With Seahawks training camp kicking off later this month, Seahawks.com is taking a look at 10 of the most intriguing storylines, position battles and players heading into the 2024 season. On Monday, we kicked things off with a look at special teams, and the return game in particular, and today we take a look at where things stand at tight end. Check back tomorrow when we look at safety, another position group that underwent significant offseason change, but that also returns Pro-Bowl selection Julian Love.
Key Tight End Additions: Pharaoh Brown (free agent signing), AJ Barner (draft).
Key Tight End Departures: Will Dissly (signed with Chargers), Colby Parkinson (signed with Rams).
One of the Seahawks' bigger moves in free agency this year was not an addition, but rather the re-signing of tight end Noah Fant, who has been a key part of the offense over the past two seasons since arriving as part of the trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver two years ago.
But while Fant is back, the Seahawks will still look quite a bit different at tight end, having lost Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson in free agency. To bolster that position after losing Dissly and Parkinson, the Seahawks signed veteran free agent Pharaoh Brown while adding AJ Barner in the draft.
Brown, who appeared in 17 games last season with 11 starts for the Patriots, has been a big special teams contributor throughout his seven-year NFL career, but the Seahawks also envision a big role for him in the offense, with president of football operations/general manager John Schneider noting, "Pharaoh in our opinion is one of the top two or three blocking tight ends in the National Football League, he brings a nastiness to us." Barner, meanwhile, projects as a versatile tight end who should be able to help the team in the passing game, as a blocker and on special teams.
"Our type of guy, top-level worker, big-time competitor," Macdonald said. "He can block and run a pretty significant route tree as well, and then he played for (special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh) on special teams in all four phases so we're going to expect him to come contribute in the kicking game as well as soon as he steps in the door.
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"My impressions have been that it is very explosive, been making a lot of plays," Brown said. "There has been a lot thrown at us and the guys have responded well. It has been very explosive I would say."
Brown later added of the offense, "It's completely different. None of it is, mostly all the NFL people come off the Bill Parcell's tree and all these different trees. So, the foundation of the offenses in the NFL across the league is fairly similar and it is just different verbiage, right? This is like a whole new animal. So, we were just talking about with our tight ends, just trying to figure out if it is slowing down yet? Is it going to stop? We keep getting these installs and we keep getting new plays and we trying to go back and perfect the old stuff, but new stuff keeps coming in, so it's kind of fun. You're always on your toes. You don't know what's coming next. So, it's been exciting."
Check out the best photos from the tight ends during the team's 2024 offseason workout program.
Seahawks tight end Pharaoh Brown (86) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Tyler Mabry (85) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Brady Russell (38) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Pharaoh Brown (86) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) and tight end Tyler Mabry (85) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Tyler Mabry (85) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Pharaoh Brown (86) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Pharaoh Brown (86) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Jack Westover (89) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Brady Russell (38) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Jack Westover (89) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Pharaoh Brown (86) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Tyler Mabry (85) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Pharaoh Brown (86) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Brady Russell (38) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Jack Westover (89) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Tyler Mabry (85) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Brady Russell (38) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Pharaoh Brown (86) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Jack Westover (89) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Tyler Mabry (85) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) and tight end Jack Westover (89) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Jack Westover (89) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Pharaoh Brown (86) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
