Training camp is underway for the Seattle Seahawks, meaning the football-like substance known as the preseason is just around the corner. It’s time for fans to get excited about their favorite players, hopeful for the upcoming season and begin to dream of hoisting a Lombardi in February.
However, there’s a lot of football to be played between now and the Super Bowl, including the first day of training camp for the Seahawks Wednesday, which means it’s camp reporting season and getting excited and worked up over the smallest of details. Such as wrist protectors.
In that picture, offensive lineman Jalen Sundell is seen wearing velcro strap wrist protectors in lieu of the traditional wrist taping like first round pick Grey Zabel standing next to him. This is far from an earth shattering development, but it brings the conversation around to something that may be worth watching during training camp, which is which offensive linemen opt for the velcro wrist protectors rather than traditional tape.
To help explain the relevance, here is a picture of Olu Oluwatimi from late in the 2024 season.
Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images
And here he is during the 2023 season.
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Digging back to the Senior Bowl in early 2023, Oluwatimi is once again sporting the velcro protector on his snapping hand side.
Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Just like he did at Michigan in 2022.
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
And as a member of the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2021 season.
Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
However, Oluwatimi did not wear one in 2020.
Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images
Nor did he wear one during the 2019 season.
Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images
So, Oluwatimi, who took over as the starting center for Virginia in 2019 and has been at the position for the Cavs, Wolverines and Seahawks in the years since, has worn a velcro wrist protector at least as far back as his redshirt sophomore season in 2021. That, in and of itself, is not remarkable.
Where it becomes noteworthy, though, is watching which other members of the Seattle offensive line have begun wearing the wrist protector as opposed to simply taping their wrist. Specifically, bringing the discussion back to the center position and the picture of Sundell and Zabel from above, here is Sundell in college with both wrists taped.
Photo by Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In contrast, here is Sundell during the 2021 preseason for the Seahawks.
Photo by Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images
And on the field during his lone start as a rookie during the regular season.
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Now, a player wearing protective wrist straps during the 2024 season and then wearing them during training camp in 2025 is certainly not groundbreaking. It’s worth taking note of, given the arrival of a new coaching staff for the position group, but it’s not anything to get overly worked up about.
However, it does raise an interesting question: If both of the top two centers on the roster are wearing the same style, or at least similar, wrist protectors, then it is at least worth investigating if any other members of the roster are wearing the same. Coming back to the same picture of Zabel and Sundell from the top of the post, it’s a negative on Zabel.
Abe Lucas has worn the protectors since at least his rookie season after not wearing them in college, but for most of the rest of the offensive line they were nowhere to be seen on the first day of training camp.
Photo by Christopher Mast/Getty Images
From the photos taken during the Wednesday practice that the Seahawks published on their website, here’s a rundown of the offensive linemen pictured and whether they were wearing wrist protectors.
Bryce Cabeldue: No
Mason Richman: No
Charles Cross: No
Oluwatimi: Yes
Sundell: Yes
Lucas: Yes
Christian Haynes: No
Michael Jerrell: No
Sataoa Laumea: No
This is obviously far from scientific and small sample caveats and all that, but it would seem that those who play center are more likely to opt for the protector rather than tape.
What is very interesting, though, and may be worth keeping an eye on through training camp is Christian Haynes. As noted above, he was not wearing the wrist protector during Seahawks practice Wednesday, but the Seahawks did publish a picture of Haynes getting reps at center with what appears to be the second team offense (Picture 134/166, for those who don’t have the patience to sift through all the photos).
This is in contrast to at least one practice during the offseason program, where Haynes was pictured wearing the wrist protector on his snapping hand while taking reps at center.
What does it mean for the competition up front? At this point, absolutely nothing because fans will simply interpret it however they please.
For the time being, it’s just one of the little things to add to the list of details to watch in the coming weeks during camp. Maybe it’s nothing, or maybe it proves to be one of those little details that sheds light on the state of the competition at the spots on the interior of the offensive line as time passes.
Right now, all it is is something worth filing away in the back of the mind.