Will Ryan Grubb, Seahawks Pursue Ex Huskies to Rebuild Tight End Group?

As Noah Fant and Colby Parkinson prepare to test free agency, the Seattle Seahawks may be in the market for multiple tight ends this offseason, and a pair of Washington Huskies could make sense to reunite with Ryan Grubb in the 2024 NFL Draft.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - As the start of a new league year rapidly approaches in less than three weeks, the Seattle Seahawks have several big decisions looming with 14 players set to hit the market as unrestricted free agents, including tight ends Noah Fant and Colby Parkinson.

In terms of stability, the Seahawks didn't have another position on the roster with more continuity than tight end last season. Parkinson, Fant, and Will Dissly all returned after combining for more than 1,000 receiving yards in 2022, while the team also brought back practice squad tight end Tyler Mabry. But after a somewhat disappointing season from the group, big changes could be on the horizon with a new coaching staff coming to town.

With an estimated $12 million in salary cap space currently and players such as Leonard Williams and Jordyn Brooks being top priorities, Seattle may not have the financial ability to retain Fant and/or Parkinson, who each will be unrestricted free agents on March 13. In order to sign any of their own free agents, Dissly may be a top cap casualty candidate carrying a $10 million cap hit in 2024, putting the tight end group in even greater flux.

If there's a reason for optimism at the tight end spot, however, the Seahawks could be undergoing a transformation at the position at the perfect time for general manager John Schneider to quickly restock the cupboard. Led by Georgia All-American Brock Bowers, who could be a top-10 pick, this year's draft class has great talent and depth at tight end with the potential for five or more players to fly off the board in the first three rounds.

Evolving from walk on into an All-Pac 12 tight end, Jack Westover's unique story looks poised to add NFL draft pick as a new chapter in April

Making the situation even better for Schneider and Seattle, the team has extra insight on two potential targets who played key roles in new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's offense at Washington in Jack Westover and Devin Culp. Even with a trifecta of future NFL receivers getting most of the targets from Heisman finalist Michael Penix Jr., the duo combined for 62 receptions, 641 yards, and six touchdowns as the Huskies marched to the National Championship game.

Among the 16 tight ends to be invited to this year's combine, Westover and Culp were the only pair of teammates who traveled to Indianapolis to meet with prospective teams. With Grubb coaching them as recently as two months ago, neither has met with Seattle this week for formal interviews, but that doesn't mean the team won't have interest in reuniting one of them with their former play caller.

Heralding from Mount Si High School in North Bend, Washington, Westover didn't begin playing football until his senior year after starring on the basketball court and unfortunately missed all but two games due to injury. Despite that limited experience, however, he believed he could play at the highest level and chose to walk on at Washington rather than accept scholarship offers from Eastern Washington and Montana.

"When I showed up, I was still kind of learning," Westover recalled on Thursday. "When I got there, my basketball background was a key part in my early success as a player such as my ability with body control, releases, route running, and all that. But I had to put on weight on and got my start playing fullback doing iso blocks and obviously my role grew from that."

Two years later, after impressing then-coach Jimmy Lake with his work ethic while playing in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman, the Huskies awarded Westover with a scholarship. By the time Kalen Deboer and Grubb arrived in tandem in 2022, he had developed from a skinny walk-on fullback into a viable Power Five tight end and the new coaching staff helped him catapult his game to the next level.

Emerging as a capable big play threat in Grubb's offense, Westover hauled in 31 passes for 342 yards for the Huskies as a junior in 2022, averaging 11 yards per reception. He took another solid step forward as a senior, consistently coming through in the clutch while posting 46 receptions for 433 yards and four touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown for good measure, earning Honorable Mention All-Pac 12 distinction.

In addition, per Pro Football Focus, Westover ranked 11th out of 81 qualified tight ends in run blocking grade (78.7) in 2022 and once again finished 11th in 2023, playing a vital role in springing running back Dillon Johnson for over 1,100 rushing yards last season.

"I think the thing for tight ends is really when every tight end gets to college, no tight end knows how to block," Westover smiled. "So everybody is at a base level and from there you're just kind of learning and I had great guys to learn from in Drew Sample and Cade Otten and Hunter Bryant. They kind of laid it out in front of me and I was able to learn from what they did."

Westover wasn't the only Huskies tight end to garner All-Pac 12 honors last season, as Culp made his own mark on Grubb's offense as a secondary pass catcher. In each of his final three years on campus, he posted over 200 receiving yards while averaging more than 11 yards per catch twice, demonstrating the ability to be a reliable chain mover in limited opportunities.

Though blocking wasn't always a strength for Culp, he grew leaps and bounds in that department during his time at Montlake. After posting a mediocre 62.7 run blocking grade in his junior season, he finished just behind Westover with a 73.0 grade last year, ranking 12th out of 207 qualified tight ends in the country and putting his own work in creating running room for Johnson.

Reflecting on his time at Washington during his combine session with media members, Culp credited Grubb for his ability to put players in a position to excel and suggested he would love for the opportunity to play for him again in the NFL.

"The offense gives you an opportunity to utilize every single player in specific ways and I think Coach Grubb did a great job of finding ways to highlight each and every one of us on that side of the ball," Culp said.

While Culp will take part in on-field drills this week in Indianapolis, Westover underwent surgery on his left hand and will be unable to participate. Still, the chance to make a positive impression speaking with teams provides an invaluable opportunity for both of them to improve their draft stock, and in the case of the Seahawks, they should already have a strong idea of what both players are capable of.

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Looking towards the upcoming season and beyond, Schneider told reporters on Tuesday that he hopes to be able to re-sign Parkinson and Fant. But with so many other players slated to hit the market, that may be a tall task for the organization, and adding Dissly's uncertain future to the equation makes it highly likely at least one or two new faces will be taking on significant roles at tight end for the team next season.

In a deep class at the position, the Seahawks could opt to invest one of their three selections in the first three rounds on a top tight end. But plenty of quality options should be on the board on day three, including local standouts in Westover and Culp, whose familiarity with Grubb's scheme and versatile all-around skill sets would make them ideal candidates to take the torch if Dissly, Parkinson, and/or Fant departs.