Despite finishing with a winning record for a second straight season, the Seattle Seahawks weren't fortunate enough to earn a playoff spot in 2023, bringing a disappointing season to a close earlier than expected.
After combining for over 1,000 receiving yards as a group in 2022, tight ends Noah Fant, Will Dissly, and Colby Parkinson all returned to form one of Seattle's best positional groups. Unfortunately, while the three players all made positive contributions at times, they weren't able to come close to posting the numbers they produced a year earlier, creating questions about the future at the position with Fant and Parkinson slated to hit free agency.
Continuing my annual post-season report card series, I hand out my year-end grades with areas of strength and areas of improvement while taking a look into the crystal ball to see what's next for the Seahawks at tight end.
*All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.
Noah Fant
Overall Grade: 78.0
Areas of Strength: Making the most of his somewhat limited chances as a receiver, Fant caught 32 out of 42 targets with only a pair of drops. Finishing second on the team in yards per reception behind DK Metcalf, seven of his receptions netted at least 20 yards, including a 51-yard catch in a Week 4 win over the Giants. Continuing to be effective with the football in his hands, he ended the season ranked seventh out of 40 qualified tight ends with 5.7 yards after the catch per reception.
As a blocker, Fant earned a respectable 72.1 grade in pass protection and finished 23rd out of 50 qualified tight ends as a run blocker, showing further improvement in an area that used to be a major limitation in his game.
Areas of Improvement: While other factors played into his diminished receiving numbers, including a broken hand suffered early in Seattle's season finale at Arizona, he had seven games with one or less receptions and seven games with fewer than 10 receiving yards. Though he missed out on a few close calls, he also failed to find the end zone for the first time in his NFL career, rarely being targeted by Geno Smith in the red zone.
Will Dissly
Overall Grade: 76.0
Areas of Strength: Formerly playing defensive line at Washington before transitioning to tight end, Dissly remained a catalyst for Seattle's run game as a blocker, often functioning like a sixth offensive lineman. Consistently holding his own in the trenches against bigger defenders, he received the top run blocking grade (77.2) out of 50 qualified tight ends. Kept in for extra support on passing plays quite a bit to help an injury-marred offensive line, he also finished first in pass protection grade (83.5), allowing zero pressures on 37 pass blocking snaps.
Despite lacking Fant's athletic traits, Dissly also did plenty of damage with the ball in his hands. On just 17 receptions, he generated seven missed tackles and averaged 7.5 yards after the catch per reception, which ranked fourth out of 70 tight ends with 15 or more targets in 2023.
Areas of Improvement: In a similar fashion to Fant, Dissly disappeared for large stretches as a pass catcher over the course of the season. Most notably, he totaled one reception for four yards during a five game span in October and November. In 10 of the 16 games he played in, he produced one or zero receptions and only had five games with more than 10 receiving yards. He also caught only one touchdown, tying his previous career low.Â
Colby Parkinson
Overall Grade: 72.0
Areas of Strength: Playing at his best in clutch situations, Parkinson hauled in a game-winning touchdown in the red zone to defeat the Titans in Week 16. One of the more reliable pass catchers at his position, he caught 25 out of 31 targets for an 80 percent catch rate, which ranked ninth out of 52 tight ends with at least 25 targets. Light years ahead of where he was coming into the league out of Stanford, he also enjoyed a strong season as a run blocker, finishing with the eighth-best grade (64.1) among qualified tight ends.
Areas of Improvement: Even with an impressive catch rate, Parkinson's numbers would have been even better if not for a pair of drops and a 7.4 percent drop rate. Unlike his tight end counterparts, he wasn't effective creating after the catch, finishing with under 100 yards after the catch and just 3.6 yards after the catch per reception. Penalties were also a significant issue for the fourth-year tight end, as he finished with six penalties, including three holding infractions and an offensive pass interference.
What's Next?
Considering how well Seattle's tight end corps played two years ago, the front office may want to try to keep the band together under a new coaching staff. But that won't be easy with Fant and Parkinson both becoming unrestricted free agents and Dissly carrying a hefty cap hit north of $10 million on the final year of his contract.
In the scheme of things, whether fair or not, Fant has posted pedestrian numbers in his two seasons with the Seahawks. As a former first-round pick, he may generate significant interest on the free agent market and quite frankly, he hasn't done enough to justify a significant multi-year investment since coming over as part of the Russell Wilson trade. As for Dissly, his lack of contributions in the passing game could make his price tag untenable with a new regime set to take over.
Depending on who Seattle hires and what the market looks like for tight ends in free agency, it's possible all three tight ends could be back. But with Dissly being a potential cap casualty and Fant and Parkinson not under contract, it's also not out of the question that the group could be completely overhauled with a brand new cast of characters. As far as uncertainty goes, this positional unit would rank near the top of the list entering this offseason.
Previous Seahawks Report Cards: Quarterback, Defensive Tackle, Running Back, EDGE/Outside Linebacker, Receiver, Inside Linebacker
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