Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: TE Will Dissly - Mr. Dependability

Though another injury cost him the final three games of the 2022 season, Will Dissly set career-highs in several receiving categories for the Seattle Seahawks and with a clean bill of health, he's ready to handle the blue collar work in the trenches once again.

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jul 12, 2023 9:51 AM EDT

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to July and offseason activities in the rearview mirror, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC later this month, officially ushering in the 2023 season.

To celebrate the new incoming season, we'll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2023 campaign.

Will Dissly, Tight End

Height/Weight: 6-4, 265 pounds

2022 Stats: 34 receptions, 349 yards, three touchdowns

Formerly a defensive lineman at Washington, Dissly converted to tight end midway through his time at Montlake and though he had limited receiving production over his final two collegiate seasons, the Seahawks used a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft to keep him in the Emerald City. While he got off to hot starts in each of his first two seasons in Seattle, including catching four touchdowns in the first five games in 2019, a torn patellar tendon and ruptured Achilles tendon abruptly ended both seasons and created questions about his future. Thankfully, he rebounded nicely to play in all but three games in 2020 and 2021, catching 45 passes for 482 yards and three touchdowns while remaining a key blocker in the run game.

Returning on a three-year contract, Dissly set career-highs in receptions and receiving yards for Seattle last season and factored into running back Ken Walker III becoming only the second rookie in team history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards. Unfortunately, his previous injury woes returned late in the season as he suffered an unusual knee injury in a Week 16 loss to Kansas City and missed the final three games, including a playoff loss to San Francisco. He made a full recovery and participated fully in the team's offseason program.

Best-Case Scenario: Showing no ill effects from his latest injury, Dissly remains Seattle's starting tight end and with so much attention being paid to DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba, he manages to surpass his personal bests in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns while helping open up holes for Walker to enjoy another big season out of the backfield.

Worst-Case Scenario: Though he avoids the dreaded injury bug and still starts 15 games, Dissly sees a downtick in overall snaps as the season progresses with Noah Fant and Colby Parkinson re-emerging as preferred secondary targets for Geno Smith in the passing game, finishing his sixth NFL season with only 18 receptions for 212 yards and a single touchdown.

What to Expect in 2023: All smiles on the practice field this spring, Dissly didn't have any setbacks returning from his knee injury while partaking in OTAs and mandatory minicamp. Given his importance to the team's running game as a sixth blocker and underrated pass catching skills in the short to intermediate game, that's a big deal for all parties, as the Seahawks are a better offense overall with him in uniform than without. Much respected for all the adversity he has overcome in his career, he's also a beloved glue guy in the locker room.

Like Fant and Parkinson, Dissly may not see quite as many targets as a receiver this year with Smith-Njigba's arrival as a first-round pick, the return of Metcalf and Lockett, and Walker pairing up with rookie Zach Charbonnet to form a two-headed backfield monster. But after exceeding an 80 percent catch rate for the fourth straight season a year ago, he should continue to be a dependable security blanket for Smith when called upon and as long as he stays healthy, his impact will go well beyond the box score with him handling the dirty work in the trenches as a blocker.

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