The Seattle Seahawks tight end room figures to be huge in 2020, and not just because everyone in it is 6-foot-4 and up. But rather, because of the amount of people in it. As it stands today, Pete Carroll’s club employs six different tight ends, the highlight of which being former three-time Pro Bowler Greg Olsen.
One could make the case that doing so comes out of necessity rather than scheme. The terms “Seattle tight ends” and “healthy” have seldom fit the same sentence. In 2019, they joined the Patriots and Giants as the only teams without 11 games played by a tight end. And true to trend, fourth-round pick Colby Parkinson already went down with a fractured foot.
The pressure will be shared amongst the likes of Olsen, Will Dissly, and Jacob Hollister this year, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The signing of Olsen all but ensures Seattle has one of the deepest corps in the NFL. And that bodes well for the way the Seahawks like to play.
On paper, Olsen’s one-year, $7 million deal feels like a great match. There’s mutual respect; Olsen turned down offers from two former head coaches in order to join Russell Wilson’s offense. And question marks in Seattle’s offense could ensure he’s the exclamation point that gets them over the top.
History doesn’t quite work in Olsen’s favor. If he surpasses the 500-yard milestone, he’ll become just the sixth tight end after age 35 to have done so.
But speaking positively, here’s why he has such a reasonable chance of doing so.
