Klint Kubiak came to the Seattle Seahawks with the promise of a more balanced offensive attack. “Balanced” is a good word to use, no matter your line of work, Health, finance, or education – everyone strives for balance. In football terms, a balanced offense is harder to defend. It’s easier for a defensive coordinator to scheme if the opponent is overly reliant on the run or the pass.
In 2024, Seattle’s offense was decidedly unbalanced. The Seahawks dropped back to throw almost 40 times per game. They ran the ball fewer than 25 times per game. This year, those numbers have flipped, and the utopian balance is much more of a reality.
In nine games this season, Seattle has run more than it has passed in five of them. They have passed more than run in three games. In one game – against Washington – Kubiak achieved that perfect balance. The Hawks' running plays matched their throws.
Against the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks must run to win
In five of Seattle’s nine games, the difference between runs and passes has been less than five plays. Of the four games in which the offense was unbalanced, it tilted toward the run in three of them and to the pass in just one. In the loss to Tampa Bay, Seattle threw 14 times more than it ran. That is the one big outlier so far this year.
If the Seahawks expect to leave Los Angeles this Sunday with a win over the Rams and sole possession of first place in the NFC West, they would be advised to maintain this trend toward running. And that is where largely unknown backup tight end Nick Kallerup may take on an outsized role.
Kallerup may be the most anonymous member of Seattle’s 53-man roster. The tight end out of Minnesota went undrafted last April, and his subsequent signing with Seattle didn’t exactly make headlines.
Want a sense of just how much of a long shot Kallerup was? The Daily Gopher – a journal devoted to University of Minnesota sports – ran an article before the draft assessing the chances of a handful of Gopher players getting a shot with an NFL team.
In a section devoted to likely undrafted free agents (UDFAs), Kallerup was not mentioned in the “Likely to be signed” section. He was not mentioned in the “Decent chance of being signed” section. He appeared in the final section – the final name in the final section – devoted to players who would probably have to win an invite via a strong showing at a rookie minicamp.
Even with the UDFA deal, the odds looked steep. Seattle had Noah Fant, AJ Barner, and Brady Russell returning at tight end. They chose two more – Elijah Arroyo and Robbie Ousts – in the draft. They even signed veteran Eric Saubert as a free agent. How was some unknown UDFA going to climb over enough of them to win a roster spot?
Well, they released Fant over the Summer. Ouzts and Russell played at the newly created fullback spot throughout training camp. But it still seemed like Seattle wanted an extra blocking tight end behind Barner and Arroyo; Saubert would be the man.
When the final cuts were announced, Saubert did win a spot. But so did Nick Kallerup. Seattle kept four tight ends and two fullbacks with tight end experience on its 53-man roster.
As the weeks progressed and Kallerup was constantly inactive, it raised the question. Why was he taking up a roster spot? We finally got a chance to see him in action in Week 9 against Washington. Then, out of seemingly nowhere, Nick Kallerup played 30 offensive snaps against Arizona in Week 10. That was more than Barner and Arroyo and Ouzts, and Russell.
The door opened for Kallerup when Saubert suffered an ankle injury and was moved to the IR before the Washington game. But no one expected the UDFA to outsnap the likes of Arroyo and Barner.
A quick glance at the Pro Football Focus (subscription required) grades for the Cardinals’ game gives a hint as to why he played as much as he did. Amongst Seattle’s five tight ends and fullbacks, he has the highest run blocking grade.
Kallerup, who would have been considered a legit offensive tackle just several decades back, is on the Seahawks to block. Specifically, to run -block. In this week’s crucial matchup against the Rams, that will be essential.
In addition to simply wanting a balanced run-pass attack, running the ball takes on extra value this week for two reasons.
First, it will neutralize one of the Rams’ defense's greatest strengths. Kobie Turner, Bryant Young, and Jared Verse are elite pass rushers. Braden Fiske hasn’t hit his stride yet, but he had 8.5 sacks last season. The Rams rarely blitz but still generate great pressure against opposing QBs. (BTW – the Seahawks do this too.)
To slow down that pass rush, Seattle needs to run the ball effectively. That won’t be easy. Those pass rushers are decent against the run as well, and in the middle of it all, the Rams have linebacker Nate Landman and former Seahawks nose tackle Poona Ford, two excellent run defenders. Nick Kallerup could be instrumental in getting those players blocked.
And the more successful Seattle is at running the ball, the longer the Hawks’ offense will be on the field. That means less time for the red-hot Matthew Stafford and his superstar receivers, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.
Seattle’s secondary has been very good this season, but no one has really been able to shut down the Rams’ passing attack of late. Limiting Stafford’s chances will be a key to winning on Sunday.
Nick Kallerup obviously is not the only key to effectively running this week. The line needs to play big. Ouzts and Cooper Kupp are very good run blockers who will need to be sharp as well.
But Kallerup just might be the secret weapon in unleashing Kenneth Walker, Zach Charbonnet, and the newly-added Rashid Shaheed. Kallerup is the new ingredient. I mean, how seriously are the Rams going to take him? His own college press barely gave him a chance to make an NFL roster. I’d venture that most Seahawks fans don’t know what jersey he wears (it’s 89).
The first time he wipes out Nate Landman and springs Walker for a big gain on Sunday, that perception begins to change.