From 2013-15 Russell Wilson was knocked down or sacked on 359 of his 1,892 dropbacks, the second highest total in the NFL over those years behind only Ryan Tannehill (372). When looked at as a percentage of dropbacks though, Wilson’s 19 percent easily leads the league. That’s quite the figure, especially considering quarterbacks like Andy Dalton (8.8 percent) and Peyton Manning (9.4 percent) were half as likely to get hit as Wilson, yet both missed considerably more playing time due to injury over those years. While it’s true that Wilson brings some of that upon himself, it’s also true that the Seahawks’ offensive line has been one of the worst in the league over that span.

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That’s what happens though when an entire unit is for the most part ignored. From 2012-15, here are the Seahawks’ draft picks along the offensive line:

2012: None

2013: Ryan Seymour, G, 7th round; Michael Bowie, T, 7th round

2014: Justin Britt, T, 2nd round; Garrett Scott, T, 6th round

2015: Terry Poole, G, 4th round; Mark Glowinski, G, 4th round; Kristjan Sokoli, G/DT, 6th round

Four years of drafts, one lone pick spent on an offensive lineman before the fourth round. And it doesn’t stop there. Last offseason they traded away center Max Unger, their highest graded offensive lineman, for Jimmy Graham without any reasonable backup plan in place. Then this past offseason they yet again lost their top offensive lineman as they let Russell Okung sign a very friendly deal in Denver that has a cap hit of only $5.2 million this season. Yet again they had no discernible replacement strategy.

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Seattle did use its first-round pick in the 2016 draft on an offensive lineman: Texas A&M tackle Germain Ifedi, who has missed the start of the season due to injury. But simply put, the Seahawks have diverted fewer resources to their offensive line than any team in the NFL. The average Seahawks offensive lineman is making a shade over $1 million a year, the lowest figure in the NFL. Only five other teams fall below a $2 million yearly average and seven teams are above $3 million. This season, the Seahawks offensive line counts just $8.9 million against their cap. That’s a mere 5.9 percent of their total cap liabilities for the year. The secondary on the other hand makes up 25.2 percent of their cap liabilities this season. As the old adage goes, you get what you pay for.

From 2013-15 the line has never finished higher than 26th in pass-blocking and 22nd in run-blocking as a team in Pro Football Focus’s grading system. The current incarnation of the Seattle offensive line may be the best they’ve had in some time, but that isn’t saying much. They signed career backups Bradley Sowell (left tackle) and J’Marcus Webb (guard) this offseason and both were thrust into starting roles Week 1 with predictably poor results. Justin Britt looks much more competent at center and left guard Mark Glowinski had a solid preseason, but Garry Gilliam has shown little to no improvement so far after he was the fourth-lowest graded right tackle in 2015.

In the past though offensive line issues have been swept under the rug. Much of that can be attributed to the work of Wilson and Marshawn Lynch. One rushing play, the zone read, turns their running game from an average one into an elite. On 128 zone reads in 2015 the Seahawks averaged 5.3 yards per carry. On all other runs that number was only 4.2. That play doesn’t work though without Wilson, and it’s one you can’t risk running if your quarterback is nursing even the most minor of injuries.