Finally Healthy, Colby Parkinson Coming Into His Own in Seahawks Tight End Friendly Offense
RENTON, Wash. - Ever since being drafted in the fourth round out of Stanford more than two years ago, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has frequently talked up tight end Colby Parkinson and waited patiently for him to breakout on Sundays, praising him for his work ethic, football acumen, and athletic tools.
Unfortunately, due to multiple foot injuries suffered during the preseason, Parkinson missed the first six games of his rookie year in 2020 and then missed the first three games last year. In both instances, Seattle struggled to get him involved in the passing game once he returned healthy and he wasn't consistent enough as an inline blocker to see many snaps on the field ahead of Will Dissly or Gerald Everett. The 6-foot-7 tight end never surfaced as the matchup nightmare Carroll envisioned, catching a grand total of seven receptions for just 49 yards and no touchdowns in 20 games.
But after having good fortune bestowed upon him by avoiding another foot injury this summer, Parkinson finally has been able to show why Carroll remained so bullish on his abilities and potential. No longer behind the eight ball trying to play catchup and a far more proficient blocker than when he first arrived in the league, the 23-year old has flourished in Shane Waldron's offense in year three, emerging as part of a three-headed monster for the Seahawks at tight end alongside Dissly and Noah Fant.
Through the first seven games, Parkinson has only caught nine passes from Geno Smith, ranking sixth on the team and third among tight ends. But when he's been granted the opportunity, he's been as reliable of a playmaker as anyone on Seattle's fifth-ranked scoring offense, snagging all but one of his 10 targets and averaging a team-best 17.1 yards per reception.
Taking advantage of his combination of size and speed, four of Parkinson's nine receptions have gone for at least 18 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown reception in a season-opening win over the Broncos. His penchant for big plays showed up again in Sunday's 37-23 road upset against the Chargers, as he motioned across the field without a defender following him and wasn't picked up on a wheel route as Smith connected with him for a 28-yard catch and run.
Later in the contest, Parkinson drew a defensive pass interference penalty on safety Derwin James while being targeted by Smith on a seam route, leading to an eventual Jason Myers field goal.
But where Parkinson may have made his greatest impact in Los Angeles - and caught the most attention from Carroll speaking with reporters on Monday - was as a much-improved blocker both at the point of attack working in-line and as a lead blocker in space.
With the Seahawks leading 30-16 midway through the fourth quarter, Parkinson motioned left to right pre-snap and aimed for the end of the line of scrimmage as a lead blocker. He wound up laying two key blocks to help spring rookie running back Ken Walker III for a 74-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, including sealing cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. towards the sideline to create a huge crease for the runner to explode through.
"He was hunting them up pretty good yesterday and it was exciting to see him be so physical and have the results and the finish on some of his blocks," Carroll said. "He blocked one guy and came off and got to the next level and blocked the other guy and finished him [Samuel] off [on Walker's touchdown]. We were all fired up about that and we will be showing him off all week.”
As Carroll has referenced in the past, Parkinson wasn't asked to block much while at Stanford. Instead, he spent the majority of his time as a glorified slot receiver, running routes and catching passes rather than doing the dirty work in the trenches, which put him at a disadvantage when he came into the league.
Crediting his extensive work in the weight room while recovering from his foot injuries, Carroll has seen Parkinson's strength training pay dividends in that aspect of his game after rarely being used as a blocker at the college level. Now near 270 pounds, he looks the part of a legitimate NFL tight end and as he has exhibited all season long so far, he has the developed all-around game to match.
"He’s been a work in progress," Carroll reflected "He was a slot receiver in college for most of the time and was not a primary blocker. So, it’s taken some time to make that adaptation. He really did it when he was hurt early on when he started getting stronger, lifting and doing all of that and his confidence has just grown."
Through seven games, Seattle has utilized its trifecta of tight ends far more in the passing game than previous seasons. In 2021, the group caught 74 passes for 742 yards and five touchdowns. This year, with Smith prioritizing targeting the position more than his predecessor Russell Wilson did, Dissly, Parkinson, and Fant have combined for 48 catches, 505 yards, and five touchdowns, already matching last season's total in less than half the games.
Away from their increased contributions in the passing game, while using extensive 12 and 13 personnel groupings with multiple tight ends on the field, the group has also been instrumental in the Seahawks success rushing the football. Though they only rank 10th in total rushing yards, with the trio of Dissly, Fant, and Parkinson getting the job done as blockers, they rank first averaging 5.6 yards per carry this season.
From Dissly's perspective, both Parkinson and Fant have worked hard to disprove narratives that they weren't capable of becoming quality blockers and the results have been evident on the field. In the case of Parkinson, after seeing the progress he has made from day one until now through plenty of adversity, he expects him to continue improving and evolving as a core piece of Seattle's offensive plans moving forward.
"He's just a sponge. Ever since he got here, he's like, 'How can I get better?'... So I was like, the more you can do, the more you're going to be able to play. And he really took that to heart. He's really studied up on great fundamentals like footwork and hand placement and being physical in the run game. So I'm really proud of the leaps he's taken. Every year, I've seen him get better.
