The Seattle Seahawks’ plans to upgrade their offensive line just got a bit clearer on Tuesday — in theory, anyway.
General manager John Schneider told Seattle-area reporters at the league’s owners meetings in Arizona that recently acquired lineman Oday Aboushi will begin his Seattle tenure this preseason as a right guard — and, thus, the Seahawks are indeed considering moving Germain Ifedi to right tackle.
Ifedi, the team’s first-round draft choice last year, spent his rookie season as the starting right guard. He was a right tackle before that, in college for Texas A&M. Speculation has remained that tackle may be his best position.
Garry Gilliam has been Seattle’s right tackle the past two seasons. The team re-signed Gilliam this month as a restricted free agent for one year and $1,797,000. That contract and money is not guaranteed.
Aboushi, 25, has made 18 starts for Houston and the New York Jets since entering the league as a fifth-round pick in 2013, all at left and right guard. He signed last week with the Seahawks for one year.
Schneider also said the Seahawks consider Luke Joeckel capable of playing left guard or left tackle. The GM added that Joeckel, Jacksonville’s former No. 2-overall pick, impressed Seattle’s staff in his five games at left guard last year before his 2016 ended with a knee injury and surgery.
Joeckel signed this month with the Seahawks for one year and $7 million guaranteed. For Seattle, which had the league’s lowest-paid offensive line in 2016, that money suggests left tackle.
The Seahawks had undrafted college basketball player George Fant as their starting left tackle as a rookie last season, a development that left Schneider in retrospect thinking “holy cow.”
The other two line positions appear to be set. Seattle’s coaches said throughout last season they thought second-year man Mark Glowinski was solid as the starting left guard. Justin Britt remains entrenched as the center.
Other topics:
— On the Marshawn Lynch front, no developments. About Lynch, Schneider said, “he’s on the reserve/retired list as a Seattle Seahawk right now. That’s where it stands.” In other words, still status quo.
— The GM said Seattle sees recently signed linebackers Michael Wilhoite, a former starter inside with San Francisco, and ex-Pittsburgh special-teams player Terence Garvin as potential fits at strongside linebacker outside. That makes sense because Mike Morgan, the 2016 starter at strongside linebacker, is still unsigned as a free agent.
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