With the mandatory mini-camp now over, we enter that long part of the offseason where nothing really happens. At least nothing football-related (ahem, TJack.) I’ve collected and reviewed information from a number sources throughout OTAs and mini-camp, most of whom participated in the Seahawks.com Media Combine.

After reviewing the reports, tweets, the skill sets of the guys and how the team has lined the guys up, I've come to the conclusion that our offensive line competition is mostly over. Typically the Hawks will roll with 9-10 guys and this year due to roster make-up I think it’s most likely that we go with 10 Olineman, although this largely depends on one man. I'll explain in due course. From what I've been able to put together, here's what the current depth chart most likely looks like:

Position LT LG C RG RT 1st Team Gilliam Glow Britt Ifedi Webb 2nd Team Sowell Odhiambo Lewis Pericak Poole 3rd Team Fant Maiava Hunt Sokoli Schwenke

Things can still change, and injuries can change the course of a season, of a player's career (just ask Tom Brady next time you see him at the spa.) But, the make-up of the roster largely comes down to one battle. Allow me to explain in 3500 words or less and highlight where there may be some other interesting competitions and, if I'm feeling generous, explain where I might be mistaken.

Center:

It all starts with the Center, and not just because it's he starts play with the snap of the ball. Whether or not Justin Britt can make the conversion to Center will strongly weigh on who else makes the roster. Britt is a lock to make this team and, since he is under contract through next year, will be on the squad in 2017, as well. With a cap hit of $942,800 this year and $417,066 in dead money, you would break even or lose money if you cut him this year and replaced with anyone other than a rookie free agent. As a guy whose floor is as both a backup Tackle or Guard (and now Center) you will not find a better deal. Next year the Hawks would have a savings of $891,400 if they cut him which is enough to consider replacing him if his role is only that of a backup but I would doubt they do so since his presence on the roster allows you to keep fewer backup linemen. Sorry to all of those having Britt cut in their mock 53s but good news for those fans with a #68 jersey.

But, what his role will be is the biggest remaining question. The lynch-pin of the line's line-up, if you will. As discussed above, if he does not maintain his spot on the first team then the Hawks will utilize him as a utility backup at all three positions, Center/Guard/Tackle. If Britt continues to hold onto the starting role then Patrick Lewis will be the backup. As the only player on the 90-man roster to ever snap a football in an NFL game, Patrick Lewis is guaranteed a spot on the final roster. After the Drew Nowak experience last year the Hawks will want a solid option at Center to turn to if Britt struggles like Nowak did and needs to be replaced. The team knows what they have with Lewis and while I don't get the impression that he wows anybody with his play at least he could step in if Britt needed to be replaced during the year.

What aboot the rookie?

Thanks for the question, my Canadian friend. As a convert from Defensive Tackle to Center as a freshmen, Joey Hunt he has exactly what Tom Cable looks for in a lineman. Joking aside, Cable does like him a lot and after trading away Max Unger for Jimmy Graham, John Schneider owes Cable a Center which may be what led Schneider to say of the 6th round 215th overall selection, "I don't know if Pete and I would be able to leave the building if we didn't come away with Joey."

Unfortunately for Hunt, the timing is awful. First, Britt is in the process of learning how to play Center and so he has been taking nearly all of the first team reps. Second, we won’t really know what we have with Britt until he sees live action in preseason. The first opponent the Hawks face will be the Chiefs on Saturday August 13th, just 30 days before the opener against the Dolphins on September 11th. Assuming Britt lays an egg in the Chiefs game, 30 days is far too little time for Hunt to step into and learn everything he needs to be a starting NFL Center. Perhaps if he was a first-round pick expected to step in they might make this move but not with a guy that many thought would be undrafted. While I think it it would be great (because of his youth, cheap four-year contract, and lack of sustained high-level play at Center) if Joey Hunt were to win the starter job, I just don't see it happening in this current scenario. I also don't see him as the primary backup, either. If they had a strong Center like Max Unger they might risk going with Hunt as an "understudy" but after last year I don’t think they are in the mood to take chances at this position. I see Hunt as this year's Sokoli. A project that will make the 53-man roster if there is room but who will be inactive on most, if not all, game days.

Now wait a minute, Seahawk Universe. A lot of your arguments are conclusory. How do we know Hunt can't step in and take on the starter role? Just because you're handsome and charming and have the singing-voice of an angel doesn't mean you can roll in here with scant supporting evidence and dismiss Hunt's chances to anchor the line!

Ok. Fair points. And, since you know so much about me and are obviously with the NSA, I'm going to be extra nice and dig a little deeper for you.

Aha! So a former defensive player who switched to offensive line in college who was drafted in the 6th round caught the eye of a long-time NFL OL guru and became the starter after not taking any reps with the team until August! I hear Kelce was also considered "undersized", as well, which you conveniently left out, Seahawk Universe. THIS is Joey Hunt to a T!!

