Seahawks Hoping TE Ed Dickson Returns to Practice Next Week

Seattle could use help at tight end after losing Will Dissly for the season. Could activating Dickson function like a trade deadline deal?

Second-year tight end Will Dissly’s impressive season came to an end last week, creating a massive hole in the Seahawks offense for the rest of the 2019 season.

While veterans Luke Willson and Jacob Hollister are respectable options, the Seahawks are clearly in desperate need of another skilled player at the tight end position. Thankfully for the Seahawks, coach Pete Carroll indicated they’ll likely be receiving some help in that department as early as next week with the potential return of Ed Dickson.

"He's working really well, he's gonna come back and practice next week. Based on what I'm seeing, he's going to be practicing to play," Carroll said during his Wednesday press conference. "Now that's pretty optimistic right now, but I've watched his workouts a number of times over the last couple weeks and he's working hard and he has a chance. He looks good."

Since Dissly suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon against the Browns in Week 6, general manager John Schneider and the Seahawks have reportedly been seeking out a replacement on the trade market.

But activating Dickson to the 53-man roster for Week 9 against the rebuilding Buccaneers would provide a huge boost for the Seahawks. His impending return also suggests the Seahawks may not be active pursuing a deal for a tight end before the October 29 deadline after all.

As trade winds have swirled, the Seahawks have been linked to the likes of Delanie Walker, Tyler Eifert, Austin Hooper, and OJ Howard. But considering the familiarity Carroll and the Seahawks already have with Dickson and what he did under similar circumstances a year ago, the team could choose to remain quiet come 4 PM EST next Tuesday.

The Seahawks were in a similar situation this time last season after Dissly suffered a torn patellar tendon and landed on injured reserve. Once he came off the Non-Football injury list in Week 8, the team relied on Dickson and the 10-year pro didn’t disappoint.

Through his ten games in 2018, Dickson caught 12 of his 13 targets for 143 yards along with a trio of touchdowns, including a game-winning score against the Packers. Even at 32 years of age, Dickson has shown himself capable of performing as an effective target in the red zone for quarterback Russell Wilson.

Dickson should also be able to help the Seahawks with their poor conversion rate on third downs upon his return. During his time with the Panthers in 2017, Dickson converted 22 of his 30 receptions for first downs, which ranked 18th among tight ends in the league during that season according to NFL.com.

While the Oregon graduate certainly won’t be able to replace Dissly after a red-hot start, Dickson should provide the Seahawks with enough production that the team should be in decent shape at the tight end position.