Earlier this morning, it was reported that the Seahawks are bringing in familiar name Mike Iupati on a 1-year deal. Terms are yet to be disclosed, but given his injury history of late …

• 12 games in 2013
• 15 games in 2014
• 13 games in 2015
• 15 games in 2016
• 1 game in 2017
• 10 games in 2018

… you’d think the guarantees are minimal and the incentives are extensive. Iupati – when he’s healthy – is a tremendous left guard in this league. He’s a 4-time Pro Bowler (from 2012-2015), he’s got experience playing under coach Mike Solari, and he’s EXACTLY what this team looks for in an offensive lineman. More run blocker than pass protector, but I would argue he’s probably better at both than J.R. Sweezy and he’s only 2 years older.

That’s what I like most about this. He’s better than Sweezy and he’s cheaper than Sweezy. The fact that they flip-flop teams (Sweezy to Arizona, Iupati from Arizona) is a nice little bonus. The Cardinals are run by morons, so doing the OPPOSITE of the Cardinals is always a good thing.

My concern after hearing about it was that the Seahawks would stop there. When Sweezy signed with another team, the thought was the Seahawks could still sign Fluker, but they’d likely go young with the other guard spot. Ethan Pocic has a high pedigree as an interior lineman, and while he’s looked like a bust in his first couple years, you never know when someone is going to put it all together. We thought Ifedi should be thrown off a bridge, and look at how much better he got in his third year! Jordan Simmons was obviously the more exciting name for Seahawks fans, as he played tremendously in his couple of starts last year. But, he too has been injury prone in his career dating back through college, so trusting him to be a 16-game starter in 2019 didn’t feel too realistic.

Iupati brings some insurance to this spot. I certainly won’t believe he’s a 16-game starter either, until I see it, but maybe Iupati AND Simmons combined could be that stopgap. Either way, it was looking like a good possibility that we’d still see plenty of Pocic … that is, until later this same morning when it was reported that the Seahawks brought back Fluker on a 2-year deal.

Now, don’t get me wrong, all three of these guys – Fluker, Iupati, and Simmons – have had their share of injuries, so avoiding Pocic is far from guaranteed. But, the DEPTH at this position is staggering!

Guards in the NFL get short shrift compared to tackles, and even centers. But, I would argue they’re pretty vital, especially in a division like the NFC West, which houses so many superstar defensive tackles. Russell Wilson has proven to be pretty elusive in his tenure thus far, but he doesn’t stand a chance when guys are allowed to run free up the middle. He at least stands a chance at avoiding a defensive end – particularly as most teams scheme the Seahawks to keeping him in the pocket, and not over-pursuing around the edge – but the shortest distance between two points is a straight line between wherever Aaron Donald lines up and wherever Russell Wilson lands on his ass. So, stocking this position group is of utmost importance! I’m happy that the Seahawks are taking this as seriously as they are.

With Fant in the fold as a third tackle, the Seahawks are as strong across the offensive line as they’ve ever been. I would argue the Seahawks are as good as any team in the league at this spot! Who would’ve thunk it even a year ago?