Pundits typically reserve the hot seat for NFL head coaches. But this week, Seahawks on SI’s Jeremy Brener argued Seattle Seahawks right guard Anthony Bradford is on the hot seat.
Bradford and his teammates began offseason workouts Tuesday. The starting guard is a storyline this spring because of his poor play during Seattle’s Super Bowl run.
“The Seahawks don’t have many position battles to address this offseason, but right guard might be a slight exception. Starting right guard Anthony Bradford is in the final year of his deal, and he could be viewed as the starter with the weakest job security,” wrote Brener.
“The Seahawks selected Iowa guard Beau Stephens in the fifth round of the draft, and he could challenge Bradford for his job.
“Bradford has the inside track for the starting job, and while that won’t be won or lost during OTAs, it could give the Seahawks a sneak preview into what’s to come for training camp later this summer.”
Bradford has started 38 games over his 3-year NFL career. He was in the Seattle starting lineup for every regular season and playoff contest during 2025-26.
That will give him a distinct experience advantage over rookie guard Beau Stephens.
But Bradford might have to perform a lot better this spring and summer to stay in the Seahawks starting lineup. According to Pro Football Focus, he was one of the worst guards in the NFL last season.
Seahawks’ Anthony Bradford Needs to Earn Job to Stay in Lineup?
It’s not 100% clear Bradford definitely has to earn his playing time this spring. The guard, though, was bad enough during the 2025 campaign that a lot of pundits see that as a possibility.
Based on the PFF player grades, Bradford performed the worst of any guard who played 80% or more of his team’s offensive snaps last season.
Bradford didn’t perform well at run blocking or pass protection. But his PFF pass protection grade was the third-worst of any guard to play 20% of the time in 2025.
To put it simply, Bradford was bad. Really bad. The 2025 campaign was also not an aberration.
Bradford has never posted an overall PFF grade above 51.7. Last season, his grade was 48.9.
It’s important to not put too much stock in PFF grades. But it’s pretty evident Bradford is a roster weakness in Seattle.
It’s never surprising when a defending Super Bowl champion looks to upgrade a position weakness before trying to repeat. That could happen this summer unless Bradford gives the team reason not to.
Could Seahawks Still Add Veteran Guard in NFL Free Agency?
Brener mentioned Stephens as a potential replacement for Bradford. A fifth-round rookie, Stephens is the most-likely candidate to push Bradford to the bench.
The Seahawks clearly like Stephens. The team traded up on Day 3 to ensure landing him.
But fans also shouldn’t rule out the Seahawks adding a veteran guard as a short-term replacement for Bradford. On Saturday, Fansided’s 12th Man Rising’s Ernesto Cova proposed former Pro Bowler Kevin Zeitler.
“Even at the ripe age of 36, Zeitler continues to perform at an above-average level. While he won’t pop up on the film, that’s usually a good thing for guards, and he’s coming off drawing the 11th-highest Pro Football Focus grade last season (74.5),” wrote Cova.
The Seahawks could sign Zeitler to a 1-year deal, giving the team a better interior offensive lineman. Then in 2027, Seattle could transition to Stephens at right guard.
Bradford will be a free agent next March. Unless he stays in the lineup and breaks out with his best NFL campaign, he’s unlikely to return to Seattle for 2027.
Seattle’s offseason workouts will run from May 26-June 4. Those practices could be important to Bradford proving to the Seahawks they don’t need an addition such as Zeitler.
The Seahawks will hold their mandatory minicamp from June 9-11.
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