Local Star Projected to Make Seattle Seahawks 53-Man Roster

After signing with the team as an undrafted free agent, Jack Westover is hoping to stay in Washington as a member of the Seahawks.
Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Washington Huskies tight end Jack Westover (37) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Michigan Wolverines in the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Washington Huskies tight end Jack Westover (37) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Michigan Wolverines in the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks could have a local hero on their team for the upcoming season.

Jack Westover, who was third on the Washington Huskies in receptions in their historic 2023 campaign that ended in a National Championship loss to the Michigan Wolverines, signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Seahawks, who need tight end help more than most. On top of that, he's once again working with Ryan Grubb, who moved over to the NFL after being the Huskies' offensive coordinator last year.

That's why Bleacher Report believes Westover has a shot to make the 53-man roster.

"Westover signed as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks, which so happens to have his collegiate offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, taking over playing-calling duties," Bleacher Report writes. "Starting quarterback Geno Smith already took note of the undrafted rookie because of his understanding of the new offensive scheme. As a piece to the puzzle, Westover fits as a detached tight end behind Noah Fant, whereas Pharaoh Brown and fourth-round rookie AJ Barner are both in-line options."

Transforming from a walk-on into a valuable piece of a national championship runner-up in Montlake, Westover had 77 grabs over the last two seasons at Washington, and he could prove to be extremely valuable if Noah Fant, the Seahawks' other prominent receiving tight end, goes down with an injury or underperforms.

Westover still has an uphill battle to make the roster as an undrafted free agent, especially after the team invested a fourth-round pick in AJ Barner, but given his familiarity with Grubb and the Seahawks need for another pass-catching tight end, he's got a shot to be among the few non-draft rookies to make his team out of training camp.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.