Luke Willson and Jacob Hollister
The Seahawks aren’t quite on the Bears pace of acquiring tight ends, but they went into the NFL draft with five on the roster and came away with seven, a number that almost certainly indicates a few cuts are coming down the pipeline.
Colby Parkinson and Stephen Sullivan are both non-traditional Seahawks tight ends, as both are capable of lining up out wide and neither are known for their run-blocking, the traits normally associated with tight ends on the Seahawks.
Seattle will head into 2020 with Will Dissly and Greg Olsen the presumed one and two in the tight end room, with Jacob Hollister, Luke Willson, Justin Johnson and the two newcomers competing for backup spots.
“We’re loading up, we’re loading up,” coach Carroll said after the draft. “We’re really excited. You’re going to hear me every time go right back to competition. It can’t be better than this one. The guys are different too. We have unique players…Let the games begin.”
The Seahawks won’t cut both of their new tight ends, but they likely won’t carry six on the roster, so even if Johnson gets cut the team will have to make some other decisions.
Willson is the most obvious cut candidate, thanks to his age and relative lack of production, but the two new guys are similar players to Hollister – making him a cut candidate as well.
It will truly be a full-on competition between this group, although age and injuries are concerns for Olsen and Dissly, which could force Seattle’s hand and allow the whole group to stay together as added depth.
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