Do Seahawks Have The Weapons To Fight In NFC West 'Arms Race'?

The Seattle Seahawks know that they will have to face Myles Garrett twice a year from now on after the Los Angeles Rams engineered a blockbuster offseason trade for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

When the "arms race'' move was made, it shocked the NFL, with the Rams already going after Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson from Kansas City. We then add in Garrett, and the Rams' defense now looks formidable.

At the same time, we know that the Seahawks more than held their own in head-to-head work against the Rams, going 2-1, a record that included an all-important NFC Championship win.

However, with the Rams roster now boasting arguably the best defensive player in football, a Seattle question looms: Is this offensive line equipped to handle L.A.'s defense?

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ESPN's Brady Henderson thinks so.

"Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula presented enough challenges to Sam Darnold & Co. in 2025 without Garrett," Henderson wrote. "Seattle's offensive line is as equipped as it has been in recent memory to handle a dominant force such as Garrett.

"Assuming right guard Anthony Bradford holds off a challenge from rookie Beau Stephens, Seattle will have the same starting five as last season, with virtually every backup returning as well along with O-line coach John Benton. Continuity will give that unit a chance to go from good to very good in 2026.

The good thing for the Seahawks is that they have continuity at the position group that needs it most in this sport - the offensive line.

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All of the starting five from last year's Super Bowl win in Abe Lucas, Anthony Bradford, Jalen Sundell, Grey Zabel, and Charles Cross will be positioned in front of Darnold again.

It is well known how much of a bind the Rams' defense put Darnold in during the regular season, and Sam only truly showed a master of the L.A. defense in the aforementioned NFC Championship Game, going 25-of-36 for 346 yards and 3 TDs.

But ... 

Now that we add Garrett into the equation, this NFC West rivalry has gone to a whole new level. (And don't even get us started on what the Rams D-line will look like if Aaron Donald really comes out of retirement.)

One oddity here? Seahawks won't face the Rams until Week 16, so there is a lot of football to be played before they even have to worry about Garrett.

But when they meet, Seattle has to prioritize the protection of Darnold, because if he was in scramble mode last year without Myles hunting him, what will it be like in 2026 with Garrett leading the Rams' "arms race'' charge?