Former Seattle Seahawks starting offensive tackle Stone Forsythe has found his next NFL opportunity. Ironically, it will come with former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
The Las Vegas Raiders announced Wednesday they signed Forsythe to their active roster. The New York Giants parted ways with Forsythe a day prior, before the NFL’s roster deadline at 4 pm ET Tuesday.
Forsythe began his career with the Seahawks when Carroll was the team’s head coach. Seattle drafted the offensive tackle at No. 208 overall in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Over four seasons with the Seahawks, Forsythe dressed for 53 contests, starting 14 of them. He started a career-high eight games for the team in 2023.
Along with Forsythe, the Raiders claimed linebacker Brennan Jackson on waivers Wednesday. To make roster space for those two players, Las Vegas waived offensive tackle Thayer Munford Jr. and placed quarterback Aidan O’Connell on injured reserve.
Seahawks Former 6th-Round Pick Stone Forsythe Signs With Raiders
If Forsythe could pass block on every single rep, he might be a Pro Bowl candidate. According to the Pro Football Focus player grades throughout his career, Forsythe has usually been a well above average pass protector.
That was also his reputation coming out of Florida in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“Tale of two tapes with pass protection that is often starter-caliber on the NFL level while the run tape leaves a lot to be desired,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote. “He’s a skyscraper, so getting his pad level to an optimal level will always be a challenge, but he has a tendency to lurch forward, allowing defenders to pull him off-balance as a run blocker.
“The name of the game is pass protection and Forsythe’s talent in that area should make him an NFL starter early on.”
While Zierlein highlights Forsythe’s deficiencies as a run blocker, he seemed to underestimate how much it could hold back the tackle. Instead of being a potential late Day 2 selection (Zierlein projected him as a 3rd or 4th-rounder), Forsythe landed with the Seahawks in the sixth.
He dressed for 10 games as a rookie but didn’t start any games.
Instead of starting immediately, Forsythe was more of a developmental project — one that never panned out. He started five games for the Seahawks last season because of multiple injuries at offensive tackle.
Raiders Adding Forsythe as Offensive Tackle Depth
It might be a stretch to say Carroll still sees Forsythe as a project that could develop into a starter. But clearly, the Raiders see him as a quality depth lineman.
Las Vegas has Forsythe listed simply as an offensive lineman on its roster. Officially, the Raiders only have three tackles on their roster, though, so Forsythe could be one of two backup tackles for Las Vegas when the season opens on September 7.
Forsythe played multiple line positions for the Florida Gators in college. Therefore, he could be suited for a versatile role in Las Vegas. Forsythe started his college career at right tackle. He then moved to guard before becoming a starter at left tackle.
In addition to his 14 NFL starts, Forsythe started 28 games at Florida.
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