Sustaining foot injuries in each of his first two seasons, Seahawks tight end Colby Parkinson has missed 13 of 33 possible games to begin his NFL career.
When he has played, Seattle has rarely utilized the Stanford product in its offense. He's been targeted just 10 times, reeling in five catches for 49 yards and four first down conversions.
But though Parkinson's inability to stay healthy has played the biggest role in his disappointing start, the Seahawks appear to be doing a disservice to the former fourth-round pick's unique skillset as well. His 6-foot-7 stature and above-average hands offer an exciting ball of clay for Seattle's offensive coaches to mold, but they have failed to successfully do so thus far.
With that size and length, Parkinson has the potential to be, at the very least, a dangerous red zone threat to pair with the towering likes of receiver DK Metcalf and fellow tight end Noah Fant. He's naturally not going to see a ton of snaps on a per-game basis as long as Fant and Will Dissly are healthy, but it would behoove Seattle to stick his big body down near the goal line any opportunity it gets.
That could present a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, especially if they don't have the height to properly line up against Parkinson. He has the ability win one-on-ones and high-point the football, so splitting him out wide, depending on the distance to the end zone, may be the most beneficial route for the Seahawks to take with him.
The biggest key for Parkinson, of course, will be to stay healthy. So far, he's done just that after making it through organized team activities and mandatory minicamp without issue. And during those workouts, he left quite the impression on Pete Carroll, earning high praise from the longtime Seahawks head coach.
“Maybe the guy that’s most exciting is Colby,” Carroll expressed. “Colby Parkinson really became a go-to guy, and he’s got that tremendous frame and catching range, and he runs really well. He’s worked so diligently to build himself up and to gain his power and control of his body that he’s going to come off the ball and be an effective block or two.”
New quarterback Drew Lock shared a similar sentiment after working directly with Parkinson for the past two weeks.
“I think the person that really impressed me was Colby,” Lock added. “Talk about a red zone threat being the height that he is. I’m surprised he didn’t play basketball four years at Stanford, just a freak athlete from what I’ve seen. And I’m really impressed with him.”
Parkinson could have some competition this summer, with tight ends Tyler Mabry and Cade Brewer also standing out during camp. But his spot on Seattle's roster should ultimately be secure, so long as he stays on the path he seems to be on.
The talent, as Carroll and Lock alluded to, jumps off the page with Parkinson. He could be a dynamic threat in a retooled Seahawks offense, which should place a much larger emphasis on its tight ends with a new signal-caller under center, whether that's Lock, Geno Smith or someone else. But the team won't know what it actually has in the third-year tight end until he's given a real opportunity to showcase his tools.
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