Analysis: 5 Questions Facing Seahawks After Quenton Nelson Blockbuster Trade
Knocking over the first domino leading up to the NFL trade deadline, John Schneider swung for the fences acquiring Quenton Nelson from the Colts, leaving several questions both short and long-term for the Seahawks to answer.
Launching what has seemingly become the annual arms race in the NFC West, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider fired the first shot on Tuesday by acquiring All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson from the Indianapolis Colts.
Under the terms of the deal, Seattle received Nelson in exchange for a 2027 third round pick and a 2028 fifth round pick. Per OverTheCap.com, the team will now be on the hook for a $9.77 million cap hit for the rest of the season and Nelson will be scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.
In the aftermath of making a major splash to bolster their offensive line to aid the push for a second straight Super Bowl win, the Seahawks have several questions that will need answered in quick order, including how the starting unit will look with him, while a few others will have to be addressed in time:
1. Plugged in at left guard, how will Nelson's arrival impact the rest of Seattle's offensive line?
Now in his ninth NFL season, Nelson has never played a single NFL snap anywhere but left guard, and the Seahawks certainly won't be asking a perennial All-Pro to make a switch from his natural position. But that creates a multi-faceted conundrum for the team to quickly figure out before facing the Bears on Monday Night Football this week.
With Nelson inserted into Grey Zabel's starting spot, Seattle will have to find a new home for the 2026 first round pick. Most likely, that means flipping to the right guard spot, a position that he started three games previously for North Dakota State in college. That may not seem like much experience, but it's far more than he offers at center, where he has logged 17 snaps in his entire football career and has barely played away from the Senior Bowl two years ago.
Under that assumption, despite coming off one of his best performances in a 20-3 win over the Chiefs coming off an injury, Anthony Bradford would be the odd man out. Seattle released former third round pick Christian Haynes on Tuesday to create a spot for Nelson, so the team already has made a move to thin out a crowded guard position, making Bradford and rookie Beau Stephens the two primary backups.
