Where exactly he fits in Seattle’s offensive-line plan is unclear. Okung is nowhere near the same level as Smith, who many consider to be the best tackle in the NFL.
Advertisement
Reiff, 27, has started at left tackle the last three seasons for the Lions but is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Seattle also has brought in some interior/backup line options: Ted Larsen (Arizona), J’Marcus Webb (Oakland) and Bradley Sowell (Arizona).
Okung’s struggles with durability and remarkable depth at the offensive tackle position for the 2016 NFL Draft is a lot to consider. Okung played his college football at Oklahoma State. He and Webb would be the only Seahawks offensive linemen scheduled to make over $1 million in 2016 – at least for now.
A one-time Pro Bowler, Okung has never played all 16 games in a season and is recovering from January shoulder surgery. He was cut in 2013 and signed with the Vikings before joining the Raiders, who used him at guard in 2015.
Russell Okung keeps on trekkin’ – to seemingly most places except back to Seattle.
And then there’s the draft, where the Seahawks at the moment have nine picks and undoubtedly would use a few – though it’s always a risky strategy to expect to get a sure-thing first-day starter when picking as low as Seattle is and it’s unlikely the Seahawks are necessarily counting on that.
Okung also visited the Lions and New York Giants over the weekend, and still could return to Seattle Seahawks, the team he called home for the last six seasons. That could come in handy for Seattle, which lost J.R. Sweezy to Tampa Bay on Wednesday when the free-agent market opened. The Seahawks also are interested in re-signing Okung.
Advertisement
He battled injuries over his career and hasn’t played a full season yet. July would be the nine-month mark since that injury, the low end of typical recovery time from knee reconstruction.
