RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks are shopping center Patrick Lewis, a league source tells Pro Football Talk.
The report makes sense, given that the team is going with Justin Britt as the starting center. Britt has been one of the Seahawks' pleasant surprises this summer. He moved from right tackle his first season to left guard last year and is now at center. Britt performed well during training camp and in the preseason.
Lewis was a serviceable center last season. He started nine games and was in the lineup during the second half of the season when the offense took off, averaging 31.25 points per game. At the end of the year, Pete Carroll mentioned that replacing Drew Nowak with Lewis was one of the key changes that got the offense settled.
But for two years, the coaching staff has looked to replace him. Last year, they went with Nowak to start the season, and this season they moved Britt in to replace Lewis.
The Seahawks also drafted center Joey Hunt in the sixth round, and it looks like he'll be Britt's backup.
Lewis seems to be well-liked by teammates, has shown he can be a competent starter and is only 25 years old. He certainly has a place in the league. But teams in need of a center will have to decide whether it's worth offering up compensation for Lewis, given that the Seahawks seem likely to release him if they can't find a trade partner.
