The Seattle Seahawks and the 12th Man were shocked by some major news this week. Starting center Connor Williams, who was signed in early August and had played in all nine games this year, announced his retirement on Friday. The reasons have not been made clear as of right now, but it was for personal reasons. Of course, we at Seahawks Wire wish him the best as he begins this new chapter in his life after football.
But time stops for no man in the NFL, and the Seahawks must move forward. And they will do so with second-year center Olu Oluwatimi to anchor the interior of this offensive line. Originally a fifth round pick in the 2023 NFL draft out of Michigan, Oluwatimi has not seen much of any action this year. Now he is thrust into a starting role. Next man up, I suppose.
With his limited play time this year, we need to take a look back at how he performed as a rookie. During his debut season, Oluwatimi actually played rather well… again, with limited reps.
Olu Oluwatimi as a rookie in 2023:
🔹 75.5 pass-blocking grade
🔹 68 pass-blocking snaps
🔹 1 pressure allowedThe Seahawks’ new starting center pic.twitter.com/NSpQFRnwgl
— PFF SEA Seahawks (@PFF_Seahawks) November 15, 2024
Oluwatimi started only one game last year, which was a 20-10 home win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Of course, given how pathetic the Seahawks offensive line has played, there are surely those who might be wondering “if Oluwatimi was so good, why wasn’t he starting in the first place? Why else would Seattle sign Connor Williams?” While these questions are fair, it is also understandable why the Seahawks would want to sign Williams – who had been one of the best centers in all of football the last few years. Regardless of how well Oluwatimi may or could be, Williams was (theoretically) an upgrade over just about anyone else in the league.
Additionally, given Oluwatimi’s lack of experience, it made sense for a new coaching staff to perhaps want him to develop more behind an established veteran. As for the charge of “why couldn’t he beat out Williams?” it is important to remember how Williams was playing well, up until the last two games the Seahawks competed in.
Whatever the reason may be for Oluwatimi not starting, we’ll get to see how he fares on Sunday… for better or worse.
