Brock: Brady Russell was biggest surprise of Seahawks camp

Brady Russell has played an important role for the Seattle Seahawks on special teams, serving as the unit’s de facto captain while recording a team-high 24 special teams tackles over the past two seasons.

Why fullbacks could have larger role for Seahawks in ’26

Russell hasn’t made nearly the same impact on offense, logging just 107 offensive snaps over his three-year NFL career with Seattle.

But could the 6-foot-3, 250-pound fullback/tight end be ticketed for a larger role under new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury?

After watching two minicamp practices earlier this month, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard thinks that’s a possibility.

Russell has some positional versatility, having spent his college career and first two NFL seasons as a tight end before moving to fullback last year. And Huard saw that hybrid skill set on display at minicamp – with the caveat that it came while top tight ends AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo and Eric Saubert were either sidelined or limited due to injuries.

“The biggest surprise to me in the two practices I watched was Brady Russell,” Huard said during a Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “He was anywhere and he was everywhere. He was at fullback, he was at H-back, he was at tight end.

“Some of that was because there was no AJ Barner, a limited Arroyo, a limited Saubert, so some of that will change when those guys all come back. But seeing that guy be a jack of all trades and play all of those positions seamlessly – watching the interchangeability of Brady Russell, that to me was the biggest surprise.”

Russell also had an impressive touchdown catch during Seattle’s first OTA practice last month.

Last season, Russell served as the backup fullback to 6-foot-3, 274-pound Robbie Ouzts and as the fifth tight end behind Barner, Arroyo, Saubert and Nick Kallerup.

Russell’s experience at both positions could make him an interesting option in Fleury’s scheme. Fleury spent the past four seasons as the San Francisco 49ers’ tight ends coach, and did so while working in a 49ers offense that featured 10-time Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk as a consistent receiving threat.

Huard thinks there’s a potential opportunity for Russell.

“On top of it, he’s in unbelievable shape,” Huard said. “He transformed his body from what I saw at Colorado as a former walk-on to what he is now. I think he’s got an opportunity to carve out a bigger and bigger role.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player above. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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