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The Seahawks have claimed TE Brett Brackett off of waivers from the Titans, looking to bolster their depth a little bit at the position, with Luke Willson and Zach Miller out due to injury. Brackett was draft-eligible in 2011 out of Penn State and has bounced around to the Eagles, Jags, and Titans, and has been up and down on practice squads and active rosters in his four seasons.
Brackett's more of a "move" tight end at 6'6, 248 (or, that's what he was at at his pro day in 2011), and certainly has the athletic traits the Seahawks' FO seems to like. It's been a few years, but Brackett was timed at 4.62 in the 40, 6.72 in the 3-cone, 4.24 in the short shuttle, 9'10" in the broad jump, and registered a 34" vert at that time, so I'd imagine he's retained some of his athleticism since then.
Per resident SPARQ tracker Zach Whitman, that calculates out to a 1.4 sigma at the tight end position (that's really good).
Brett Brackett, TE, Penn State (2011) -- 6056/248 lbs -- 4.61s 40/1.59s 10/4.24s SS/6.74s 3C/22 BP/34" V/9'10" B -- 128 pSPARQ (1.4σ)
— Zach Whitman (@zjwhitman) October 21, 2014
"I can boogie a little bit," he told the Miami Herald, who noted that he be a mismatch against some linebackers.
"You guys have noticed him," coach Joe Philbin told the Herald, "he's kind of quarterback friendly. He's a big target. He's got good length. He's kind of natural running routes. He seems to catch the ball very well so far. The big thing is getting used to the blocking. One of the things for a tight end is how do you match up on a defensive end one-on-one if the tackle is not zone-blocking to you, whether it be primarily in run-blocking, but it can also be pass protection. I would say he's further ahead in the pass game than in the run game, but very eager."
That's coach-speak for he's a receiving tight end. We'll see what the Seahawks have in mind for him -- if Luke Willson is ready to go this week, he'll likely be the Zach Miller-type of in-line target, meaning Cooper Helfet (and Brackett, eventually) can flex out and run routes.
The Seahawks also signed LB L.J. Fort to their practice squad.