Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Seahawks Foresee Will Dissly, Greg Olsen Forming Dangerous Tight End Tandem
Back in mid-February, the Seahawks made their first splash of the offseason by signing veteran tight end Greg Olsen to a one-year contract, adding the three-time Pro Bowler to the mix at a position clouded by uncertainty.
Prior to Olsen's signing, Seattle had only three tight ends under contract and two of those players - Will Dissly and Ed Dickson - missed a combined 26 regular season games and each ended last season on injured reserve. Meanwhile, Luke Willson is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and Jacob Hollister is a restricted free agent.
Though he's not the same player who posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2014 to 2016, Olsen still caught 52 passes for nearly 600 yards in 2019. He amassed those respectable numbers with the Panthers primarily playing with backup quarterbacks, as Cam Newton missed most of the season with a foot injury.
Before going down with his latest injury against the Browns in Week 6, Dissly looked like a potential All-Pro selection and Comeback Player of the Year candidate. Leading the Seahawks with four touchdown receptions through the first five games, he was on pace for 73 receptions and 838 receiving yards in a 16-game season.
STAT BREAKDOWN: After suffering a torn Achilles tendon, the Seahawks passing game suffered without the services of Will Dissly.
"Will Dissly is a really good football player." coach Pete Carroll said last week. "We’ve loved everything that he’s done. He just hasn’t had enough time to really stack up numbers and all of that, but there’s no doubt that Will can play the game at the line of scrimmage and downfield, and catching and running, he’s done all of that. A marvelous kid and competitor, and all."
When it comes to finding the perfect mentor for a promising young tight end like Dissly, Seattle couldn't have landed a better option than Olsen. Along with ranking in the top 10 in NFL history among tight ends in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns, he also was a long-time team captain in Carolina and loves passing on his knowledge from 13 years in the league.
Out of respect for one of the best tight ends of this era, Dissly quickly agreed to part with No. 88, taking a payment from Olsen for charity in what Carroll deemed a "first class" move. He will now wear No. 89, which was out of circulation last year following Doug Baldwin's retirement.
With Olsen and Dissly already hitting it off and eager to work together, the Seahawks could potentially have one of the top tight end tandems in the NFC next season. The key will be keeping both players healthy, which will be easier said than done.
Along with missing 10 games last season, Dissly missed 12 games as a rookie with a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. Coming back from a second severe injury in as many years, the Seahawks won't rush him back, but he's well ahead of schedule to return for Week 1.
“Everything’s going great, he’s been doing a fantastic job," Carroll remarked. "He proved to us before that he knows how to just grit his way through this thing. He’s doing marvelous work, so he’ll be back. We’ve just got to take care of him when he gets back and hopefully he can find the sticking power.”
As for Olsen, he rebounded from two injury-plagued seasons battling foot problems to play in 14 games in 2019. According to Carroll, the team had no reservations about signing him because he's been durable for most of his NFL career.
“He’s had a very clean process to get to this point. He had one foot injury that kind of turned into another related thing on his foot, but other than that, it’s really focused. He did have a concussion last year, missed a couple of weeks, but he came back and played. He’s in pretty darn good shape right now for all of those years he’s played.”
Assuming Olsen and Dissly can stay on the field, quarterback Russell Wilson should have no shortage of weapons in his arsenal. Much to the dismay of opposing coordinators, Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf will command attention on the outside, opening up room to operate underneath and down the seam for both play making tight ends.
Both players should also have a positive effect on the ground game, as Olsen has unfairly earned a reputation as a sub-par blocker over the years and as a former defensive lineman, Dissly excels in that area of his game.
With the soon-to-be 35-year old Olsen bringing much-needed stability, reliability, and leadership to the Seahawks, Carroll believes he and Dissly each have much to gain from his arrival and can't wait to see them working in tandem this summer.
"He [Dissly] was thrilled to hear that Greg was coming, for obvious reasons, because he wants to be great and he wants to learn from Greg. So, they’ll both play on the field at the same time, I’m sure. And it will be exciting to see that happen.”
