Seahawks OC Brian Schottenheimer Excited to Get Started with Greg Olsen
Earlier this offseason, the Seahawks made a bold move by adding former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen to their offensive arsenal.
After spending the last nine seasons in Charlotte, Olsen and the Panthers mutually agreed to part ways back in February. Despite taking visits with the Redskins and Bills this offseason, the veteran tight end ultimately decided his best chance to win a Super Bowl would be with the Seahawks.
Paired with star quarterback Russell Wilson, who was heavily involved with recruiting him to Seattle, the 13th-year pro will have a chance to learn a new offensive scheme under Brian Schottenheimer next season. Like most people in Seattle’s organization, the 46-year old offensive coordinator can’t wait to start game planning with the three-time Pro Bowler.
“We're really, really excited about Greg Olsen. Really excited about what he brings, not only the leadership, but the experience,” Schottenheimer explained to Sports Radio 950 KJR. “He obviously has been a tremendous player, both in Chicago and Carolina, just a guy who can factor really, really well for us on the back side of some of our slot formations. He's a tremendous matchup on smaller defensive backs.
"I know he's really excited to get here and get up to speed - of course he and Russ have spent quite a bit of time together - it's been really cool just to talk football with him when he was in on his visit. We're thrilled about it."
Similar to Schottenheimer, coach Pete Carroll expressed his excitement about the signing of Olsen at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. He expects the former first-round selection to have minimal issues acclimating to his new team next season.
“I think he will make a very fast transition,” Carroll discussed. “He and Russell [will] work over the summertime, in the summertime that comes up they will be together often, I don’t think there is any ceiling we should put on their ability to get together. I’m really excited about that.’’
As a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic, Olsen and Wilson may be forced to delay their summer workout plans. Regardless, the exciting duo should still be able to form a solid connection once training camp begins.
In his final season with Carolina, the former Miami Hurricanes star played in 14 regular season games and produced 52 receptions, 597 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. He also posted a 63.4 percent catch rate and amassed 201 yards after catch.
Among all tight ends with at least 43 targets, Olsen finished tied with the 10th-lowest average yards of separation (2.8), according to Next-Gen-Stats.com. But the 35-year old tight end still recorded the fourth-most receiving yards despite playing with backup quarterbacks most of the season, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.
While his performance in 2019 wasn’t worthy of a fourth Pro Bowl nomination, the 6-foot-5 Olsen was able to stay healthy, something he failed to accomplish during the previous two seasons for the Panthers.
Even though there’s no guarantee of next season starting on time, Schottenheimer and the Seahawks are preparing for any type of situation. With Olsen joining their offense in 2020, he should be able to help push them towards another deep playoff run that’ll hopefully end with a fourth Super Bowl appearance.
“I think the pieces are falling into place, it's a long haul,” Schottenheimer said. “It seems like the start of the season is potentially a long time away, but we're excited about the prospects of us having a heck of a year and building on the things we've done these last two years."
