Oct 29, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks guard Damien Lewis (68) after the game against the Cleveland Browns at Lumen Field. Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Damien Lewis leaves Seahawks, instantly becomes one of NFL's best guards

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Connor Benintendi | Last updated Jun 5, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Seattle Seahawks have whiffed on their fair share of offensive linemen in the last decade. Seattle doesn't have a single lineman on the roster drafted before 2022 now that Stone Forsythe (2021 sixth-round pick) left this offseason in free agency.

Damien Lewis, a 2020 third-round pick by the Seahawks, was also thought to be a bust. He struggled in Seattle, especially with the 2021-23 units, which took a massive step back from Lewis's rookie season. The Seahawks opted not to re-sign Lewis, and he walked after the 2023 season. Lewis signed a four-year deal worth $53 million with the Carolina Panthers and immediately emerged as one of the league's top guards this past season.

Lewis ranked 15th among all guards in the latest Pro Football Focus positional rankings, which order the top-32 players at each spot. In his first season with the Panthers, Lewis started 16 of 17 games and had a career year.

"Lewis, along with Robert Hunt, joined Carolina this past season as part of the Panthers’ offensive line rebuild, and he flourished," PFF writer Mason Cameron wrote. "He posted 70.0-plus PFF grades in run and pass blocking on his way to a career-high 75.5 PFF overall grade, which ranked 12th among guards."

The Seahawks are trending back in the right direction up front with right tackle Abraham Lucas back healthy, left tackle Charles Cross beginning to live up to his No. 9 overall draft selection and rookie No. 18 overall pick Grey Zabel slated to be an immediate upgrade at guard.

Second-year guards Sataoa Laumea and Christian Haynes may also take a leap in 2025 after playing significant time as rookies. Third-year center Olu Oluwatimi got his first extended game action last season and played well.

Still, it's worth wondering what Seattle's offensive line could have become if Lewis had played opposite Zabel. The Seahawks may not have needed to spend a premium pick on a guard in this year's draft if they had given Lewis a second contract. To the team's credit, though, it appeared the right move at the time as it attempted a full offensive line rebuild with Lucas and Cross as the focus.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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