NFL free agency: Seahawks following through on hunt for fullback

When the Seattle Seahawks hired Klint Kubiak as their new offensive coordinator, he immediately made it clear his offense thrives with one oft-forgotten position in today's league: the fullback.

Kubiak began his quest to find that player this week, with the team hosting former New Orleans Saints fullback Adam Prentice, per the Tacoma News Tribune's Gregg Bell. Prentice played 25 percent of the Saints' snaps last season in an offense led my Kubiak himself. If he signed with the Seahawks, it would be a rapid reunion for the two.

That portion of New Orleans' plays equated to 272 total offensive snaps for Prentice in his fourth NFL season. It's a position Kubiak likes to use frequently, and Seattle's running backs could benefit from it if the offensive line isn't significantly improved.

"Certainly love playing with a fullback like being 21 and 12 personnel," Kubiak said in February, per the official team website. "Again, that's going to come down to the strength of our players who we have on our roster and let's use the best 11 out there, let's get the five best eligible deployed out into the route scheme. So those are things we're working on right now, who that's going to be, but we've got to adapt as coaches to our best players on the roster."

New Orleans Saints fullback Adam Prentice (46) is shown before the game, Sunday, December 8, 2024, in East Rutherford. | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Prentice doesn't have much NFL experience as a ball carrier, with just nine carries for 26 yards and eight catches for 37 yards to his name. But that would likely be a tertiary role for Prentice, even after being a special teams contributor (16 career tackles).

Last season, 185 of Prentice's 272 offensive snaps were run-blocking snaps. That would be his most frequent use if the Seahawks signed him this offseason. Seattle's last fullback, Nick Bellore, was released ahead of last season. Even then, Bellore was a special teamer and backup linebacker as well.

Kubiak will be going against the grain by signing a full-time fullback, but it's what makes his offense hum. There's no reason for him to change that system now with proven past success.

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