Seattle Seahawks TE Noah Fant to Become 'Focal Point' in Offense?

The Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant could be the undisputed TE1 for offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb next season.

Oct 29, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87). / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks saw two of their tight ends leave in free agency as Will Dissly (Chargers) and Colby Parkinson (Rams) both moved to L.A. That leaves Noah Fant as TE1 in Ryan Grubb's offense for 2024.

After being re-signed to a two-year, $21 million deal, Fant is now going to get his fair share of targets from Geno Smith as he won't be battling with Dissly (22 targets) and Parkinson (34 targets) next season.

Fant had a decent season last year, notching 414 yards from 32 receptions as he played all 17 games for Seattle. But now, with Dissly and Parkinson gone, could he be set to feature more heavily for Grubb's offense? ESPN's Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson thinks getting Fant more involved could be a priority.

Oct 29, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) carries the ball / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

"The Seahawks paid Fant," Henderson wrote. "Now they need to feature him, something they didn't do enough of last season. ... Part of the issue, along with Seattle's inability to sustain drives and poor offensive-line play that made life hard on Geno Smith, was that Fant was sharing snaps and targets as part of a tight end trio that also included Colby Parkinson and Will Dissly. Both are gone, which should help Fant become more of a focal point. New offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb needs to make him one of the Seahawks that are going to get proper value out of this deal."

Fant had better numbers in 2022 in his first year as a Seahawk, (486 yards, four touchdowns, 50 catches) all the while being part of a rare TE trio.

Now, with Fant set to be the main man at tight end, he could command a bigger role in Grubb's air-raid offensive system. Fant showed in Denver that he can be a reliable pass-catcher. In each of his first three seasons, he surpassed 500 yards, 40 receptions and four touchdowns. He also had 90+ targets in two of his three seasons with the Broncos.

D.K. Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett will still get the majority of the targets from Geno Smith, but Fant should, in theory, see more balls than he did last season.

If he does, Fant could become one of Smith's more reliable weapons. Since the defense will likely have to dictate coverage toward Metcalf, Lockett, and Smith-Njigba, Fant could get some favorable looks.

The Seahawks paid Fant to be a part of the offense for the next two seasons. Could they now feature like a TE1?