You wouldn’t think that a fifth-round rookie would have a good shot to start for the defending Super Bowl champions, but that might be the case for the Seattle Seahawks and interior offensive lineman Beau Stephens in 2026.
That’s because the Seahawks didn’t make any moves along the offensive line in free agency, leaving one spot ripe for the taking.
How Beau Stephens can crack the Seahawks starting lineup
Seattle’s tackle duo of Abraham Lucas and Charles Cross is among the best tackle pairings in the entire NFL, giving the team high-level protection on the edges. But the interior of the offensive line? Ehh, that’s a different story.
| Player | Position | PFF Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Grey Zabel | G | 42/79 |
| Anthony Bradford | G | 71/79 |
| Jalen Sundell | C | 20/37 |
There’s reason to think that Zabel and Sundell have better days ahead, as both are young players who have shown flashes. But Bradford? He’s heading into his fourth NFL season and was one of the NFL’s worst offensive guards in 2025. Based on the state of this roster, it’s fair to view him as the starter still, but how firm is his hold on that spot?
Stephens, the 148th overall pick out of Iowa, will have to prove he has what it takes to be an NFL starter. His college tape is fairly good, though there are concerns about his ability to hold up against the bigger pass rushers that he’ll encounter in the league. He has the strength, but he has to figure out exactly how to harness that strength.
One place that Stephens really excelled in college was as a run blocker. Considering the Seahawks used a first-round pick on running back Jadarian Price, it’s safe to say this team is going to want to run the football in 2026, something that should work to Stephens’ advantage in a position battle with Bradford.
Also working in Stephens favor? The fact that Seattle traded for up for him. This coaching staff clearly understands that Bradford isn’t the answer at right guard and while they theoretically could have addressed that earlier in the draft, the fact that they saw an available guard and worked to go up and get him speaks volumes to how they must have viewed him. (This is one of my personal axioms when looking at position battles: if the incumbent doesn’t have a tight hold on the spot and the rookie backup is someone the team traded up to get, the rookie has an edge.)
While it’s not a lock that Stephens beats out Bradford for the starting role at right guard, but I do think it’s something that needs to seriously be considered as a possibility, and based on how Bradford played in 2025, it’d probably be a good thing for Seattle’s 2026 prospects.
