Seattle Seahawks' Jake Bobo 'Getting In Groove,' Carving Out Larger Role

Whether delivering clutch third down catches or throwing his body around as a blocker, Jake Bobo continues to do everything right for the Seattle Seahawks, and his performance has started to lead to increased snaps on offense.

RENTON, Wash. - Looking to make an early statement against the Cincinnati Bengals by capping off the Seattle Seahawks' opening drive with six points, Geno Smith prepared to take the snap under center just a yard away from paydirt and quickly tapped his left foot, sending receiver Jake Bobo in motion.

As Bobo sprinted full speed towards the quarterback and approached left tackle Charles Cross, Smith took the snap and handed the ball off to running back Ken Walker III with an unexpected guest out in front of him. Entrusted with lead block duties off his pre-snap motion, the rookie wideout welcomed the challenge and dished out a key block on safety Dax Hill, paving the way for his teammate to slip past the goal line and give Seattle an early 7-0 advantage.

Speaking with media prior to Thursday's practice, when asked whether he feels like a fullback when he goes in motion as he did on lead blocking for Walker, Bobo's smile gave a more than sufficient answer before he even had a chance to respond verbally.

“Heck yeah, but I embrace it," Bobo said. "I enjoy it, getting in the box with the big fellas, with the hoggies and tearing it up in there, it’s fun.”

I would seriously entertain doing this more often with Jake Bobo in the run game. You can tell how much joy he gets from blocking and Ken Walker III follows right behind him for six points. #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/EUsergKOeO

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) October 17, 2023

Thankful for any and every opportunity presented to him as an unheralded undrafted rookie, Bobo quickly endeared himself to coaches and teammates in Seattle upon his arrival in the spring with his all-around game and instincts. While his success on the field may still be surprising to those outside of the VMAC, the team has come to expect the former UCLA standout to get the job done on game day as he did in Cincinnati.

Drawing unprompted praise from coach Pete Carroll way back in June and inspiring the "More Bobo" movement at practice, Bobo has proven to be more than just an OTA or preseason superstar. Now five games into his NFL career, he continues to make the most of the chances granted to him, regardless of whether his contributions show up on the box score or not, and his confidence keeps growing as he gradually earns more playing time by week.

“I think experience just in general, whether it’s on the field, during the week, just kind of getting in a groove helps me a ton," Bobo said. "I think being able to contribute whether it’s in the pass game, in the run game, has definitely boosted my confidence a little bit to where I can get more comfortable, and kind of see myself making some plays on Sundays. That definitely helps mentally for sure.”

Since playing only 12 snaps in his Week 1 debut, Bobo has played at least 21 offensive snaps each of the past three games and with Smith looking his way more often, he has indeed started to make plays on Sundays. After demonstrating excellent footwork along the sideline to reel in a five-yard touchdown to help seal a win over the Panthers in Week 3, both of his receptions against the Bengals on Sunday went 20 or more yards and advanced the Seahawks into the red zone.

Showcasing his underrated physicality after the catch, Bobo's first catch came on a 10-yard curl on 3rd and 8 and after turning upfield, he broke a pair of tackles before dragging multiple defenders down to the Cincinnati five-yard line for a 23-yard gain. Later in the third quarter, he used every bit of his 6-4 frame to rise up and reel in a high throw from Smith, holding onto the football while absorbing an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit from Hill for a 20-yard pickup.

Relishing every moment in a Seahawks uniform as a receiver and blocker, Jake Bobo's enthusiasm for the game can be seen every time he takes the field / © Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Bobo bounced right up with a huge smile on his face in celebration and though he was forced off the field for concussion evaluation before the next snap, the resulting penalty added to the explosive catch pushed Seattle back into the red zone for an eventual Jason Myers field goal.

“I don’t know what the safety’s name was, but he put it on me pretty good. Got to give him credit but I’ll take the 15," Bobo said of Hill's hit.

Away from capitalizing on his limited targets as a receiver, Bobo hasn't been a one-hit wonder in the blocking department either. On numerous occasions already this season, he has been seen making physical blocks on the outside, including taking out two defenders on a five-yard run by Walker in the season opener and dishing out multiple blocks on a long run by Zach Charbonnet in Detroit one week later.

On a weekly basis, Bobo continues to demonstrate immense value to Seattle's offense beyond his pass catching ability by eagerly dishing out punishment as a blocker and also contributing on special teams. According to Pro Football Focus, he currently has the second-best run blocking grade (87.0) among receivers with at least 50 run blocking snaps this season.

After nervously waiting out the cutdown process in late August, Bobo isn't sweating it worrying about how many snaps he plays for the Seahawks. Simply grateful to have the chance to wear the uniform each week and excited to continue playing the sport he loves in front of a rabid fan base, his focus remains on doing the best he can with whatever tasks the team asks him to do and keeping his spot.

But as he keeps producing and taking advantage of his opportunities, the More Bobo movement continues to gain steam full speed ahead. Already a fan favorite due to his fun, charismatic personality and willingness to handle the dirty work between the lines, he looks to be just getting started in the Pacific Northwest.

"I’m just trying to find a role, whether that’s in the run game, whether that’s in the pass game. I’m just kind of happy to make an impact on the game, positive impact, for sure.”