It’s no secret the Seattle Seahawks hoarded tight ends this offseason, creating a logjam and likely necessitating some tough decisions when roster cuts come around in September.
Will Dissly and Greg Olsen are the presumed starters, assuming they are both healthy, which leaves veteran Luke Willson and a gaggle of young guys – Jacob Hollister, Colby Parkinson, Stephen Sullivan, Tyler Mabry and Dominick Wood-Anderson – competing for what will likely only be two spots on the active roster.
It sure seems like the Seahawks love what they have in their two draft picks, Parkinson and Sullivan, and on paper that definitely doesn’t bode well for Willson, a fan favorite thanks to his personality and the ever-popular Techno Thursday he reintroduced to the Seahawks locker room.
However, Willson has a skillset that is primarily absent from the team’s tight end group: run-blocking. While Dissly has proven himself capable, the two draft picks, as well as Hollister and Olsen, are all unwilling or unable to run-block very well in the NFL – and in Pete Carroll’s run-heavy offensive attack, that could be an issue.
The simple solution is to find a way to keep Willson on the roster in a capacity where he can serve as an extra blocker in running situations, while also getting used sporadically as a receiver and of course as a key contributor on the special teams.
While that skillset could certainly work as a fourth, or even a fifth tight end, it could also function as a fullback in Carroll’s offense.
Nick Bellore is the team’s current fullback, but if the Seahawks want to get creative they could cut Bellore, saving over a million in cap space, and allow Willson to work in that capacity.
Bellore saw just 29 snaps on offense last year, about three percent of the team’s total offensive possessions, but he appeared on nearly 60% of Seattle’s total snaps on the special teams, recording seven combined tackles and recovering a fumble while also hauling in two receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown.
It’s not hard to imagine Willson having a bigger offensive role than Bellore, or the role Tre Madden had in 2017 and 2018. While he may not be able to match Bellore’s experience on the special teams, Willson has racked up 868 career snaps as a special teamer, so he is by no means a newcomer to the role.
Plus, the offensive versatility Willson would bring to that role would give the Seahawks more options in fullback formations, and would force the defense to defend a little differently, knowing his abilities as a pass catcher.
Cutting Bellore seems like a real possibility, and although the team could attempt to use 2020 draft pick DeeJay Dallas at fullback, teaching Willson how to run routes and block out of that spot would open up space for him on the roster, while giving the team added offense and losing very little, if anything, on the special teams.
Plus, it’s one more year of Techno Thursday.
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