Tag: Noah Fant

Seahawks TE Noah Fant describes what it is like to face Macdonald’s defense

Seahawks TE Noah Fant describes what it is like to face Macdonald’s defense

Last season, the Seattle Seahawks marched into Baltimore on a wave of confidence, and limped out humbled by a devastating 37-3 blowout loss. Seattle’s offense, although inconsistent at times, clearly had the capability to be one of the league’s more high flying units.

Against the Ravens, they were grounded to a degree we are not used to seeing from the Seahawks. What was the issue? Namely, Baltimore’s defense, led by current Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald.

Macdonald’s units stymied plenty of offenses the last two years, and Seattle was no exception. Now, the Seahawks offense has to face what Macdonald has cooking literally every single day. Tight end Noah Fant recently took to the media to explain what it is like facing Macdonald’s unit.

What stands out the most to me is when Fant mentioned how the offense might be a little more relaxed when facing other teams, because they might not be seeing as much pressure. This leads me to believe the Seahawks defense is going to be a lot more aggressive when it comes to blitzing and generating pressure than we have seen them in recent years.

To that I say, good. Seattle’s pass rush was solid, but inconsistent last year. They had moments where they looked like world beaters, and other times they were non-existent. In today’s NFL, you need to be able to not just get after the quarterback, but make him constantly uncomfortable on every single last dropback.

If the Seahawks defense can manage to replicate some of the success defensively that the Ravens have had, this team is going to be a lot harder to score on this year than the previous handful of seasons.

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Noah Fant near the bottom of PFF’s top-32 tight end rankings for 2024

Today we have some fresh outrage for the 12th people, again courtesy of PFF.

The Seattle Seahawks are either going to surprise a whole lot of people in 2024, or the average national analyst will be proven right and they’ll be lucky to win eight games. All offseason it seems that Seattle and Mike Macdonald’s new coaching staff have been getting underrated in practically every ranking to be found around the web.

No one seems more bearish about these Seahawks than Pro Football Focus, though. For just one example, whereas they see the 49ers wide receivers as the best in the league, Seattle only came in at No. 10 on their list. They also ranked DK Metcalf only No. 24 in the league at his position and Geno Smith at No. 18 among quarterbacks.

Today we have some fresh outrage for the 12th people, again courtesy of PFF. It seems they are also down on tight end Noah Fant, who they have ranked No. 27 out of their top 32 tight ends in the league this season.

“Fant was held out of the end zone for the first time in his career in 2023. He also saw a career low in yards (414) and receiving grade (64.2).”

2023 was a down year for Fant, but the Seahawks wouldn’t have given him a significant raise if he wasn’t a major part of their plans going forward. Seattle is paying him like a top-10 tight end and they should expect top-10 results. Don’t be surprised if Fant has a career year working under offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and by Week 5 we expect this ranking to look pretty silly.

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Here’s how the NFL’s top 33 tight ends rank by their annual salary, according to figures at Over the Cap.

The Seahawks turned over their tight end room this offseason everywhere but at the very top. After allowing Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson to leave in free agency, Seattle re-signed Noah Fant to a two-year deal that makes him one of the 10 highest-paid tight ends in the NFL right now. They also signed former Patriots tight end Pharaoh Brown and drafted AJ Barner out of Michigan.

Up until now we had been ranking the top 32 highest-paid players at each position, but in this case we’ve added another spot so we could include Pharaoh Brown. Let’s get to the list. Here’s how the top 33 tight ends rank by their annual salary, according to figures at Over the Cap.

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Seahawks tight end Noah Fant comments on Caitlin Clark cheap shots

Seahawks tight end Noah Fant wants to see those teammates step up and adopt an eye for an eye mentality to protect Clark.

The NFL may be king of the sports world, but right now the biggest story is Caitlin Clark and the rough treatment she’s been getting as a rookie in the WNBA. Picked No. 1 overall out of Iowa, Clark has brought unprecedented attention to the league and women’s basketball in general.

Not everyone is on the Caitlin Clark hype train, though – especially her competitors around the league. This cheap shot from Chennedy Jackson that’s gone viral is an example of what she’s been dealing with.

If you were to hit a quarterback like that after the whistle, you can bet a couple of offensive linemen will be in your face pushing back in a matter of seconds. So far none of Clark’s teammates have retaliated against players who have gone out of their way to body her, though.

Seahawks tight end Noah Fant wants to see those teammates step up and adopt an eye for an eye mentality to protect Clark.

Fant has the right idea. Until the Indiana Fever collectively send a message that cheap shots against Clark will be responded to in kind, this is likely to continue.

The treatment of Clark brings to mind how the NBA reacted to Michael Jordan and his arrival on the scene in 1984. For his first few years in the league the Pistons, Celtics and other eastern conference rivals made a habit of beating the hell out of him every time he drove to the basket – and the league’s stars froze him out socially at the All-Star game, as well. Jordan eventually earned their respect the only way you can – by beating them. While her teammates should protect her no matter what, eventually Clark will have to do the same.

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The Seattle Seahawks only had two players make the top 100 in the fantasy rankings this year for Field Yates at ESPN.

The Seattle Seahawks only had two players make the top 100 in the fantasy rankings this year for Field Yates at ESPN.

Wide receiver DK Metcalf came in at No. 34 on Yates’ list. He finished the 2023 season with 66 catches, over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns despite having to split targets with Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Moving forward, Metcalf should remain one of the most reliable fantasy producers, if not one of the most prolific. He has never posted less than 900 yards or six touchdowns in a single season.

The other Seahawk who made the cut was running back Ken Walker, who came in at No. 41 on Yates’ list. In his second year in the league Walker racked up 905 rushing yards on 219 carries and scored eight touchdowns. He added another 29 catches, 259 yards and a score as a receiver. Walker still looks to be pretty far ahead of Zach Charbonnet, so expect those kind of touches to continue.