Ok. You got me there. That's some nice sleuthing. But, allow me to re-dig even deeper. The Eagles 2011 offensive line consisted of four other gentlemen:

LT: Jason Peters (1st team All-pro) Age 29

LG: Even Mathis Age 30

C: Jason Kelce (rookie) Age 24

RG: Danny Watkins (rookie) Age 27 (was a forest firefighter prior to going to college)

RT: Todd Herremans Age 29

Also on this roster was King Dunlap the Chargers starting Left Tackle for the past few seasons. As you can see, not exactly the same situation as the Seahawks whose current first team does not have one player who played that position for the Seahawks last year! That's asking an awful lot of a rookie 6th rounder to step into the Seahawks situation. Also, the Eagles finished 8-8 this year and missed the playoffs with this roster:

from pro-football reference.com

For the Hawks, 8-8 won't cut it this year.

Since what role Britt ends up playing will effect who else makes the team, I will do a "Britt as starting Center" roster and "Britt as a utility backup" roster.

Who makes the roster: the only fight here is who starts, Britt or Lewis and it's currently Britt's job to lose.

Britt as starting Center

Britt

Lewis

Here, Hunt gets cut and hopefully sheltered on the Practice Squad.

Britt as a utility backup

Lewis

Britt

Hunt

With Britt as a utility backup, we can be flexible with who makes the roster. As such, it makes sense to hedge our bets and protect Hunt from being swooped up.

Now, for the rest of the story (not the Paul Harvey version, just the regular version.)

Guard:

The top three Guards from the epic 2015 line need to be replaced. RG JR Sweezy just fleeced Tampa Bay for $32.5 million - good for him! LG Justin Britt (discussed above) is trying to hang onto his starting role now as a Center and backup Guard/Tackle Alvin Bailey is now in Cleveland, which goes to show you that you have to take care when wishing on the Monkey Paw:

The two guys who have been taking the first team reps look to be clearly ensconced in their roles. Mark Glowinski started one game for the Hawks last year and contributed, by my tally, 36 snaps on Special Teams. Germain Ifedi was the first round pick of the Hawks this year and has no clear backup competing with him for this role.

Behind Glow is the third round 97th overall pick Rees Odhiambo. I see him as this year's Glowinski. He will need some time to grow but is in the plan for next year's starting lineup so he will make the roster. Like Glow last year I think he starts the season as a game-day inactive player but moves into a backup and Special Teams role as the season takes its toll on the men ahead of him.

Why isn't Odhiambo the first guard off the bench?

This year we will be starting a rookie Right Guard and a Left Guard who has played only one game in the NFL. As such, the Hawks will want more seniority and experience if someone gets hurt or if things don't go according to plan with the two young starting Guards. Right now, behind Ifedi looks to be Will Pericak who was the only guy who stuck on the Practice Squad for Seattle for the entire 2015 season from start to finish (when both Eric Pinkens and Terry Poole were waived at one point) so clearly they see something in him. He is also (notionally) the fourth-string Center so there's additional value there. Third-string Right Tackle Kona Schwenke (who was on IR last year) has taken some reps as backup to Ifedi and is not a challenger for the starter role but could make the roster as a backup. Tom Cable called him out last year as having a "cool brain" whatever that means....

The one surprise here is that after being removed from the competition at Center, Sokoli has been buried on the third team as a Guard during the offseason workouts. After securing a valuable roster spot last year (with a grand total of 8 snaps on special teams) it was hoped that the Defensive Tackle convert could take the next step this year. Unless this is a motivational ploy, third-string Guard is a huge step back.

So long, Soko?

Not necessarily. There still is time for Sokoli to make a move up the depth chart and make the squad as a backup Guard. As discussed above, I don't think the team will want to make Odhiambo the primary backup Guard, at least to start the season, so there is be a chance for Soko, Schweneke or Pericak to make the roster in this capacity. Again, the major sticking point is if Britt loses the Center battle to Lewis and is relegated to a backup role. In that case, Britt would be the first Guard off the bench and the chances of these three gentlemen all but evaporate.

Who makes the roster: Pericak, Schwenke, and Sokoli will have to hope Britt remains the starting Center for a shot at the 53-man roster. Pericak right now has the inside track as he was on the Practice Squad for the entire 2015 season while Schwenke was on IR. Sokoli will have to beat out Pericak and Schwenke for backup Guard or he will be the odd man out.

Britt as starting Center

Glow

Ifedi

Odhiambo

Pericak

Britt as a utility backup

Glow

Ifedi

Odhiambo

Tackle:

As with Guard, the starting Tackles have already been identified, Garry Gilliam and J'Marcus Webb. Bradley Sowell has been taking reps with the first-team while Gilliam recovers from having a cyst removed from his knee. But, Sowell is not challenging for the staring role as has not started a game since 2013:

From Azcardinals.com

Behind Webb is Terry Poole who was cut by the Hawks after being drafted in the 4th round last year. Poole has dropped weight and looks good. Like Sowell, Poole has been taking reps with the first team while Webb nursed an injured calf. Poole has also been doubling up and taking reps with the second team so that bodes well for his chances at making the team.

