The Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line appears to be in a better place than a year ago.
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The Seahawks are starting the season with both tackles healthy. They have an exciting new player at left guard in first-round pick Grey Zabel. And all five starters have spent an entire offseason with the team, unlike last season.
Seattle’s offensive line will be tested right away as it squares off with a 49ers defense led by star pass rusher Nick Bosa, a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and five-time Pro Bowler.
With Bosa and the Niners coming to town, Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus will be closing watching Seattle’s offensive line. Specifically, he’ll have his eye on the matchup between Bosa and Seahawks right tackle Abraham Lucas, who just received a three-year, $46 million extension to remain in Seattle through 2028.
Bumpus highlighted the Lucas-Bosa battle as a matchup to watch in Sunday’s season opener during his Four Down Territory segment Friday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.
“(Lucas) got paid to stop a man named Nick Bosa,” Bumpus said. “… That is a matchup that I’m going to watch because I think Abe is healthy. I think the Seahawks think he is healthy. I think he’s in the best shape he’s ever been in. I think he is lasered in. He is focused. He’s ready to go. And why not start against one of the best to do it, against Nick Bosa.”
Lucas, a WSU product and graduate of Everett’s Archbishop Murphy High School, missed 11 games in 2023 and the first nine games of 2024 while dealing with a troublesome knee injury. The matchup with Bosa will be a solid barometer of the progress Lucas has made since returning from the injury in Week 11 last season, which was a matchup against Bosa and the Niners. Lucas allowed two pressures and one sack while playing 70% of the offensive snaps in that clash, per Pro Football Focus, although not every snap came against Bosa.
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There’s also plenty of history between Bosa and the Seahawks. He has feasted against Seattle offensive lines over the years with a career-best 10 sacks in 10 games over six seasons. His next-highest career sack total against an opponent is five.
“Wherever Nick Bosa is, I’m gonna watch,” Bumpus said. “(Against left tackle) Charles Cross as well. … This is going to be big if you can neutralize Nick Bosa. You’re gonna give yourself a chance to win this ballgame.”
Bosa does spent the majority of his time as the left defensive end, which means the burden of trying to slow him down should largely fall on Lucas.
“You paid him to get results when Nick Bosa is on the field, which will be 95% of the time,” Bumpus said. “When he’s lined up over Abe, I’m going to be zoomed in with my binoculars watching this thing go down. It’s a heavyweight fight, and I love situations like that.”
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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