Seahawks recommitted to running defenses over, but still need offensive line help

The Seattle Seahawks love to run through defenses. The fact that the team didn’t choose to run through the New England Patriots defense a couple years ago in Super Bowl XLIX is something that still haunts the franchise.

Following the retirement of Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks were less effective at bulldozing through opposing defensive lines, but Seattle took a step toward rectifying that by signing Eddie Lacy to a one-year deal Tuesday.

Lacy, 26, was listed at 234 pounds during the 2016 season, but that’s probably underselling it. The reality is that he’s a lot closer to a 260-pound, China-food-eating bowling ball of a running back.

He has struggled to stay healthy, keep his weight in check, and even dealt with depression as a rookie. But when he’s firing on all cylinders, Lacy is a downhill runner who’s a nightmare to try to bring down.

It’s just what the Seahawks are looking for after struggling to replace the production of Thomas Rawls when the second-year running back was injured.

But there’s one problem with Seattle’s bulldozing approach. And it’s the same one that kept the team from being a contender in 2016.

The Seahawks had an extraordinarily cheap and inexperienced offensive line during the 2016 season. The team’s offense was essentially a Lamborghini with no engine and finished No. 18 in points scored only because Russell Wilson is an expert at running for his life.

There’s still time for Seattle to rectify this problem, but options are already running thin. The Seahawks signed Luke Joeckel to a one-year deal, but missed out on T.J. Lang and other top offensive linemen who signed blockbuster deals elsewhere. There aren’t many alternatives outside of more discount shopping, which hasn’t been a winning solution for the Seahawks’ offensive line troubles.

Offensive line will likely be a priority for the Seahawks in the 2017 NFL draft, but the team’s first pick isn’t until the 26th overall selection and the crop of linemen in the class haven’t inspired much confidence that they’ll provide an instant fix.

Lacy is another commitment by the Seahawks to be a powerful, downhill offense, but until Seattle addresses its obvious issues up front, the team still lacks the horsepower to have a real identity.