After Center and backup Guard, this is the other possible intriguing position battle. First, it is not a given that they take two backup Tackles so there may be a fight between Sowell and Poole. Sowell's cut comes with $200,000 in dead money and Poole with $0 so either guy can easily be cut without any cap pain. Second, Webb has missed a lot of the offseason with a calf injury while Poole has come back in shape and re-dedicated after being cut last year. It's not impossible that Poole could find himself starting at Right Tackle sometime this year. That would be a huge turnaround from last year (but still a longshot at this point.)

The third string guys are most likely Practice Squad candidates which includes Schwenke (discussed above) and two rookie free agents George Fant and Lena Maiava. Fant and Schwenke have taken reps with the second team but neither seems to be a serious candidate for the roster at Tackle. Maiava is included in the depth chart as a Guard but that is just so he makes the third team row. He played Tackle at Arizona (Wildcats, not Cardinals) last year and is listed as one the roster as a Tackle. It's also possible that he is being trained to be a Guard. Whether it's position change or that he is actually the fourth-string tackle, he's not in a strong position. Fant is getting reps ahead of him as a Tackle with both the second and third team and only has one year experience at Tight End at Western Kentucky after he played NCAA basketball for three years and played organized football in 2015 for the first time since eighth grade.

Who makes the roster: No battle here. A mild surprise here might be that Sowell could get cut if Poole continues to impress and Britt makes the team as a utility backup.

Britt as starting Center

Gilliam

Webb

Poole

Sowell

Britt as a utility backup

Gilliam

Webb

Poole

Sowell (but cut if Hawks go with 9 Olinemen)

Practice Squad:

Hunt is a great candidate for the Practice Squad. I know Tom Cable loves Sokoli, but being taken out of the running for Center so early this offseason is bad news for him. Looking at the future plan for the line, the one clear path forward is at Center:

LT LG C RG RT Gilliam Glow Odhiambo Ifedi

I think Cable’s love for Sokoli keeps him on the Practice Squad (if he doesn’t make the 53.) Additionally, they may try to keep one the project Tackles, too, so this would be a three-way race between Fant, Maiava and Schwenke. I’m going to guess Fant has the inside track since he is so young and raw and taking reps with the second team while Gilliam was out recovery from surgery to remove a cyst.

Who makes the Practice Squad:

Hunt

Sokoli

Fant

Outside Free Agents:

I don’t think there will be any reinforcements (barring injury) coming from the outside. If the team wanted to have anyone else here they could add them – they have the cap space for anyone on the market. Plus, these reps are invaluable – missing them puts any outside guy behind the eight ball were he to join later down the road. One potential name, though, is Lem Jeanpierre. He knows the Hawks system and is currently a street free agent. He’s joined the roster in the middle of the season before so keep his name in mind as a potential ghost roster guy.

Edit: I began researching and writing this prior to the release of Eugene Monroe on 6/15/2016. With his release, I thought I’d take a deeper dive into the available Olinemen. Data from Overthecap.com, notes are mine:



I kinda got bored after the million dollar guys but, basically, I’d only potentially be interested in Monroe, Wendell, and Silatolu, and the latter two had severe injuries in November last year and Monroe may not be the best fit for the Hawks (See Alistair's fine article.)

Conclusion

I typically don't even think of the potential final cuts for position groups until camp but after reviewing the roster, my notes, and feedback from spring activities, I find this year to be very different. The roster for the Oline looks pretty straightforward, although competition (unlikely) and injuries (hopefully not!) could change things. Currently, I think Hunt, and to a lesser extent Sokoli and Schwenke, are longshots to make the roster but may be kept around on the Practice Squad (unless somebody poaches them - as late round/project guys this seems unlikely.)

A lot of the questions center on the, um, Center. Britt is both the starting Center and the most versatile backup. If he maintains his role as the starting Center the team will have to keep two backups to match his skill set. This will take up a valuable spot that could otherwise go to a project guy like Hunt. If the Hawks go with nine guys (unlikely) look for Poole and Sowell to duke it out. They will likely want to keep a fourth Guard as a more solid option at backup until they feel Odhiambo is ready to step in if Glow or Ifedi goes down.

Poole, Pericak, and Sowell are the only three guys that I would not firmly call "locks" right now but are still in great shape to make the roster, with Hunt, Sokoli and Schwenke all with outside shots. Sowell, Lewis, and Webb appear to be one-year stopgaps unless they shine on like a crazy diamond this year.

Introducing your bright, shiny, new (very likely) Offensive Line!

Position LT LG C RG RT 1st Team Gilliam Glow Britt Ifedi Webb 2nd Team Sowell Odhiambo Lewis Pericak Poole

Go Hawks!