Tag: 710 ESPN Seattle

Jim Nagy compares tight end Stephen Sullivan to Darren Waller

The Seattle Seahawks traded back into the draft to acquire Stephen Sullivan, who former scout Jim Nagy compared to Oakland’s Darren Waller.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider wasn’t confident LSU tight end Stephen Sullivan would end up in Seattle as an undrafted free agent, so he gave up a sixth round pick in the 2021 NFL draft to make sure he got his guy.

It’s not hard to see the appeal, as Sullivan stands six-foot-five and weighs about 250 pounds, with a 4.66 time in the 40-yard dash and above average length. It’s clear Seattle envisions him as a red zone threat, and his ability to line up out wide could be a huge factor for this offense.

In fact, Sullivan was initially listed as a wide receiver by the Seahawks, but coach Pete Carroll indicated he will compete at tight end – a spot that is heavily occupied by Will Dissly, Greg Olsen, Luke Willson, Jacob Hollister and fellow draft pick Colby Parkinson.

“I’m all good for it,” Sullivan said on 710 ESPN’s Danny and Gallant Show. “I have no problem playing tight end. I have no problem playing any position that helps the team at all. I’m ready to learn under (quarterback Russell Wilson), I’m ready to learn under all those guys on offense. I’m ready to pick their brains. I’m excited about it and I have no problem putting my hand in the ground and getting dirty, so I’m ready for those mismatches and I’m just ready to get after it.”

As a big tight end with plus speed and a large catch radius, Sullivan has drawn some extremely favorable comparisons, even though he joined the team as such a late pick. In fact, Jim Nagy, a former Seahawks scout who now runs the Senior Bowl, went on 710 ESPN and compared Sullivan to Raiders tight end Darren Waller.

“They got a chance of really hitting on Stephen Sullivan,” Nagy told 710’s Tom, Jake and Stacy recently. “Going back to player comps, the first time I watched him he reminded me of (Raiders tight end) Darren Waller … For 6-5, he’s a really fluid, easy moving guy. Huge catch radius, long arms, can go up and get it.”

Waller hauled in 90 receptions for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns last season, and while Sullivan won’t reach those totals in year one, there’s plenty of reason for Seattle to be optimistic about the big-bodied tight end from LSU – even if the position group looks a bit overcrowded at the moment.

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John Schneider considered Jordyn Brooks to be best fit among linebackers

Seahawks general manager John Schneider considered Jordyn Brooks to be the best fit for the team among linebackers in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Seattle Seahawks selected Texas Tech linebacker Jordyn Brooks with the No. 27 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, and that move came as a bit of a surprise to some. General manager John Schneider joined 710 ESPN Seattle and explained the process of drafting Brooks.

“We had a pretty strong feeling that the three linebackers might be of the group (of) the position that may fall and the receivers all started flying off, which we all thought may happen as it was a very strong receiver class at the top,” Schneider said.

The linebackers Schneider mentioned were Kenneth Murray, Patrick Queen, and Brooks. He said he perceived the latter to be the best fit for the Seahawks defense, and his colleagues seemed to agree.

“It was a decision of if one of those linebackers is still there, we’re not going to back out and with Jordyn, everybody had so much conviction,” Schneider said. “There were three linebackers there and all three are incredible players. Jordyn was the guy that fit us best and we had the most buy-in from everybody, so we were extremely excited to get him.”

Schneider was also impressed by Brooks’ speed and resilience, as evidenced by his 40-yard dash time and his preparation for the draft in spite of a lingering injury.

“He ran 4.46 at the combine after working out for like a week (due to a shoulder injury) to get ready for it, so we were really excited about him,” Schneider said.

Time will tell if Brooks will pan out, but it looks like the Seahawks have a very promising prospect on their hands, especially considering the news starting linebacker K.J. Wright is currently battling from offseason shoulder surgery.

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Should Seahawks use NFL draft to add more weapons for Russell Wilson?

Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Jake Heaps stated that the team must take advantage of Russell Wilson’s prime while they still can.

Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback and current 710 ESPN Seattle radio host, Jake Heaps, recently discussed how the team must take full advantage of Russell Wilson’s prime while they still can.

“What that means to me is Russell Wilson is in the prime of his career,” Heaps said. “He’s playing some of his best football right now and this is an opportunity to continue to surround one of the best quarterbacks, one of the best players in the NFL with premier talent and I think they have the opportunity to do that.”

Heaps believes the Seahawks should surround Wilson with as many offensive weapons as possible and that they could use an early pick on a running back or wide receiver.

“So don’t be surprised, Seahawks fans, if you see the Seahawks draft a receiver and a running back in the first four picks,” Heaps said. “If two of those first four (picks) are a running back and receiver, I think there’s a tremendous amount of opportunity (because) one, there’s a need at running back.”

Seattle is already fairly stacked offensively with Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny at running back and Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf at wide receiver. If they can all stay healthy, which is a tall task in the NFL, the Seahawks have the potential to field one of the best offenses in the league in 2020.

“It will be interesting to see what will happen, but they have to start planning for the future,” Heaps said.

The virtual 2020 NFL Draft will start on April 23 and end on April 25.

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Brandon Shell could be starting right tackle for Seahawks in 2020

Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Brock Huard joined 710 ESPN Seattle to say that Brandon Shell could be the team’s starting right tackle.

Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Brock Huard recently joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny and Gallant and stated his belief new team acquisition Brandon Shell will have the biggest impact of all new additions to the team’s offensive line.

“I think Shell is going to get first crack at that right tackle spot,” Huard said. “I think he’s a guy who likes to be physical and get his hands on people and drive people and he fits and they paid him accordingly. They paid him the most of any of those guys.”

Huard said the other offensive line signings in Chance Warmack, B.J. Finney, and Cedric Obghuehi will have less defined roles, while Shell could already be viewed at the starting right tackle slot because of his experience there.

“I would think he’s the first one to really project as your right tackle who’s started as a right tackle in this league and I think you’re really hoping he ascends into that role,” Huard said. “I think the rest, you’re trying to find a role.”

The Seahawks will need someone to step up at right tackle following the departure of Germain Ifedi in free agency. That player could very well be Shell, who is 28 years old and signed a two-year, $11 million contract with Seattle this offseason.

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Ugo Amadi committed to playing more aggressively in the 2020 season

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Ugo Amadi recently told 710 ESPN Seattle that he is committed to playing more aggressively for the 2020 season.

Entering his sophomore campaign, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Ugo Amadi is committed to making fewer mistakes and playing more aggressively than he did in his rookie year.

“I feel like, especially on defense, the opportunity I got on the field, I feel like I never wanted to make a mistake,” Amadi told 710 ESPN Seattle.

Amadi stated he believes he will be able to react to plays faster than in his rookie year now that he recognizes his previous miscues.

“Now that I’ve made a mistake, I can play a lot faster now,” Amadi said. “I feel like I was playing timid and when I’d see things, I wouldn’t go right away like I did in college. But I feel like with a year under my belt, I’m going to be able to react instead of thinking and then reacting. I was just trying to play everything safe and I feel like next year I’m going to be a lot more confident to be more aggressive, especially on defense.”

Amadi went on to say that he loves playing for Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, partially because he was a fan of USC football when Carroll coached there.

“To be honest with you, I love every bit of (playing for Carroll),” he said. “Every moment we have, everything. Getting drafted there, I was always a big USC fan, especially when Pete Carroll was there and when I got the opportunity to be coached by him, I embrace every moment I have with him.”

Amadi will have his opportunities in 2020 if the season does not get canceled by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

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Michael Bumpus: The longer Clowney is unemployed, the better for Seattle

Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Michael Bumpus stated that the longer Jadeveon Clowney is a free agent, the better for Seattle.

Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Michael Bumpus joined 710 ESPN Seattle and weighed in on defensive end Jadeveon Clowney’s ongoing status as a free agent.

Bumpus believes the longer Clowney retains his unemployment status, the better it is for the Seahawks.

