Continuing a March 5 roster purge at the VMAC, the Seattle Seahawks will be saying goodbye to one of their longest-tenured players.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network and confirmed by multiple sources to All Seahawks, along with releasing veteran safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, the Seahawks will also release seventh-year tight end Will Dissly. Entering the final year of his current contract, the move will save the team $7 million in cap space and the 27-year old will now hit the market for the first time.
Drafted in the fourth round of out Washington in 2018, Dissly emerged as a surprising pass catching option for then-quarterback Russell Wilson in his first two seasons, catching 31 passes for 418 yards and six touchdowns in only 10 games. Unfortunately, both of those promising seasons abruptly ended with serious lower leg injuries, as he ruptured his patellar tendon as a rookie and tore his Achilles tendon in 2019.
Rebounding from those severe injuries, Dissly played in at least 15 games in each of the past four seasons for the Seahawks, consistently ranking among Pro Football Focus' highest-graded run blocking tight ends. Last season, he graded out as the third-best run blocker at his position with at least 90 snaps behind only 49ers tight ends George Kittle and Charlie Woerner.
But while Dissly has been much healthier in recent years, he has never been able to replicate the receiving production he provided in his first two injury-marred seasons. After posting solid numbers with 34 receptions for 349 yards and three touchdowns in 2022, his statistics plunged across the board last season, as he recorded only 17 receptions, his lowest total since playing in just four games as a rookie.
With the Seahawks only having an estimated $12 million in cap room and several key free agents to try to re-sign, including defensive tackle Leonard Williams and linebacker Jordyn Brooks, Dissly stood out as a potential cap casualty candidate. Carrying a cap hit of $10 million in 2024, while valuable as a blocker, his lack of receiving contributions made that far too expensive of a price point to retain him.
Assuming Dissly moves on and signs elsewhere, Seattle could have a dramatically different looking tight end group next season. Noah Fant and Colby Parkinson will both be unrestricted free agents when the new league year opens on March 13 and it's possible one or both could sign elsewhere, leaving only Tyler Mabry returning from last year's roster.
Of course, it's also possible Fant and/or Parkinson could be re-signed in part due to the money opened up by releasing Dissly, Adams, and Diggs. Depending how the market shakes out, Dissly could return on a less expensive deal as well. Regardless, there are a lot of moving parts right now and with Tuesday's moves, it seems probable there will be significant turnover at the tight end position with free agency and the draft looming.
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