emerging in Seattle Seahawks Right Guard Competition

Published

7 months ago

June 17, 2024

Three-Horse Race Emerging in Seattle Seahawks Right Guard Competition

Since pads have yet to come out with training camp still almost six weeks away, the Seattle Seahawks have yet to have much of a real opportunity to truly evaluate their offensive line, most notably in the interior where they will have three new starters at center and both guard spots.

Keeping that in mind, it would be easy to overreact to Seattle’s current situation at right guard, where second-year blocker McClendon Curtis received all of the first-team reps during OTAs and mandatory minicamp instead of returning starter Anthony Bradford and third-round pick Christian Haynes. The fact Bradford missed most of the offseason program obviously impacted those rotations as well and if healthy, he’s probably getting all of those reps.

Even with him being the most seasoned candidate and the incumbent after starting 10 games as a rookie, however, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald didn’t commit to Bradford in his closing press conference after the team’s final minicamp practice, making it clear a “great competition” awaits once training camp opens in late July.

“He’s right there. Just good to see him out there. Missed a little bit of time there throughout some of the OTAs. He’s right in the mix. Got a great competition, especially on the right side of the line, and he’s right there. He’s got a great opportunity to go earn himself a job. “

From a positional battle standpoint, Seattle won’t open camp with many question marks in regard to starters on either side of the football. That includes left guard and center, where veteran Laken Tomlinson and second-year blocker Olu Oluwatimi look to have a strong grip on their respective positions and barring an unexpected surprise or injury, they should be in the starting lineup against Denver in Week 1.

On defense, the most notable competitions for the Seahawks will be for reserve or rotational roles with much of the starting lineup already etched in stone.

But as Macdonald acknowledged, the same cannot be said for the right guard spot, as Bradford’s injury only created more uncertainty heading towards camp. And, maybe most importantly, his absence opened the door for a third viable option in Curtis to jump into the competition this spring.

Starring at Chattanooga, Curtis developed into an NFL prospect playing multiple positions for the Mocs, starting 30 games at right guard and seven games at left tackle in six seasons with the program. Along with being named All-SoCon First-Team three times to close out his college career, he earned FCS All American distinction in 2022 and participated in the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Standing 6-6 and weighing 328 pounds, Curtis looks more like an NFL tackle with a tall, athletic frame. But he delivers powerful blows to the frame of opposing defenders with bricks for hands and uses excellent length to create push in the run game as well as keeping hands on pass rushers, possessing the skill set to excel in the interior despite his height.

Viewed as a bit of a tweener by NFL evaluators, Curtis went undrafted and signed with the Raiders, ultimately landing on the practice squad after failing to make the team out of training camp. Once the Seahawks lost tackles Abraham Lucas and Charles Cross to injury in the season opener, they promptly signed him and fellow undrafted rookie Raiqwon O’Neal to the 53-man roster as developmental insurance policies.

Though he only played a handful of special teams snaps in one game as a rookie, general manager John Schneider name dropped Curtis as a player to watch during the NFL annual meetings in March, clearly impressing behind the scenes. Drafting Haynes, a two-time All American at UConn, seemed to suggest he wouldn’t be in the hunt for a starting job.

Yet, with Haynes exclusively working with Seattle’s second-team offense throughout the spring program and Bradford sidelined, Curtis benefitted as much as anyone on the roster from extensive practice reps over the past month, positioning himself to be major player in an already intriguing competition come July.

“He knows multiple spots, so if you know what to do it’s easy to move you around,” Macdonald said of Curtis during OTAs in late May. “I think the whole offensive line — it’s always one big puzzle piece as you trying to find the best five and the backup plan if someone can’t go and making sure you have enough depth so you’re not looking in the middle of the season and you have really no options. He’s doing a great job. Had a great offseason.”

Seahawks guard McClendon Curtis communicates with an assistant coach during a run fit drill at OTAs. / Corbin Smith/All Seahawks

Looking towards the 2024 season, based on experience alone, Bradford likely remains the favorite to win Seattle’s starting job after getting his feet wet last year with Haynes being the biggest threat to usurp him from the lineup. With both players being recent mid-round draft picks for Seattle, the team has made significant investments in them and in an ideal scenario, at least one of those young blockers will develop into a foundational long-term starter under the tutelage of new line coach Scott Huff.

At the same time, while he had plenty of positive things to say after the final minicamp practice, Macdonald and his staff don’t have any allegiance to Bradford and as a rookie without any NFL experience, Haynes won’t be given a starting job by default either. Huff will be ramping up the evaluation process when the pads come on and the real bullets start flying in August, and based on how things have transpired so far, it looks to be anyone’s race coming out of the offseason program.

Once viewed as little more than a curiosity, Curtis very much has emerged as a horse worth potentially betting on to go the distance. Considering both he and Haynes are the same age (24) and each have Senior Bowl pedigree with quality physical traits for playing inside, even if he’s still an underdog at this stage, it would be unwise to rule out the former as a legitimate contender to hold onto the starting job and fend off his counterparts in camp and the preseason.

