Analyst Explains Seattle Seahawks' Plan For Noah Fant

Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant will have a big role to play in the offense.

Sep 24, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) runs for yards after the catch against the Carolina Panthers during the third quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks were rather quiet in free agency this offseason, primarily opting to re-sign their own players rather than add new faces.

While the Seahawks' biggest re-signing of the offseason was defensive end Leonard Williams, who Seattle acquired at last year's trade deadline, they also kept tight end Noah Fant around on a new two-year deal. Fant, who came over from the Denver Broncos as part of the Russell Wilson trade, has been a decent part of the offense over the past two years, but is expected to take a big leap forward with his new deal in place.

Fant finished last season with 414 yards, but perhaps more notably, averaged 12.9 yards per reception. As Seattle Sports analyst and former Seahawks quarterback Brock Huard explains, Fant's ability to stretch the field will be a huge part of the team's plan for him.

“There were just some numbers out this week talking about his yards per attempt, yards per reception,” Huard said on his "Brock and Salk" podcast. “He’s one of the top five (tight ends) in the NFL with the ability to truly stretch the field.

“I can see why Ryan Grubb was like, ‘Yep, I want that matchup guy. Just give me unique, different skill sets that I can move all over this chess board and create different matchups.'"

Fant is a tight end whose strength is as a receiver over blocking, but luckily, the Seahawks' moves this offseason should allow him to play to his strengths. With the addition of free agent pickup Pharaoh Brown and fourth-round pick A.J. Barner, two tight ends who specialize in blocking, Fant will be free to act primarily as a pass-catcher.

“I’m not gonna put him in as many situations where he’s gotta block,” Huard said. “I’m gonna use that other guy, Pharaoh (Brown), that guy can block, and we believe he’s one of the best run-blocking tight ends, so we’re gonna put that guy in many of those burden situations in the run game, and we’re gonna let (Fant), who can really run and stretch the field and the numbers tell us so and our eyes tell us so, we’re gonna use his strengths to really push the ball down the field and maximize in that position.”