> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Seahawks Free Agency: Best Remaining OL Targets After Day 1 of Tampering Period - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/best-remaining-offensive-line-targets-tampering-period/ - Published: 2025-03-11T05:03:04.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T05:37:42.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Seahawks, Josh Myers, Will Fries, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, Mekhi Becton, Lucas Patrick, NFL Free Agency \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="837"\] ![ Indianapolis Colts guard Will Fries blocks during a regular season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Credit: Will Fries/Instagram ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/469149736_939995534691711_8809636693889984831_n-format-original.jpg) Indianapolis Colts guard Will Fries blocks during a regular season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Credit: Will Fries/Instagram \[/caption\] Now that they have found a replacement at quarterback by signing Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal, the Seattle Seahawks need to shift their focus to upgrading their offensive line to protect their new signal caller and help open up a dormant run game. Last season, while starting four different players at center and right guard, the Seahawks allowed former starter Geno Smith to be pressured on 38 percent of his snaps, the second-highest rate of any starter in the NFL. Meanwhile, the front line struggled to create push off the line of scrimmage for Ken Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, and the team’s stable of running backs, leading to an ugly 28th overall finish in rushing yards. While Seattle did agree to terms with former Baltimore reserve tackle Josh Jones on the first day of the legal tampering period, more moves must be made to truly improve one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines. Who are the best linemen remaining on the market one day into free agency? Here are six guard and center targets, along with market value projections courtesy of Spotrac, who could be on general manager John Schneider’s radar heading into the second day of tampering: ### Will Fries, RG, Indianapolis Colts **Spotrac Market Value Projection**: 4 years, $56,517,428 Despite starting 42 games at Penn State, Fries didn’t hear his name called in the 2021 NFL Draft until the final round when the Colts took a chance on him with the 248th overall pick, nearly receiving the honor of Mr. Irrelevant. After playing a grand total of 22 offensive snaps as a rookie, he burst into the starting lineup midway through the 2022 season, allowing 20 pressures and a sack on 381 pass blocking reps. He started all 17 games in 2023, enduring some bumps along the way giving up four sacks and 30 pressures, and got off to a strong start last season before suffering a season-ending broken tibia in Week 6. Since coming into the league, the 6-6, 305-pound Fries has been inconsistent protecting the quarterback, hovering around a 97 percent pass block efficiency rate in 2022 and 2023 while ranking 54th and 32nd among qualified guards in that category. Before suffering his devastating injury last season, however, he showed significant improvement keeping pass rushers at bay, allowing two sacks and just six pressures in six starts. Meanwhile, thanks to his excellent athletic profile, including running a blazing 4.51-second short shuttle at the 2021 combine, few guards have been better at executing on zone concepts, as he graded out as PFF’s second-best on zone runs (91.2) in 2024. Coming off a significant injury, Fries will have to pass medical tests before signing a new contract elsewhere, and some teams may be weary of handing him a massive contract with only 31 starts and 2,000 total snaps under his belt. But with him set to turn 27 in April, he's in the prime of his career and teams such as the Seahawks desiring blockers who excel on the run will covet his talents as a natural mover in the zone run game. ### Teven Jenkins, LG, Chicago Bears **Spotrac Market Value Projection**: 3 years, $31,039,296 After excelling as a tackle at Oklahoma State, the Bears initially tabbed Jenkins as their new blindside protector by investing a second-round pick in him four years ago. But injuries derailed his rookie season and he allowed two sacks on just 117 pass blocking snaps, leading to the team transitioning him to guard in 2022.Though durability continued to be an issue over the past three years with him missing 12 regular season games due to injury, he elevated his game after sliding inside, posting at least a 97.4 percent pass blocking efficiency rate each season in that span. Due to his prior background as a tackle, the 6-6, 321-pound Jenkins has light feet for a guard, allowing him to mirror well against even the most athletic defensive tackles in the league. His mobility also has been beneficial in the zone blocking game, including finishing with a respectable 70.5 grade on zone concepts last season, as well as getting downfield on screens. He has had some trouble setting an anchor against power as a pass protector with a top-heavy build and leaner lower body, but he demonstrated marked improvement in that area in 2024. Roughly a year older than Smith, Jenkins should stand out as a cheaper alternative with plenty of untapped potential, particularly for teams coveting athleticism and smarts at the guard spots. His previous injury history may put a hard cap on his contract offers, but that could make him even more appealing for the Seahawks as a buy low, win big candidate. ### Mekhi Becton, RG Philadelphia Eagles **Spotrac Market Value Projection**: 4 years, $40,931,244 A rapid riser in the 2020 NFL Draft coming out of Louisville, the Jets took a shot on the 6-7, 363-pound Becton with the 11th overall selection, and he flashed promise as a rookie despite allowing seven sacks at the left tackle position. But injuries limited him to just one game over the next two seasons and upon his return, he yielded a whopping 12 sacks and 50 pressures seeing action at both tackle positions in 2023, leading to New York allowing him to walk in free agency. Enjoying one heck of a rebirth in Philadelphia, Becton joined the Eagles and moved