demanding career choice Shaun Alexander Color Rush Jersey , and is most certainly a profession for the young. The Seattle Seahawks appear to be set to take that idea to..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteField Gullsa Seattle Seahawks communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsSeahawksOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections VideosCoffee and CigarettesGame AnalysisThe Numbers GameCigar ThoughtsFiled under:The OffseasonRoster NewsSeahawks likely to be extremely young at some positions in 2019New,17commentsPDTShareTweetShareShareSeahawks likely to be extremely young at some positions in 2019Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty ImagesIt is no secret that the NFL is an extremely physically demanding career choice, and is most certainly a profession for the young. The Seattle Seahawks appear to be set to take that idea to extremes at certain positions in 2019, however, with another season set to be marked by an continued influx of fresh, young faces. Gone are the years dominated by the core of the Legion of Boom, players who spent the better part of the soon to be ended decade, aiding in the transition from a team that went 4-12 in back-to-back seasons to a team that went to back-to-back Super Bowls. I looked at the youth of the Hawks defensive backfield last week, and how special teams ace Neiko Thorpe is the longest tenured member of that group, but what other positions are young and new to the Seahawks?For starters, the running back group is extremely young, even by NFL standards. With the departure of Mike Davis (26 years old) to the Chicago Bears, Tre Madden (25 years old) remaining unsigned as a free agent and J.D. McKissic (25 years old) being reassigned as a “return specialist”, there is not a single running back on the Hawks roster who is 25. That is set to change on Monday, when 2016 third round draft pick and longest tenured Seattle running back C.J. Prosise will celebrate his birthday, but for now every single back on the roster is 24 or younger. That includes Chris Carson (will turn 25 in September)Adam Choice (listed as 23 on Seahawks roster, with a birthday that is in late November or early December)Rashaad Penny (turned 23 in February)Bo Scarbrough (will turn 23 in September)Travis Homer (can’t even legally drink yet and will turn 21 the day before the Hawks’ first preseason game in August).Basically, long gone is the time when the Seahawks had someone, anyone Jarran Reed Color Rush Jersey , in the running back room was a highly experienced veteran who had been in the league for years. Even after the retirement of Marshawn Lynch following the 2015 season, the Hawks had running backs over 25 on the roster, including names like Christine Michael, Marcel Reece, C.J. Spiller and Eddie Lacy.Another position where they have traditionally been manned by established veterans, is along the defensive line. It was not that long ago that youngsters like Frank Clark were having trouble earning playing time behind the likes of Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, however that has most definitely changed. As of right now the longest tenured defensive lineman on the Seahawks is defensive tackle Jarran Reed, who is still on his rookie contract. On the outside of the defensive line, the defensive end who has been with the team the longest is Branden Jackson, who hasn’t even been with the team for two full seasons since being signed to the team’s practice squad in late September of 2017. In short, the 2019 version of Seattle’s roster is slated to be very young at some positions, and the camp battles for jobs come August should be highly intriguing. Now we simply have to wait through the slow summer doldrums of June and July until training camp arrives. RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Jordan Simmons was basically an unknown when the Seattle Seahawks claimed him off waivers from the Oakland Raiders on Sept. 2.He’d barely played in college at USC due to injuries. His NFL tape was limited. But Seattle offensive line coach Mike Solari saw tools he could work with. Solari saw strength and footwork that created a good foundation, and knew the rest could be taught and developed.Solari has done a lot of teaching this year and it’s paying off. After several seasons of Seattle’s offensive line being a major problem, it’s become a solid position group that is clearly not the weakness it’s been in the past. And the line’s overall performance is part of the reason Seattle’s on the cusp of a postseason berth heading into Sunday’s game at San Francisco.“It’s the whole unit working together as one,” Solari said. “They’re just getting better. It’s exciting how they are coming along and come together functioning as one.”At times in previous seasons, Seattle couldn’t run the ball effectively. Other times, the Seahawks couldn’t adequately protect Russell Wilson. Too often it was a case of both happening in the same game.That has changed. Seattle is the No. 1 running team in the NFL. The Seahawks have the most carries and are the only team to reach the 2,000-yard mark — exactly — after 13 games. They’ve also done an adequate job of protecting Wilson outside of the first two weeks Nick Vannett Color Rush Jersey , when he was sacked six times each by Denver and Chicago. Since the start of Week 3, Seattle has allowed just 27 sacks, tied for 13th best in the NFL. And while that’s not an astounding number, consider that during the same stretch Wilson has the second-highest passer rating of any quarterback in the league.“They all can play and carry their own,” coach Pete Carroll said. “They’re smart, they know what’s going on and it’s a credit to the job that Mike (Solari) has done with these guys but it’s a very positive outlook for this group for the coming years, too.”Simmons is a small part of Seattle’s success, but he speaks to the improvement of the entire unit. The two times Simmons has been thrust into starting this season — Week 10 against the Los Angeles Rams and last week against Minnesota — there was no fall off in the performance of the offensive line. It may just be coincidence but those two games Simmons has played were the two best running games by the Seahawks all season.The improvement in the run game has really highlighted how much better Seattle has been along the offensive line. The additions of D.J. Fluker and J.R. Sweezy at the guard positions and a much better season by right tackle Germain Ifedi has led to the massive jump.A year ago, Seattle ranked 23rd in the league, averaging 101.8 yards per game. A huge chunk of those yards came from Wilson’s legs. This season, Seattle is averaging 153.8 yards per game. And in the two games Fluker missed due to injury and Simmons started, Seattle ran for 273 yards against the Rams and 214 against the Vikings.“I think it’s good I can come up and not miss a heartbeat from what we’ve been doing,” Simmons said. “But that goes to the four other guys on the line, not just me. I think with all of us being able to do the run game and get numbers like that is pretty big.”Solari has gotten the bulk of the credit for improving a unit that had stagnated under previous offensive line coach Tom Cable.But there’s been a stronger commitment to staying with the run by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, better options at running back with Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny and Mike Davis, and some creative ideas about how to make a run-first offense function. A perfect example has been the use of tackle George Fant reporting eligible as a tight end for several games and getting another big body on the line — and last week catching his first pass.“It’s a group that’s worked so hard on and off the field. They do a great job in the classroom. They do a great job in being accountable to each other and they take pride in their work,” Solari said. “It doesn’t matter who is in there. They’re working as one and it’s a credit to them.”