Seattle Seahawks TE Noah Fant Primed For Breakout Year

With new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb in the fold, Seahawks TE Noah Fant could be in for his best season to date.

Oct 29, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) celebrates after getting a first down against the Cleveland Browns during the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The offense for the Seattle Seahawks is going to be fascinating to watch under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Coming from offensive juggernaut Washington at the college level, the passing game was pivotal to his success and it should be a focus for the Seahawks.

We know that the wide receiver core is going to draw the most attention from pundits with D.K. Metcalf taking the Rome Odunze role and Jaxon Smith-Njigba set to see a bigger role. That doesn't include Tyler Lockett who is also going to get plenty of targets over the course of the season.

The X-factor for the Seahawks is going to be at tight end, however. The team lost Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson this offseason to free agency and added Pharaoh Brown and fourth-round pick A.J. Barner to fill their places. The intriguing piece is Noah Fant, who re-signed on a two-year contract in March.

A first-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2020 that was included in the Russell Wilson trade, Fant hasn't quite lived up to what comes with being the 20th overall pick. Tight end is notoriously difficult to transition to the National Football League, which is why the Seahawks gave Fant another two-year audition to see if he can live up to his potential.

In 2023, Fant caught just 32 passes for 414 yards with zero touchdowns. As the fourth option, that's not terrible, but there is more we can see from Fant. Nic Bodiford of Pro Football Focus took a look at how Fant could break out in 2024 and related it back to how Grubb used tight ends at Washington.

Fant’s prospects are also enhanced by Seattle’s incoming offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who operated as Washington’s assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2022-2023, leading his 2023 squad to the College Football Playoff Championship. During Grubb’s tenure, Washington tight ends totaled the seventh-most first-read targets (131) via the 25th-highest deep-target rate (12.2%), producing two top-four marks in expected points added (EPA) per play (0.427) and positive EPA rate (55.4%), ranked among 70 Power Five teams during that span.

Grubb’s regular season offense totaled the third-most regular season passing attempts (965) among 70 Power Teams over the last two seasons. Including the playoffs, the unit averaged the 13th-most plays per drive (6.5), which helps protect Seattle’s passing volume, should the defensive-minded MacDonald occasionally instruct Grubb to employ a more run-heavy approach.

- PFF's Nic Bodiford

Bodiford also mentions that head coach Mike Macdonald saw how successful Mark Andrews was during his time with the Baltimore Ravens and that might translate to how the Seahawks could use Fant in Grubb's offense.

Will Fant end up being a dynamite fantasy option or a bona fide No. 1 tight end? That is hard to say for now. But the blueprint is there for Fant to thrive, especially with the continuity he's built with Geno Smith and all of the talent around him that will garner attention from opposing defenses.