At full strength for first time, Seahawks TEs show what they can do

With a talented wide receiver trio in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, it’s easy for the Seattle Seahawks’ tight ends to get overlooked.

But as they showed on Sunday, they are more than capable of playing a key role in the passing attack.

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With the tight end group at full strength for the first time this season, Noah Fant, rookie AJ Barner and Pharoah Brown totaled 10 catches on 11 targets for 82 yards in the Seahawks’ 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins. Fant had six catches for 60 yards, Barner added three receptions for 13 yards and Brown hauled in a 9-yard catch.

“Our guys, man, they’re all capable of making plays,” Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said. “And the great part about my job is that it’s easy, because I just have to read the defense and get the ball into the hands of the playmakers. And I let the defense dictate what it’s going to be on that day.

“If they want to double DK and Lockett, then you’ve got matchups for Jaxon and Noah. So I think all of our guys are more than capable, and that’s the beauty of it. We’ve got some unselfish guys out there, and at any given time, it could be a guy’s day.”

Fant had two drops in Week 2 against the New England Patriots, but bounced back in a big way on Sunday. His six catches matched his most since coming to Seattle in the 2022 Russell Wilson trade, while his 60 receiving yards were the third-most during his Seahawks tenure.

Fant topped 600 receiving yards with the Denver Broncos in both 2020 and 2021, but finished below the 500-yard mark each of the past two years with Seattle, including a career-low 32 catches for 414 yards last season. With a new offensive coordinator in Ryan Grubb, there’s optimism that the former first-round pick could be better utilized this fall.

“I’m proud of Noah,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said during his press conference on Monday. “He had the drop last week and I know he was not happy with himself and just put in a ton of work this past week. You could tell. But catching the ball, getting upfield, those are hidden yards throughout a game that help you win football games, so really happy with the way he played.”

Barner, a fourth-round pick out of Michigan, had the first three catches of his NFL career on Sunday after not being targeted in Seattle’s first two games.

Brown, meanwhile, made his Seahawks debut on Sunday after missing the first two games with a foot injury. The eighth-year NFL veteran is known for being a strong run blocker, ranking 12th out of 91 tight ends in Pro Football Focus’ run block grading last season.

“That’s huge to have that component,” Fant said. “… Pharaoh’s a mauler in the run game and he really puts it all out there, so I was super happy to have him back and kind of relieve some duties in different places and kind of exploit something that he’s really good at. So that was really cool.”

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