11 hours ago
Seahawks give Christian Haynes reps at center
Seahawks give Christian Haynes reps at center
The Seattle Seahawks promoted competition at last week's mandatory minicamp period. Position battles were especially fierce across the offensive line. Olu Oluwatimi routinely rotated at center. At right guard, it was Anthony Bradford and Christian Haynes jockeying for reps.
The expectation is those position battles will continue throughout July and August's training camp period. Head coach Mike Macdonald will eventually name a starter at both interior blocking spots. One occurrence that went somewhat underreported at minicamp was that Haynes also earned some reps at center, per various local beat writers in attendance.
Haynes played a little center at the Senior Bowl before the Seahawks drafted him.
There could be multiple explanations. Is Haynes going to insert himself into the competition at center alongside Oluwatimi and Sundell? That feels unlikely, but not impossible. Haynes is a front-runner at guard versus Bradford.
More realistically, if Haynes is defeated by Bradford for the starting gig at guard, the coaching staff likely wants to see his versatility. Backup interior lineman typically need to play multiple positions to be active on gameday. New offensive line coach John Benton is likely exploring Haynes' capability to play center in case he's a reserve player.
Training camp will be critical for the sophomore Haynes. Fans hope he'll display enough growth to dethrone the underperforming Bradford as the starting right guard. Meanwhile the Seahawks are exploring alternatives.
