With Colby Parkinson's Status Up in Air, Jacob Hollister Reunion Could Appeal to Seahawks

Unsure of when they can count on second-year tight end Colby Parkinson to make it back, the Seahawks may want to kick the tires on an old friend.

The initial 53-man rosters of all 32 teams won't be finalized until 1:00 p.m. PDT today, but early reports of who's getting their walking papers are naturally coming in at a rapid rate. For the Seahawks, a familiar face has just reportedly become available again.

In a fairly surprising move, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network is reporting that the Bills have parted ways with tight end Jacob Hollister. The Wyoming alum, of course, spent the past two seasons with the Seahawks after being acquired in a trade with the Patriots in April of 2019.

A surprise: The #Bills are releasing TE Jacob Hollister, per source.

He had 66 catches and six TDs over the past two seasons in Seattle. With so many teams looking for help at the position, Hollister should have options.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 31, 2021

In that time, Hollister put up 558 yards and six touchdowns on 66 receptions. He built a strong rapport with quarterback Russell Wilson and, at times, served as his most dependable tertiary receiving option behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. 

Hollister went on to sign with Buffalo as a free agent this offseason, inking a one-year, $1.1 million contract. He had three catches for 53 yards against the Packers, but went quiet for the team's two other preseason matchups.

Though the Seahawks essentially moved on from Hollister earlier this year, it's possible they could circle back under certain circumstances. 

Second-year tight end Colby Parkinson is currently nursing a foot injury that kept him out of all three preseason games, and his status for Week 1 is still very much up in the air. Seattle has already reportedly waived tight ends Cam Sutton and Ian Bunting, but 2020 undrafted free agent Tyler Mabry is still a possibility to make the active roster if it is determined Parkinson will be unable to go right away.

Would the Seahawks prefer Hollister over Mabry? It's certainly possible. Similar to Parkinson, Mabry also missed a good chunk of training camp due to a foot injury, but he was able to make his return before the team's preseason finale against the Chargers this past Saturday. He's still a bit of a project, offering a nice athletic profile with good blocking mechanics, and the team believes there's upside for him as a pass catcher. But if they're unsure he's ready for NFL action right now, there's a pretty good chance they'd be able to successfully sneak him through waivers and onto their practice squad. 

In an offense expected to heavily emphasize its tight ends group in its attack, the No. 3 man behind Gerald Everett and Will Dissly may actually get some considerable run in games. Hollister may be better suited to handle that responsibility than Mabry, but he—fully aware that his second stint in Seattle may come to an end as soon as Parkinson is healthy—may not want to return on a short-term basis, only to find himself back out on the open market in a few weeks' time. That, of course, could change if Parkinson lands on one of the physically unable to perform or injured reserve lists to open the season. 

Whatever the case may be, it shouldn't come as a surprise if the Seahawks do end up kicking the tires on Hollister. Wilson certainly wouldn't mind the additional weapon, even if it's only for a game or two.