Seahawks' Center Battle Intensifies as Ethan Pocic Deals With Hamstring Injury

“There was status that we could have put him on, PUP or NFI things and all that, but we thought that it would be better for the development, for all of us, if we could keep him out there and be patient and make sure that we don’t rush him back,” Carroll assessed. 

Pocic taking part in walkthroughs means he will not fall behind in terms of Shane Waldron’s new offensive install. If the Seahawks had decided to place Pocic on the physically unable to perform or non-football injury lists, the center would not have been able to participate in the walkthroughs.

The competitive element is fascinating, though. When Carroll was asked which position battle he was most excited to see play out this summer, the coach’s mind immediately travelled towards the center spot.

“There’s a number of them, there’s a number of positions that guys are battling for playing time,” Carroll began. “I don’t know whether it’s starter or not starter kinda thing, although Kyle Fuller is ready to battle with Pocic.”

Seattle’s undrafted free agent center Pier-Olivier Lestage has started camp on the NFI list. The Seahawks also have Brad Lundblade on their roster, a 2018 undrafted free agent. However, the clear advantage is with Fuller, a man entering his fourth year in the league.

“It gives Kyle Fuller a fantastic opportunity to show what he’s gonna do, which, you know, competitively, we want that Willy Pipp thing to happen,” assessed Carroll.

The 27-year old Fuller was drafted by the Texans out of Baylor in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. In 2019, the Seahawks signed the 6-foot-5, 320-pounder to their practice squad. Seattle then tendered him as an exclusive rights free agent following the 2020 season. 

At the NFL combine, Fuller measured in with 34 1/8-inch arms, which is a major plus for the Seahawks given how highly they value arm length (they typically look for 33 inches or more on the interior of the offensive line). Fuller started only one game in 2020; it was a nightmarish, Week 10 road trip to Los Angeles, where took the place of a concussed Pocic to face Aaron Donald and the Rams' defensive line. Now he has a shot at more regular action.

His chances look more promising when considering how the Seahawks' organization views Pocic. After all, Pocic is not as highly rated by Seattle as you may have initially thought. Even before the former LSU alum's hamstring injury arose, I envisioned the center position as a training camp storyline to keep an eye on. I explained:

“The team already tried to replace/aggressively push Pocic by signing B.J. Finney during last year's free agency period. In the end, Pocic won the job after Finney showed up to camp out of shape, and the latter was eventually moved to Cincinnati in a trade for [Carlos] Dunlap.

"Pocic is a solid center. However, his weaknesses are consistent and cap certain elements of the offense. For instance: he struggles one-on-one in pass protection or in the run game, which could really frustrate Waldron as he tries to get his center to reach block dudes one-on-one on outside zone runs.”