Why ESPN analyst expects more big plays from Seahawks TE

The 2025 season was a breakout year for Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner.

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Barner, a fourth-round pick in 2024, finished second on the Seahawks with six touchdown receptions and third with 52 receptions and 519 yards during his second NFL campaign.

It was one of the better tight end seasons for a franchise that hasn’t had many prolific ones.

Could Barner be poised to take another step forward in 2026? ESPN analyst Benjamin Solak thinks so.

Solak shared why he’s expecting Barner’s role to expand in offensive coordinator Brian Fleury’s offense when he joined Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy for a conversation on Thursday.

“Barner’s a highly, highly impactful blocker. He is a glass-eating, crunch-your-facemask sort of physical presence. He matters a lot in the running game, and then as we saw the Klint Kubiak, he can get to some of these big designed explosive receptions down the field,” Solak said.

“Obviously, Fleury used to be the tight ends coach with the 49ers. He watched George Kittle for a long time,” Solak added. “I think you’ll see more of the passing game get put through Barner because Fleury knows how to build a passing game around the tight end who is not a Travis Kelce line-up-in-the-slot type, but is a George Kittle-type where you’re really going to crunch in the trenches, create movement in the running game and we’re going to hit you on some big play actions.”

Big-play potential

Barner flashed some ability make plays down the field this past season.

In Seattle’s Week 6 game against Jacksonville, the Michigan product got loose off a play-action pass and hauled in a deep ball for a 61-yard catch and run, his longest reception of the season. And in the Seahawks’ pivotal overtime win over the Rams in Week 16, he got open on another play-action play and caught a 26-yard TD that helped Seattle tie the game in the fourth quarter.

While there were some big plays throughout the year for Barner, he was still just tied for 23rd among tight ends with at least 40 targets in yards per catch (10.1) and 30th in average depth of target (5.4 yards) including the postseason, per Pro Football Focus.

With the TD catch against the Rams particularly in mind, Solak believes more shot plays could be coming for Barner in 2026.

“He’s got really nice ball-tracking and adjustment ability,” Solak said. “I think about that big catch he had against the Rams there… when he’s wide open and Sam throws to him on the shot play in the end zone but ball’s not great, it’s a little bit longer, a little up field, AJ sees it and adjusts to it really well and goes and addresses it away from his frame and makes the catch. He’s reliable in terms of adjusting to those downfield balls, which you really need your tight end to beat that if you want him to do like a shot-play guy for you, which is what I think Barner can be.”

BARN SHOW 🚨 @_ajbarner_ 26 yard TD.

📺: @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/bRVAdIfPu7

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 19, 2025

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Seattle Sports 710 AM and the Seattle Sports app. 

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