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The Seattle Seahawks currently have just two tight ends under contract for 2021 in 2018 fourth round pick Will Dissly and 2020 fourth round pick Colby Parkinson, both of whom have seen injuries derail performance early in their careers. Both retain significant upside going forward, but a report emerged Sunday that the Seahawks could look to address the position in free agency by pursuing one of the bigger names available at the position.
With a new coordinator in place, the #Seahawks aren't messing around looking for tight end help.
— Corbin Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) February 22, 2021
While other options remain on the table, including Zach Ertz, Seattle looks poised to pursue a younger alternative in free agency.https://t.co/dKwjAytTdk
It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Hawks might be looking at the tight end position, as it’s a position group they have addressed aggressively in both free agency and trades in the past. Specifically, they have used free agency to add names like Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson and Zach Miller, while also using a first round pick to trade for Jimmy Graham. In short, it appears to be a position they value significantly, and so the pursuit of Jonnu Smith would be in line with how the team has built the roster in the past.
In addition, while Gerald Everett is the name that has been most linked to the Seahawks as a tight end they could pursue in free agency due to his familiarity with the system of new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, Smith would not be a shot in the dark. In particular, during his time with the Tennessee Titans Smith played in the offense of Matt LaFleur in 2018. LaFleur, of course, coached with the Washington Football Team under Mike Shanahan and with both Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay from 2010 through 2013. That likely means that while Smith will certainly need to learn a new system, many of the concepts and ideas would not be altogether unfamiliar.
In any case, the time between now and the start of free agency is quickly evaporating, and it’s once again the time of year when fans will get excited about the opportunity for the Seahawks to improve drastically through the addition of several blue chippers, only to likely be disappointed when the Hawks go bargain shopping once the initial free agent frenzy has passed.