Brady Russell went to Colorado as a walk-on before eventually earning a scholarship, then he went undrafted in 2023 before signing with the Eagles, who cut him before the start of season and re-signed him to their practice squad.

Clearly, Russell must be the type of NFL player who is driven by the proverbial chip on his shoulder, right?

Well, not exactly. Russell insists that his shoulders, which he regularly puts on display with shirtless pregame warmups, are chip free. Russell is not, he explains, out to prove wrong all those college coaches who didn't offer a scholarship when he was a standout at Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, Colorado; he's not out to stick it to all the NFL general managers who passed on him in last year's draft.

Really, all Russell is trying to do is get the job done at a level that will help him find a role with the Seahawks. Yes, the uphill battle he fought to get to this point in his young NFL career helped give him the work ethic to overcome his undrafted status, but he doesn't spend his time focused on people who didn't give him an opportunity, but rather on helping the team that did.

"I don't think it's so much a chip on my shoulder," said Russell, who the Seahawks signed off of Philadelphia's practice squad last season. "I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone, I'm just trying to do whatever is asked of me at the time and do my job to the best of my ability. But that definitely formed my work ethic into what it is now, and what it's had to be in order to get to where I'm at now."

And where Russell is at now is in a place where, heading into his second season, he seems like almost a sure thing to open the season on Seattle's 53-man roster. Given his standout play on special teams last year, Russell making the team would have hardly been a bold prediction heading into camp, but what has perhaps caught some people—definitely not Russell—off guard is his increasing role in the offense.

Even when the Seahawks were at full strength on offense, Russell was making plays in training camp, but with injuries limiting Noah Fant and Pharaoh Brown of late, Russell has been getting first-team reps in practice, and significant playing time and targets in the preseason.

"Well, there's been some opportunities there with guys being banged up," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. "Talk about a guy that just forces his way onto the field. Just keep making plays, man. Steve Smith Sr. (said) 'Make a play a day.' Seems like the ball finds him in areas and he makes a play when it came to him. He had the drop on the sideline, but he made it right there at the end of the half. And then just being able to play in line too and do some of the movement stuff we're doing with the tight ends. Hopefully we find a role for him if everything shakes out."

Russell is tied for the team lead with five catches in two preseason games, gaining 47 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown in the preseason opener that showed strong run-after-catch ability, and a sideline grab at the end of the half last weekend that showed off his ball skills and footwork on the sideline, making a grab that set up an end-of-half field goal.

When the Seahawks are full healthy at tight end, it's likely that Russell won't be the primary target at that position, but he is showing he can help the team on offense in a number of ways while also being a leader on special teams.

"Another guy on the team that you just love his mentality, his work ethic," Macdonald said. "You guys get bored of me talking about special teams, but I mean this guy carries the torch for us on special teams, especially for (special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh). Very pleased with where he's at. He can play all phases. He can play different spots, tight end, move him around, so he gives you flexibility there. I'm just more happy with his mentality and his toughness."

Harbaugh, as Macdonald noted, has been thrilled to have Russell as a core special teams player as he gets ready for his first season as Seattle's special teams coordinator.

"He's a total pro with everything that he does," Harbaugh said. "You feel him, he comes here with tremendous purpose every single day. From the offseason all the way through until now, he comes in with a real mindset of getting better at his craft. He's got a really cool balance of being hyper serious about his job and every detail of his performance, but he's one of the guys who, if you're just watching, you might say that guy is having more fun than everybody else. That's a neat combination, and he certainly deserves the success that he's having, because he works his butt off."

And it isn't just Seahawks teammates and coaches who have been impressed by Russell in recent months. Attending Tight End University—a three-day offseason summit organized by former tight end Greg Olsen and current standouts at the position, Travis Kelce and George Kittle—Russell wound up taking home MVP honors at a camp featuring many big-name, starting caliber NFL tight ends.

"We looked from Monday night to drills Tuesday, Tuesday night to today, and just how someone took advantage of every single opportunity that they possibly had, whether it's on the field or off the field, by how they dress, how they treat everybody, and we thought Brady should win this one, so get out here please," Kittle said presenting the award to Russell. Kittle then added, "An absolute monster."

While Russell appreciates that people are noticing his hard work, he also knows he can't let that distract him and take away that walk-on, UDFA-honed work ethic.

"The biggest viewpoint I have is that I can't get complacent," he said. "I'm getting a lot of pats on the back right now, which I feel like are relatively undeserved. I could be doing a lot more and I should be doing a lot more. There's still a lot to be earned the rest of this preseason. Just a mentality of not settling."

As for his experience at Tight End University, Russell said, "It was a ton of fun. The biggest thing I appreciate about it is it gives me someone on dang near every team to talk to after games. The brotherhood that's there, just being a part of that, guys cheering for each other, wanting success for each other, and helping each other grow, it's really cool.

"A lot of my learning was when I could pull Greg to the side or Travis or George. Just picking their brain about how they approach blocking a nine-tech on wide zone, or how they approach running an over route when it's man coverage and when you've got a stair step. There's a lot of small details I got to talk to them about, which was really cool."

Given his humble path to a job in the NFL, Russell hasn't had a career full of accolades past the high school level. There was the fan-awarded Buffalo Heart award during his senior year at Colorado, awarded to the player who demonstrates grit, determination and toughness, but otherwise his bio is pretty much devoid of individual honors. In fact, the only entry on Russell's Wikipedia page under career highlights and awards is, "2024 Tight End University MVP."

And that's OK with Russell. As long as he's working hard, being his authentic self, and his peers, be it Seahawks teammates or fellow tight ends at an offseason summit, recognize the effort, that's enough.

"It just kind of carries over from the way I've approached the game ever since I was a walk-on," Russell said of his Tight End U MVP award. "I've always wanted to be the guy that stands out in some sort of way, not because I'm being dumb or loud or whatever, but just because I'm being me. I think authenticity is a pretty hard thing to find."