Seahawks 'Dynamic' TEs Reaffirm Importance in Win Over Lions
This offseason, the Seattle Seahawks further bolstered an already strong receiving corps by investing a first-round pick in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, pairing the former Ohio State star with perennial 1,000-yard weapons DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
With that trio of outstanding wideouts at quarterback Geno Smith's disposal on the outside and only one football to go around, conventional wisdom suggested Seattle's tight ends would be the ones to see a decline in targets. But if the first two weeks have been any indication, after Will Dissly, Noah Fant, and Colby Parkinson combined to surpass 1,000 receiving yards a year ago, that underrated group of all-around tight ends remains crucial to the team playing to its full potential offensively.
Only one week earlier in a 30-13 drubbing at the hands of the Rams, Dissly and Parkinson caught three passes for 25 yards, while Fant wasn't targeted once. Fast forwarding to Sunday's road battle against the Lions, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron made a concerted effort to get his trusty tight ends far more involved as focal points in the passing game.
The end result? With Smith completing all nine of his targets to Dissly, Fant, and Parkinson for 132 yards and nearly 15 yards per reception and the trio helping limit Detroit to just one quarterback hit in pass protection, Seattle's passing attack opened up in a big way, putting up over 300 yards thanks to the contributions of an invaluable tight end group on the way to a thrilling 37-31 overtime win on the road.
"They were huge today," coach Pete Carroll said of the tight ends in his post-game press conference. "Great job of Shane [Waldron] calling the game, getting those guys open because they were running clean a lot, and really a fantastic part of the game plan.”
Reverting to schematic trends from last season, when they ranked third in the NFL in 13 personnel usage with three tight ends on the field per NFL Next Gen Stats, the Seahawks made significant adjustments personnel-wise aiming to neutralize Detroit's defensive strengths. After only using 13 personnel with Dissly, Fant, and Parkinson on the field for one snap in their loss to the Rams, the three tight ends logged 13 snaps together against the Lions, approaching 20 percent of their 67 total snaps.
When asked about Seattle's increased multi-tight end usage compared to the week prior, Carroll indicated that the Rams game had nothing to do with the decision to implement more 12 and 13 personnel groupings and that the schematic shift had everything to do with how they felt they could best attack the Lions' defense.
“It had nothing to do with Week 1," Carroll responded. "They did really well. The group played great. Everybody contributed in their own ways. They were a big part of the game plan yesterday."
Playing the role of distributor, Smith completed passes to nine different receivers on his way to a spectacular 328-yard performance. While Metcalf and Lockett led the charge with 75 and 59 yards respectively, the veteran quarterback wasted little time getting the ball to his tight ends and looked for them frequently, opening up the playbook as a result.
After being shutout with no receptions or targets in the season opener, Fant showed off his 4.5 speed creating separation on a fade route in the second quarter as Smith dropped the ball in the bucket for a 31-yard gain, Seattle's longest play of the afternoon. He later added a key first down reception to jumpstart the eventual game-winning drive in overtime, picking up 17 yards over the middle to quickly move the team towards midfield.
Leading the team with 28 yards produced after the catch, Dissly made two critical receptions in second half scoring drives, including a 16-yard gain where he stiff-armed Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriquez before rumbling down to the opposing seven-yard line to set up a Jason Myers field goal late in the third quarter. He also added a 13-yard catch to open the fourth quarter that eventually set up Smith's first touchdown pass to Lockett to give the Seahawks a 24-21 lead.
Colby Parkinson only caught two passes in Sunday's win over the Lions, but the two receptions netted 41 yards and set up a pair of touchdowns, including Tyler Lockett's game winner in overtime.
As for Parkinson, after largely being a non-factor in the first half, the fourth-year tight end flashed his own big play ability as Seattle mounted a comeback out of halftime. Moments after Jarran Reed recovered a David Montgomery fumble in Lions territory, Smith hit the 6-7 target for a 20-yard gain and Ken Walker III scored on the next play to knot the score at 14.
Just as Fant did in overtime, Parkinson stretched the field with a 21-yard reception from Smith that advanced the Seahawks down to the Lions 14-yard line. Three plays later, Lockett successfully extended the football for the pylon to seal the win, leaving general manager John Schneider jumping for joy on the sidelines.
“Those guys are so important to the offense. Colby, Will, Noah, even Tyler [Mabry], he can step up as well, but those guys, they complete our offense," Smith stated. "They’re pass-catchers, they can block in the pass and run game and they make it hard on defenses. You don’t know what we’re going to do. We can line up with all three tight ends, we can run the ball or pass it."
Away from their obvious contributions in the passing game, Dissly could be seen chipping regularly on star rusher Aidan Hutchinson, functioning as a sixth lineman to support Curhan early in the game. Fant and Parkinson also pitched in to help Seattle's two backup tackles, playing a key role in keeping Smith upright all game long despite the injuries along the offensive line.
In the run game, Dissly continued to get the job done handling the dirty work, helping spring Walker and rookie Zach Charbonnet on the Seahawks two longest runs of the day with quality blocks off tackle.
Moving forward, as Carroll made clear, the Seahawks will adjust tight end usage accordingly based on opponent. But to fully maximize personnel around Smith, who understands the immense value Fant, Dissly, and Parkinson all bring to the equation each week, Waldron would be wise to continuing leaning heavily on the trio of veterans as they continue to prove how integral they are to the team's offensive success both in the pass and run game.
"For those guys to continue to come up clutch and continue to be the driving force of this offense, we need those guys and I just enjoy having them out there because they’re so dynamic. Every single one of those guys can make a play at any given time and today you saw that.”
