Over the course of their history, the Seattle Seahawks have notoriously struggled to get significant production from their tight ends.
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Jimmy Graham (2015-16) and John Carlson (2008) are the only Seattle tight ends to eclipse the 600-yard receiving mark in a season. And since 2017, the Seahawks are one of just two NFL teams that haven’t had a tight end reach that threshold, according to Stathead.
But that could change under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
Tight ends are a major part of Kubiak’s Shanahan-style scheme, as evidenced during his stint as the New Orleans Saints’ OC last year. Kubiak’s Saints used “12 personnel” (one running back and two tight ends) at the seventh-highest rate in the league (30%), and “13 personnel” (one running back and three tight ends) at the fourth-highest rate (8.3%), according to Sumer Sports.
Given how important tight ends are to Kubiak’s system, former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus thinks their production this season will provide a strong indicator of how well the Seahawks’ offense is functioning as a whole.
“That’s gonna be a good indicator, because that’s gonna mean that (the tight ends are) able to slip up the seam and get open because the run game is good,” Bumpus said during a recent Four Down Territory segment on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.
“I think (wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba) could go for 1,200 yards and this team could win five games. If you have a tight end go for 500, 600, 700 yards and six to seven touchdowns, this team’s gonna win 10 games easily, because that means everything else is working.”
Kubiak has a promising trio of tight ends to work with in Seattle. Noah Fant and rookie second-round pick Elijah Arroyo can both stretch the field with their speed and athleticism, while second-year pro AJ Barner is coming off a productive four-touchdown rookie campaign last season.
“I talk about receivers being the most dependent position group on the football field – the tight end controls the game,” Bumpus said. “The tight end is an indicator of how well the run game is going and how well the pass game is going.”
Listen to the full Four Down Territory segment at this link or in the audio player near the bottom of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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