“I think it’s more circumstantial due to the virus,” Bumpus said, referring to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “He’s not able to go and take physicals and look guys in the eye and convey that he’s back and ready to go. And honestly, the longer this thing plays out, the better it is for the Seattle Seahawks.”

Bumpus stated Clowney could stay with Seattle because of his recent familiarity with the team and the Seahawks’ knowledge of him as a player.

“They know his ins, his outs, his injuries, what his timelines are like,” Bumpus said. “They know him the best, so I think they’re going to give him at least a fair offer. He might not like the offer – I never thought the Seahawks would give him the offer that he wanted – but I thought they would give him a fair offer. And I think he’s probably seeing that that’s the best that he’s going to get without being to get in front of teams, so the longer that he’s not able to go and talk to these teams and see them face to face, the more it calms me down, honestly.”

Clowney was rated the top free agent in the NFL in the 2020 class by numerous media outlets, but he has not seen a team offer him a contract that pays him north of $20 million per year, which is reportedly his desired salary. Seattle may have the highest chance of signing Clowney following his tenure of unemployment.

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Michael Silver: Jadeveon Clowney would love to stay in Seattle

NFL.com’s Michael Silver recently joined 710 ESPN Seattle and stated that Jadeveon Clowney would love to stay with the Seahawks in 2020.

Star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney has still not found a team for the 2020 season. NFL.com’s Michael Silver joined 710 ESPN Seattle recently and stated Clowney would love to return to the Emerald City.

Silver said Clowney particularly admires the team culture and how being in Seattle has been a learning experience for him.

“I did have a long talk with him after that game with the Vikings last year,” Silver said. “He told me how much he loves the culture and how much he loves being in Seattle and how he thinks it taught him how to be a professional in a way that he hadn’t been previously. So I believe, all things being equal, that he would love to stay with the Seahawks, so it’ll be interesting to see, given their cap situation, given his financial parameters, if that can work out again.”

Clowney’s demands for a contract that pays him north of $20 million have not been met by any team so far, leading to speculation that he might sign a one-year deal with a team to boost his value so he can make more money the following season.

Silver went on to say Clowney’s financial wishes would probably be granted if he could consistently stay healthy.

“If you got that guy for 16 games healthy, I think he’d easily be getting $20 million a year,” Silver said.

“I think anyone with health stuff, right now, is in a worse situation than he normally would be,” Silver said. “Anyone who you’d say, ‘I’d love to have our doctors examine him before I know how we value this’ is in a spot … It is true that if you are Jadeveon Clowney, you’re wishing it was 2019 or, hopefully, 2021 if all goes well, but 2020 is a tricky year for that.”

Clowney will likely not receive what he is seeking, but the Seahawks will still be hard-pressed to re-sign him with their cap situation, especially if another team offers him more money. However, there is still a chance.

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After week of free agency, Seahawks still need nickel corner

Former Seattle Seahawks receiver Michael Bumpus joined 710 ESPN Seattle and believes the team still needs to address the nickel position.

Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Michael Bumpus recently joined 710 ESPN Seattle to discuss the team’s strategies in free agency thus far.

“Honestly, I love what they’ve done so far,” Bumpus said. “They signed (Jarran) Reed on that line, they got Bruce Irvin who can also play linebacker, got a couple guys on the offensive line. They have addressed the two spots where they’re kind of shaky.”

However, he opined that the team needs to find a viable option at nickel cornerback to improve their defense.

“Now it’s the same old story – they need to find a nickel,” he said.

Ugo Amadi has been seen as a promising option in that regard, but he is not the clear-cut starter just yet. The 2019 Seahawks defense had multiple issues with mismatches that were often exploited by opposing offenses.

“They need to get themselves out of those mismatches,” Bumpus said. “They need to stop asking an outside linebacker to cover a slot receiver. Those are the situations that got them in trouble and exploited that defense.”

However, Bumpus feels that this free agency period has been solid for the Seahawks overall, with the team addressing just about every position of need despite the lack of a decision on Jadeveon Clowney at the moment.

“They’ve done a great job addressing other parts of this football team,” Bumpus said. “I feel like every other position is pretty solid … The corners, you can bring in someone to push those guys, push Tre Flowers, but you need to have that third corner that’s going to come off the bench and lock down a slot receiver and get out of those mismatch situations.