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Seattle, WA

State ferries: A better idea from Nordic countries

Published

8 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

State ferries: A better idea from Nordic countries

Re: “Diesel or hybrid ferries? How about simply reliable” (Jan. 7, Opinion): Gov. Jay Inslee, Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson and The Seattle Times editorial board are asking the wrong question: diesel or hybrid ferries? Inslee and the majority of Democrats support…

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Seattle, WA

Manhunt underway for Mason County shooting suspect

Published

17 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Manhunt underway for Mason County shooting suspect

Manuhunt underway for Mason County assault suspect

Mason County deputies are looking for a man wanted in a shooting in Belfair on Monday.

MASON COUNTY, Wash. – The Mason County Sheriff’s Office is currently searching for a convicted felon wanted in a recent shooting.

The sheriff’s office says Michael Allen Beyer is wanted for first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Deputies believe Beyer was involved in a shooting that happened in Belfair on January 6.

Beyer is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, do not approach him and call 911 immediately.

Anyone with information regarding Beyer’s whereabouts is asked to call Detective Helser at 360-427-9670 x657, or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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Seattle, WA

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Two more Seattle restaurants are calling it quits thanks to the untenable minimum wage hike.

At the same time that the Seattle minimum wage rose from $19.97 an hour to $20.76 an hour, the city ended the tip credit of $2.72. Under the previous rules, restaurants were able to pay $17.25 hourly wage if their staff earned at least $2.72 in tips per hour. But as cost of business continues to skyrocket in Seattle, a minimum wage hike without a tip credit is simply untenable for many small businesses.

Jackson’s Catfish Corner in Seattle’s Central District closed its doors in this new year. In an interview with Converge Media, owner Terrell Jackson argued Seattle is too expensive to operate in.

“I know that the minimum wages went up to 20 bucks an hour … I know that’s hard for my business as a small Black business,” Jackson said. “I’m not Amazon or Walgreens or Walmart who can pay their employees that much.”

Jackson isn’t alone in his complaints.

More from Jason Rantz: Panic as Seattle restaurants may not survive massive minimum wage shift

A second West Seattle eatery closes, citing the minimum wage hike

Bel Gatto, a bakery and café, became the second West Seattle eatery to close its doors over the Seattle minimum wage hike. The owner posted a sign to the front door to thank supporters but said she can’t afford to stay open anymore.

“Our revenues, unfortunately, are not able to cover the close to 20% increase in mandated wages, salaries and payroll taxes put into effect by the Seattle City Council effective 1/1/25. This ruling has made the continuation of our bakery operations untenable,” the sign read.

The owner, Peter Levy, explained to the West Seattle Blog that, “we were approaching close to a break even status in the last quarter of 2024, but the requirement to absorb another $4,000 per month in payroll expenses with the new mandate by the city put a break even further from our grasp which is what led to the closure.”

Last week, a video by Corina Luckenbach, owner of Bebop Waffle Shop in West Seattle, went viral as she said the minimum wage hike was forcing her to close after 11 years. She said she didn’t have an extra $32,000 a year to pay her staff what the city mandates.

More from Jason Rantz: Democrats blame Los Angeles fires on climate change to deflect from their own complicity

Will more restaurants close?

Ahead of the minimum wage hike, restauranteurs offered many warnings over what’s to come.

Ethan Stowell operates a number of Seattle’s top restaurants, including How to Cook a Wolf, Staple and Fancy, and Tavolata. He warned this change would be exceptionally costly for businesses in an industry notorious for razor-thin margins. And restaurants can’t merely raise menu prices again.

“I know everybody wants to say, ‘Just raise things (on the menu) a dollar or two,’ and that’s what it’ll be. That’s very simplified math. I wish it was that easy, but it’s not. This is a large increase that’s probably large enough to be equal to or close to what most restaurants in Seattle profit,” Stowell told “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Portage Bay Cafe co-owner Amy Fair Gunnar noted the minimum wage change will cost her about $45,000 more a month. She said restaurants will have to “seriously change what they’re doing or they’re going to close their doors.”

More from Jason Rantz: Here’s why Seattle residents vow to stop tipping in new year

Ignoring the warnings, mocking the business people

The warnings from restaurant owners were mostly ignored or mocked.

Efforts by the Seattle City Council to address the forthcoming crisis fell apart after activists said they didn’t want restaurants to get an exception. Council president Sara Nelson told “The Jason Rantz Show” they will take up the issue again this year but there’s no specific idea yet to forward for legislation. The Mayor of Seattle, Bruce Harrell, has been almost completely absent from the issue.

Left-wing voices, meanwhile, claim to not care. That if businesses “can’t afford to pay a living wage,” then they shouldn’t be in business.

One reporter with The Stranger mocked one of the closures, quipping on X, “Has anyone ever eaten at bebop waffle lol.” Left-wing Seattleites condemned the business for “creating a right wing media darling to complain about paying people a living wage.”

KING 5 reporter Maddie White helped elevate this talking point by citing the National Low Income Housing Coalition, claiming “the average renter needs to make upwards of $40 an hour to afford rent.” But she’s quoting a stat for two-bedrooms. Minimum wage jobs aren’t meant to cover the cost of a single person renting a two-bedroom home or apartment.

Ironically, as activists dismiss the concerns of small business owners, they fail to acknowledge the inevitable consequence: when those businesses shut down, people lose jobs. A $20.76 hourly minimum wage — even with a $2.72 tip credit — means nothing if you’re unemployed.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on X, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

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