Seattle, WA
What's to blame for Seahawks' poor rushing attack in 2023?
The Seattle Seahawks were always known for wanting to run the ball during Pete Carroll’s time as head coach, but that didn’t go to plan during his last year running the show.
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The Hawks finished the season 28th in rushing in the NFL. Second-year back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 905 yards in 15 games while rookie Zach Charbonnet rushed for 462.
So why didn’t the Seahawks find success on the ground in 2023? Former NFL offensive lineman and current Seahawks radio analyst “Big” Ray Roberts shared his thoughts with Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Tuesday.
“I think the injuries along the offensive line … eventually came back to bite them because you just can’t get the continuity that you want up there, you can’t get the consistency in the play, you can’t know what to expect from different guys,” Roberts said.
Tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas both got hurt in Week 1, with Cross missing three games afterwards and Lucas missing all but six games in 2023. Left guard Damien Lewis and center Evan Brown both missed one game each, while Week 1 starting right guard Phil Haynes missed nine games.
Having a mix-and-match offensive line likely impacted Seattle’s ability to run the ball, as well as the play-calling in general.
“When there’s certain players that are out of the game, you go like, ‘Man, I don’t know if we can run that now. This guy doesn’t block that as well’ or ‘That guy doesn’t run the route better than the other receiver’ or ‘This quarterback doesn’t throw it the same way the other guy throws it,’” Roberts said. “So I think that started to kind of impact what they were able to do on the offensive line with all the guys going in and out. Were they prepared to play? Yeah. But were they prepared to play the style that they wanted to play? I don’t think they could just because of all the rotations on the offensive line.”
Additionally, Roberts thinks the Seahawks’ run game under Carroll tried to replicate one of his former players but to no avail.
“And then I think the Seahawks keep trying to find the next Marshawn Lynch, and he doesn’t exist. Marshawn Lynch is one of one,” he said. “There are dudes that might look like him sometimes, they might have some success in some ways that he’s had success, but they are just not him. And so you have to come up with other ways to also know, ‘Well, this is the best way to use this running back, and how do we devise a system that matches the skills with the offensive line with the skills of the running back?’ And I think that’s where some blame or fault happened.”
An offensive lineman at 16?
The Seahawks hold the No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and based on the current roster, there’s plenty of directions the team could go with that selection.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah released his first mock draft of the offseason, and he had Seattle taking UW Huskies left tackle Troy Fautanu.
The Seahawks don’t need a tackle with Cross and Lucas entering their third NFL seasons, but some, including Jeremiah, think Fautanu is likely going to be a guard at the NFL level.
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Should drafting a guard or center 16th overall be in play for the Seahawks?
“I think if you draft an interior offensive lineman in the first round, they have to absolutely be head and shoulders above who you already have. And unless you’re worried about Abe Lucas being hurt, I don’t see the deficiencies that people see where you feel like you have to make a big upgrade there in the first round,” Roberts said. “I think you can find guys later … that can come in and compete for jobs and push some of these guys in the interior. But I would say the biggest issue with the interior line here, it’s just a health issue. And you can’t always guarantee that no matter where you draft them.”
Listen to Bump and Stacy’s full interview with Ray Roberts at this link or in the player near the top of this story.
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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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To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
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