Options Limited as Seahawks Deal With Tight End Injuries
Before the Seahawks departed for Las Vegas head of Saturday night's preseason bout with the Raiders, head coach Pete Carroll shared some disappointing news.
Tight end Colby Parkinson, the team's fourth-round pick out of Stanford in 2020, re-injured the same foot that kept him out for the majority of his rookie season. Though no timetable for return was given by Carroll, a stint on the injured reserve is certainly possible. In that case, Parkinson would be set to miss several regular season games.
For a new offense expected to heavily feature its tight ends, this is a pretty brutal development. Though Seattle still has its No. 1 and No. 2 tight ends in Gerald Everett and Will Dissly, respectively, the 6-foot-7 Parkinson offers a wholly unique target for quarterback Russell Wilson and had been dominating the team's training camp.
While they await further details on what treatment the injury will require, all the Seahawks can do now is comb through their remaining options which are... limited, to say the least. Let's go over what they are.
In-house options
When an injury like this occurs at this point in the process, the next step is to naturally go "next man up." That would be Tyler Mabry, but the 2020 undrafted tight end out of Maryland is also set to miss extensive time with a sprained foot. That leaves Cam Sutton and Dom Wood-Anderson as the lone tight ends on the roster behind Everett and Dissly. Of the two, Sutton may have the slight edge after blocking a punt in the team's mock game this past Sunday. Both should get pretty significant snaps with the offense on Saturday night.
A familiar face
If the Seahawks want someone who they're familiar with and vice-versa, it might behoove them to give Luke Willson a call. Released by the Seahawks last November then returning in January following a brief cup of coffee with the Ravens, the 31-year old Willson is still a free agent and resides in the Seattle area. If he's game, he may be their best outside option to find a stopgap until Parkinson can return.
Other free agents
Not much else remains on the free agent market. Tyler Eifert and Trey Burton are two recognizable names who are still fairly serviceable, particularly Eifert who registered 349 yards and two touchdowns on 36 catches with the Jaguars in 2020. But that's about the best they can do until rosters are cut down at the end of the month.
The big splash
Well before the start of free agency, the Seahawks checked in with the Eagles on the availability of veteran Zach Ertz. Though nothing ultimately came of it, they could circle back if Parkinson's injury is expected to linger deep into the 2021 season. Ertz, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, requested a trade this offseason but has been present at Eagles training camp.
From the Seahawks' perspective, trading for Ertz isn't the ideal route to take given that $8.5 million of his 12.7 million cap hit would defer to them. As of now, they only have $8.1 million in salary cap space, according to OverTheCap.com. Unless Philadelphia is willing to restructure his contract to eat more of that money, it's unlikely Seattle—or any other team—will deal for him. Therefore, the wait could be on to see if the Eagles cut him later this month, which would only cost them $4.2 million in dead money. At that point, the Seahawks could kick the tires.