“If they can do that and stay healthy, I think they can make another run.”

The Seahawks will soon turn their attention to the 2020 NFL draft, which will be closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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TE Greg Olsen reveals why he had interest in joining Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks tight end Greg Olsen revealed in an interview with 710 ESPN Seattle why he wanted to suit up in the blue and green.

Tight end Greg Olsen recently joined 710 ESPN Seattle to discuss why joining the Seattle Seahawks was the best choice for his NFL career at 35 years old.

“Obviously the football part was a no-brainer, we were looking for the perfect opportunity and we weren’t looking to force anything,” Olsen said. “Between the fan base and the city and obviously the sustained success they’ve had on the field and then you factor in the coach and the quarterback and there’s not a whole lot that they’re missing and that was really appealing to me.”

Olsen drew comparisons between Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Panthers signal-caller Cam Newton, the latter of whom he played with for the past nine seasons. The idea of playing with Wilson excited the veteran tight end, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter backed this up.

“I’ve been real fortunate the last nine years to play with someone like Cam and now to be able to transition to somebody like Russ is a really unique opportunity,” Olsen said. “They share a lot of similar characteristics. Obviously Russ, his mobility and movement and his ability to keep plays alive, no play is ever dead. He’s a rare and special talent, as was Cam.”

Olsen stated that he wanted to be with a team that would provide him with the perfect situation, and the Seahawks were the best choice.

“All along, we set out and I said it’s going to take the perfect situation and what that was at the time is kind of hard to predict,” Olsen said. “I had a handful of boxes in my head I wanted to be checked and I didn’t know if that situation I had in my mind existed . . .  I asked every question you could come up with and the Seattle situation from top to bottom just checked every box for me.”

The Seahawks offense has been prolific under Wilson in recent years. Olsen particularly emphasized that he wanted to be involved in this system.

“I’m excited to get into that offense and show them what I’ve done, but also, I’ve told them, I’m really open-minded to learning what they’ve done,” he said. “I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I’m eager to go in there and learn new things and learn the way they want to operate as an offense and kind of mold my game into what fits for them and I’m excited for that process to start.”

Seahawks fans will anticipate Olsen suiting up in the blue and green until the 2020 season starts in September.

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Could Ugo Amadi be starter at nickel corner this upcoming season?

Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Jake Heaps recently stated on 710 ESPN Seattle that the team could have Ugo Amadi as a nickel starter.

Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Jake Heaps recently stated on 710 ESPN Seattle that the team should have Ugo Amadi in mind as the starting nickel corner.

“I don’t know if you can say confidently that he is the outright, penned in nickel corner starter, but for me, I think they should be going into this year thinking that way,” Heaps said. “Ugo Amadi, when he stepped in and they actually gave him a chance … late in the season, and Pete Carroll even said they should have gotten him out there (sooner).”

Heaps praised Amadi’s ability to make substantial contributions in the form of big plays on the field.

“This guy is a playmaker,” Heaps said. “When you watch his film or his tape from college, he’s a playmaker and I think that’s what Ugo Amadi brings to the table is if you actually roll him out there, and let him play 70% of the snaps during the season, he’s going to be better, he’s going to make plays for you and he’s a guy that is reliable.”

However, Heaps went on to state that Amadi’s run defense is questionable and is the reason why he is not the clear-cut starter at nickel yet.

“You’ve got to remember, you’re taking Mychal Kendricks out, a player like him or Cody Barton, and you’re putting Ugo Amadi in there, and typically, their nickel corners have been excellent run defenders,” Heaps said. “That’s the one question that you just don’t know because he hasn’t played enough snaps to have a full answer (for) that and unfortunately, I think that’s been a mistake for them, is that they don’t have a clear-cut answer as to ‘is Ugo Amadi our penned-in starter.’ If not, I think he has everything it takes to be that guy and be their next great nickel corner in the future.”

Amadi’s rookie year certainly looked promising. We will see if he gets more playing time in the future.

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