Bump: With latest trade, Seahawks ‘don’t leave any stone unturned’

Special teams played a key role in the Seattle Seahawks’ run to a Super Bowl title last season.

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The Seahawks had five special teams touchdowns across both the regular season and postseason, which made them one of just 10 teams in the Super Bowl era to accomplish that feat. They also had two blocked field goals, a blocked punt and one of the best kick coverage units in the league. As a result, they finished No. 2 in FTN Fantasy’s special teams DVOA metric.

This offseason, Seattle has placed a clear emphasis on keeping its special teams unit elite.

The Seahawks returned 15 of their top 16 special teams players from last season in terms of combined regular-season and postseason snaps. They also used a sixth-round draft pick on speedy Kansas wide receiver and special teams standout Emmanuel Henderson Jr.

Then on Wednesday, the Seahawks traded a 2028 conditional draft pick to the New York Jets in exchange for 29-year-old Irv Charles, who excelled on special teams in 2023 and 2024 before missing the 2025 season with a torn ACL.

“This is what I love about this team,” Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus said during Thursday’s Four Down Territory segment on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. “You don’t typically hear about teams going and getting special team guys – guys who can run down, be a gunner and make tackles. Typically, you’re looking at your kickers, your punters, your long snappers and saying, OK, that’s our investment. We’ll fill in the gaps with whoever’s on the roster.

“That’s not the way the Hawks operate. They actually go and get gunners and tacklers so their special teams are on point. They had the best special teams unit in the game last year and they do not want to let up.”

Charles, a 6-foot-4, 219-pound wide receiver, logged 448 special teams snaps compared to just 53 offensive snaps over his two seasons with the Jets. He totaled 14 special teams tackles and a blocked punt over that span, while posting an elite 90.3 Pro Football Focus special teams grade in 2023 and an 88.6 special teams grade in 2024.

Charles joins Henderson as potential competition to replace special teams stalwart and gunner Dareke Young, who departed in free agency for the Las Vegas Raiders.

“I like the move,” Bumpus said. “Is Irv going to be on this team later? We’ll see. He still has to do some things to make himself valuable. You’ve gotta go out there and at least know what you’re doing offensively.

“But I like the fact that the Hawks genuinely draft and trade for gunners and tacklers – guys on special teams to go make plays. That’s why they’ve been so successful. They don’t leave any stone unturned.”

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

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