Getty Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
The Seattle Seahawks still have some time before the start of training camp, and while plenty of media outlets are highlighting potential quarterbacks the team could go after, there are other positions where general manager John Schneider could make a move.
Tim Weaver with USA Today‘s Seahawks Wire provided his list of the top eight available free agents that would be an ideal fit for Seattle. There were a few names Seahawks fans would recognize, including Carlos Dunlap, K.J. Wright, and Duane Brown.
However, the top free agent target that Weaver mentioned was former Cleveland Browns offensive lineman JC Tretter. The 31-year-old has been playing in the NFL for nine seasons, and although he has yet to sign with a new team, a franchise like the Seahawks could use him to help on their offensive line.
Other names mentioned included a pair of star wide receivers in Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr., along with some pass rush help in Jason Pierre-Paul and Anthony Barr.
JC Tretter’s Football Career
Tretter has been a reliable offensive lineman in the NFL for nearly a decade, but before he played in the trenches, the veteran was actually primarily a skill player.
Coming out of high school in Akron, New York, Tretter enrolled at Cornell University to play for the Big Red. However, Tretter initially spent his first two seasons with the team as a tight end before moving to the offensive line, primarily played offensive tackle.
ALL the latest Seahawks news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Seahawks newsletter here!
That move ended up paying dividends for Tretter, who became a unanimous first team All-Ivy player by his senior year. He was also named a third-team FCS All-American by multiple outlets. Thanks to his strong play on the field along with good size and athleticism, Tretter was taken by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Injuries kept Tretter off of the field for the majority of his time in Green Bay. He only started 10 games for the Packers from 2013 through 2016, consistently coming on and off of the injured reserve list.
Tretter finally found consistency when he signed with the Browns in 2017. In five seasons with the Browns, Tretter started 80 of 81 possible regular season games. The 31-year-old also became the NFLPA president while playing in Cleveland, leading the player’s association starting in 2020, and being reelected for a second term in 2022.
Seahawks Invested Heavily in Offensive Line This Offseason
Even if the Seahawks don’t go after a player like Tretter, it’s clear that the front office and coaching staff made upgrading at offensive line a priority this offseason.
The Seahawks used their first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to take Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross with the ninth overall selection. Expectations are sky-high for Cross, who was recently named to NFL.com’s preseason All-Rookie Team, with analysts and fans expecting the rookie to start right away in Week 1.
Abraham Lucas was also taken in this year’s draft, with the former Washington State lineman going in the third round. Having been born and raised just north of Seattle in Everett, Lucas will have an opportunity to compete for the starting right tackle job.
Along with drafting a pair of offensive tackles, the Seahawks also signed center Austin Blythe in free agency. Blythe has been around the league since 2016, most recently with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021.
After adding offensive linemen like Gabe Jackson and Jake Curhan in 2021, the Seahawks made another strong push to bolster that unit for 2022. After years of struggling with protecting Russell Wilson, head coach Pete Carroll and his staff are hoping a new-look offensive line can help open up the offense in the post-Wilson era.