Seahawks agree to trade TE Nick Vannett to Steelers for 5th-round pick

The Seahawks have agreed to trade tight end Nick Vannett to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a fifth-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported that a deal was in the works on Tuesday night. The Seahawks confirmed the move Wednesday morning, noting that it is pending a physical.

We have agreed to a trade with the @Steelers. 👇https://t.co/GlzhjBVzTN

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 25, 2019

Vannett, 26, was drafted by Seattle in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-6, 261-pound Ohio State product was known at the time for his blocking ability.

Schefter noted that Steelers tight end Vance McDonald was seen with his shoulder in a sling Tuesday, making it the likely reason for Pittsburgh being in the market to add at the position.

Vannett played 42 games over four seasons with the Seahawks, including 16 starts. He has four career touchdowns, including three in 2018 in what was a career-best year. He hauled in 29 receptions on 43 targets for 269 receiving yards over 15 games that season.

In three games (one start) this season, Vannett has four receptions on five targets for 38 yards.

Second-year player Will Dissly has established himself as the Seahawks’ No. 1 tight end ahead of Vannett, but Seattle will need to add another player at the position before Sunday’s Week 4 game in Arizona. Veteran Ed Dickson is on injured reserve, so he won’t be available to return until after Week 8. Undrafted rookie Justin Johnson is another tight end on Seattle’s IR. The Seahawks also have Jacob Hollister on their practice squad. Hollister was acquired via trade during the offseason from New England and was in the mix during training camp and the preseason for a roster spot.

According to NFL insider Adam Caplan, however, the open roster spot appears to be going to a familiar face: Luke Willson, a 2013 draft choice of the Seahawks who played in their two Super Bowl appearance earlier this decade. Willson went to Detroit in free agency ahead of the 2017 season and was with the Oakland Raiders this preseason before being cut ahead of Week 1.

Click here for more on Willson’s reported return.

More Seahawks coverage

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• O’Neil: Pete coaching Hawks like it’s 2013, but that’s not the team he has
• Clayton’s Observations: Making sense of Seahawks’ mess of a loss to Saints
• What Wagner, Brown and more said after Hawks’ loss

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