Bump: A Seahawks player whose impact is growing

Just a few games into his NFL career, Seattle Seahawks rookie tight end AJ Barner is already starting to make an impact.

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Barner, a fourth-round draft pick out of Michigan, didn’t receive a target in Seattle’s first two games. But over the past two weeks, he has a combined five catches on five targets for 40 yards, with four of those receptions going for first downs.

And in Monday night’s loss to the Detroit Lions, Barner got his first NFL touchdown. Early in the second quarter, he caught a play-action rollout pass in stride and dived across the right pylon for a 9-yard score.

“AJ has grown up in the past two weeks,” Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said. “You can see his confidence growing and it was great for him to get his first touchdown tonight. I think he’s gonna continue to excel and continue to get better. He’s a guy that we’re gonna count on, and so it was great to see that happen for him.”

Welcome to the league, @_ajbarner_!!! pic.twitter.com/j7l2DYuHpF

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 1, 2024

The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Barner was primarily considered a run-blocking tight end coming out of college. In his first three seasons at Indiana, he totaled 42 catches for 361 yards and four TDs. Then after transferring to Michigan, he had 22 catches for 249 yards and one TD last year while serving as the No. 2 tight end behind projected 2025 first-round pick Colston Loveland.

Barner’s blocking ability has been on display so far in Seattle, as his 65.0 Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade is the best among the Seahawks’ tight ends. But as the past two weeks have shown, he’s also developing into a pass-catching threat.

During the Four Down Territory segment Tuesday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, former NFL wideout Michael Bumpus detailed what he likes about Barner’s receiving skill set.

“You’re seeing his production increase,” Bumpus said. “They are designing plays (for him). He was open several times. … There’s just something about the way that he catches the football and runs his routes that makes me believe he’s gonna be good.

“There’s some guys who catch the football and it looks like there’s a magnet on their hands – like the ball just sticks. It looks natural (for him). He’s the most natural pass catcher in the tight end room right now. I expect him to get more playing time and his numbers to go up.”

Listen to the full Four Down Territory segment at this link or in the audio player near the bottom of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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