We may see other Seahawks deserving of this list when the season arrives, but it’s hard to see with so many mouths to feed. Lockett, JSN and tight end Noah Fant are all fully capable of posting 1,000 receiving yards – but none of them are likely to get enough targets to get there. Geno Smith has been an excellent In Real Life passer but his fantasy numbers the last two years have been underwhelming, so don’t expect to see him on this list at any point in the near future.

On the other hand, there is a rather big unknown here in new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who might just be able to fit all the pieces together and have Seattle’s offense firing on all cylinders. Grubb was arguably the best playcaller in college football over the last couple of seasons and he did it running a pro-style offense.

That bodes well for Grubb and the fantasy outlook for some key Seahawks players, but there’s another factor that’s likely to work against him in a bad way. At Washington Grubb had perhaps the best offensive line in the nation, whereas at this level he’ll have one of the worst compared to the competition.

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It might be more accurate to give the top three spots to Travis Kelce, and the next two to George Kittle.

It’s only the second week of May but we are already in full swing with rankings season here at Seahawks Wire. So far we have shared post-draft power rankings for all 32 teams, the top 50 quarterbacks, the top 32 running backs and the top 64 wide receivers. Today it’s the tight ends’ turn. Whereas with each position ranking before there are close No. 2 contenders, this one has two giants who stand head, shoulders, torso and thighs over the rest of the competition at this spot.

Instead of going with the usual 1, 2, 3 format with different players at each slot, it might be more accurate to give the top three spots to Travis Kelce, and the next two to George Kittle. We wouldn’t want to rob other tight ends of a spot further down the list, though. Let’s get to the rankings.

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AJ Barner open to whatever role the Seahawks have for him

The one offensive pick that wasn’t necessarily exclusively a lineman was Michigan tight end AJ Barner.

The Seattle Seahawks spent most of their draft bolstering the trenches on both sides of the ball. Many of their picks were offensive and defensive linemen. However, the one offensive pick that wasn’t necessarily exclusively a lineman was Michigan tight end AJ Barner.

Barner, who recently turned 22 on Friday, was selected in the fourth round with the 121st overall pick. Initially, this seemed to be filling out tight end depth behind Noah Fant, specifically to help as a blocking tight end. But there are those who believe he has untapped potential as a receiving threat.

Whatever the Seahawks have in store for the former Wolverine, he is up for the task, and said as much recently to the media.

Head coach Mike Macdonald has made it perfectly clear he is looking for a certain type of player who wants to be in Seattle. He and his staff are looking for physicality. With Barner coming straight from Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines, it seems he fits the mold to a T.

Whatever the Seahawks have in store for Barner, hopefully he is utilized properly. One of my personal biggest frustrations with how Seattle’s offense has operated for a few years now is the lack of tight end usage. The Seahawks had three talented players in Fant, Colby Parkinson and Will Dissly… yet offensive coordinator Shane Waldron seemingly forgot he had them as options.

Parkinson and Dissly are no longer in the Emerald City, but Fant remains. I want to put trust in new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to figure out a way to get both Fant and Barner involved in the game.

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According to Pro Football Focus, the deal with Fant was the best move that Seattle has made in free agency so far.

By and large, the Seahawks decided to let their key free agents walk out the door this year. Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, Damien Lewis, Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson will all be suiting up for different NFL teams in 2024. Seattle made two exceptions to the rule, though. For one thing, they managed to re-sign star defensive end Leonard Williams to a big three-year, $64.5 million contract. They also re-signed tight end Noah Fant to a two-year, $21 million deal.

According to Pro Football Focus, the deal with Fant was the best move that Seattle has made in free agency so far, per Brad Spielberger at PFF:

“Fant should take on an even larger role in Seattle’s offense with the team moving on from both Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson this offseason, and his abilities after the catch were on display in 2023 when he was called upon. Improved pass protection for Geno Smith should hopefully enable him to work through his progressions and find Fant more frequently going forward.”

Last season Fant’s targets actually dropped from 63 to 43, and he was almost completely shut out in the red zone. He was targeted only twice all year inside the 20 and did not score any touchdowns. This criminal misuse of the athletic Fant is one of many reasons why moving on from offensive coordinator Shaen Waldron was the right call.

There was a case to move on from Fant and net what would have likely been a decent comp pick. However, it doesn’t take much imagination to see Fant dominating in Ryan Grubb’s offense. Keeping him in the fold and letting Grubb set him loose should give the Seahawks their first legitimate receiving weapon at this position since Jimmy Graham.

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Seahawks re-signing tight end Noah Fant to 2-year deal

Fant is the first free agent who’s been re-signed by Seattle in this cycle.

The Seahawks are re-signing tight end Noah Fant to a two-year deal worth a total of $21 million, according to a report by Jordan Schultz at Bleacher Report.

Fant (26) is the first free agent who’s been re-signed by Seattle in this cycle. It’s no surprise that it’s a tight end, a position where the market has moved incredibly quick over the last few days. Just observe the contracts that Fant’s teammates have gotten today. Both Will Dissly (Chargers) and Colby Parkinson (Rams) signed eight-figure, three-year deals with other teams.

Retaining Fant at this price point is a win for the Seahawks, especially considering what other tight ends are getting. Fant may have been underused by former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron the last two seasons, only earning 106 total targets. Fant is still a very athletic receiver with the ability to stretch the field and tack on YAC. It doesn’t take much imagination to see him producting a lot in Ryan Grubb’s offense.

Looking ahead, Fant will be at the top of the depth chart for Seattle’s tight end room. Who will be in there with him remains to be seen. For now, practice squad member Tyler Mabry is the only other tight end on the roster.

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