inside to guard, becoming the latest reclamation project to turn his career around under the coaching of Jeff Stoutland. Starting 15 games for the eventual Super Bowl champs, while he did surrender 34 pressures and five sacks in pass protection, he excelled moving bodies off the line of scrimmage as a run blocker, playing a crucial role in running back Saquon Barkley setting a new record for combined rushing yards in the regular season and playoffs. Showing off his nimble footwork, he graded out with a fantastic 78.7 zone blocking grade from PFF as well, making him a well-rounded fit for multiple schemes. Becton’s previous problems staying healthy may spook some teams away from throwing too much money at him in free agency. But he’s only 25 years old and his rare athleticism at his size coupled with a nasty mean streak would be a welcome addition to Seattle’s line. Working with Benton, who coached him previously in New York, would be a natural fit to continue his career renaissance in the Pacific Northwest. ### Josh Myers, C, Green Bay Packers **Spotrac Market Value Projection**: 3 years, $23,245,191 Another member of the esteemed 2021 draft that featured several future starting centers as one of the strongest position groups in the class, Myers wasted little time finding his way into the starting lineup for Green Bay after being selected out of Ohio State in the second round, earning the starting center job as the replacement for departed All-Pro Corey Linsley out of training camp. Unfortunately, he missed all but six games as a rookie due to a knee injury, but he has started all but one regular season game in the three seasons since, emerging as a cornerstone for the Packers’ offensive line. Since breaking into the league, Myers has not been viewed favorably as a run blocker by PFF, failing to score above 55.2 in four NFL seasons and most recently ranking dead last among qualified centers with a dismal 52.2 grade in 2024\. However, the Packers finished fifth in rushing yards and fifth in rushing touchdowns last season and on film, he shows up as a viable blocker both in zone and gap concepts with above average strength and lateral mobility. He’s been wildly inconsistent in pass protection, giving up at least 28 pressures each of the previous two seasons after only allowing 13 in 17 starts in 2022. Myers will enter next season in his prime at just 27 years of age, offering plenty of untapped potential for new line coach John Benton to cultivate. He’s far from an elite blocker in the pass or run game, but he’s been rock solid in his first four NFL seasons and has enough schematic versatility to perform well in Kubiak’s system as a long-term starting option for Seattle. ### Coleman Shelton, C, Chicago Bears **Spotrac Market Value Projection**: 2 years, $11,654,858 Despite being an All-Pac 12 performer at Washington, Shelton didn’t hear his name called in the 2018 NFL Draft, ultimately signing with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent. Bouncing around in the NFC West, he spent a brief while on the Cardinals practice squad before signing with the Rams in September 2019, dressing for 11 games that season. He wound up replacing Brian Allen as the Rams’ new starting center in 2022, though injuries limited him to 720 snaps, and he followed up by starting all 17 games to help Los Angeles get back to the playoffs in 2023 before signing with Chicago as a free agent. On the smaller side for an NFL center at 6-4, 299 pounds, Shelton put up decent testing numbers coming out of Montlake and those athletic traits show up on film, particularly as a zone blocker in the run game department where his smooth feet and mobility flash the most. In his first full season as a starter in Los Angeles in 2023, he graded out as PFF’s fifth-best zone blocking center (83.9), though his performance took a big step back in Chicago last season with him ranking 19th out of 26 qualified centers. Pass protection has been hit and miss for him in his career, with posting a 97.9 percent pass block efficiency rate three times being the biggest plus on his resume. Shelton had to take a long, arduous road to earn a starting spot in the NFL and with his 30th birthday approaching in July, it’s hard to envision teams will be lining up to give him more than a two-year deal in free agency. But he has been a serviceable starter over the past three seasons and scheme-wise, his strengths would fit in quite well in Kubiak’s offense where he would be relied upon heavily as a zone blocker to mitigate his lack of play strength at the point of attack. Bringing him back to the Pacific Northwest would at minimum provide quality competition for Oluwatimi, if not a clear upgrade manning the middle. ### Lucas Patrick, LG/RG, New Orleans Saints **Spotrac Market Value Projection**: 1 years, $1,958,786 Taking the same path as Mekari, Patrick went undrafted out of Duke before signing with the Packers and didn’t see any game action in his first year with the organization, spending the full season on the practice squad. After starting just six games over the next three seasons, he became a full-time starter for Green Bay in 2020 at right guard and transitioned to center the following season, showing off his positional flexibility. He spent two seasons with the Bears before going to the Saints last season, playing for Kubiak and Benton as a starter at both left guard and center. A bit of a late bloomer, Patrick had a fantastic season for New Orleans a season ago, giving up no sacks and just 10 pressures in 11 games. Interestingly, he hasn’t allowed a sack since the 2022 season, going more than 890 snaps between sacks surrendered. He also thrived in Kubiak’s wide zone-centric offense, finishing with a respectable 67.8 zone blocking grade last season, and his previous experience with Green Bay in Matt LaFleur’s scheme would make him even more appealing for teams deploying similar systems. On the older side at 31 years of age, Patrick won’t be viewed as more than a stop gap for interested teams, which may not be what Seahawks fans hope for at either guard spot. However, on a one-year deal, he could the type of bargain that pushes Seattle’s offensive line over the top and his experience playing for Kubiak and Benton presents an added bonus that would help from a continuity aspect.