Ultimately missing the playoffs in year one under coach Mike Macdonald, the Seattle Seahawks received solid – yet unspectacular – contributions from a tight end group featuring multiple established veterans and a rising rookie.

Did Noah Fant do enough to justify a new two-year contract signed last March? Could AJ Barner have flashed potential as a soon-to-be tight end No. 1 in Seattle?

Revisiting the 2024 campaign with statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus, here’s a look at what went right, what went wrong, and a final grade for Seahawks tight ends:

After only being used sparingly as a receiver in his lone season at Michigan, Barner surprised as a reliable option for Geno Smith in the passing game throughout his rookie season. Snagging 81 percent of his 37 targets, the fourth-round pick posted 245 receiving yards and four touchdowns, the second most by a rookie tight behind only Raiders budding star Brock Bowers. He did much of this damage with the ball in his hands, tallying 173 yards after the catch and a 5.8 yards after the catch per reception average while forcing six missed tackles.

Despite missing three games due to injury, Fant rebounded to an extent from a disappointing statistical season in 2023. He upped his catch total from 32 to 48, nearly matching his first season output in Seattle, while hitting the 500-yard mark for the first time since 2021. Like Barner, the athletic veteran found success creating yardage after the catch, averaging 5.9 yards after the catch per reception, which ranked ninth out of 45 qualified tight ends with at least 29 targets, along with coaxing seven missed tackles.

Injuries kept Brady Russell from playing in six of the final eight games, but when healthy, he remained one of the Seahawks best special teams players, racking up 10 tackles on kick and punt coverage in just 11 games. He also did well in limited action as a fullback/tight end hybrid in goal line and short yardage sets, receiving the highest run blocking grade for a tight end on the roster (67.3).

Signed to a one-year deal in free agency, the Seahawks planned on veteran Pharaoh Brown being a major difference maker in the run game as a blocker. However, after suffering a foot injury in training camp, he struggled mightily as a third tight end for the team, nearly generating as many holding penalties (four) as catches (eight) in 15 games. He also failed to make much of an impact as a blocker, finishing 47th out of 69 tight ends in run block grade (54.8) with at least 150 run blocking snaps.

While red zone productivity depends on the quarterback as well as play calling, Fant nearly extended his touchdown drought to two full seasons before finally finding the end zone in Seattle’s season finale. Even with a substantial spike in catches compared to the season prior, his average yards per reception dipped more than two full yards and he didn’t generate the consistent big plays in the passing game that he did in his first two years with the franchise. In addition, he regressed as a blocker, posting a dismal 42.3 run blocking grade.

For as well as Barner played for most of his rookie season, he did struggle with drops, finishing sixth among qualified tight ends with a 9.1 percent drop rate. He also drew plenty of yellow from officials, ranking seventh at his position with five penalties, including three holding calls and an unsportsmanlike conduct call.

From an expectations standpoint, the performance of Fant, Brown, and Barner functioned like an inverted bell curve. On one hand, there’s no question Barner stood out as one of Seattle’s most pleasant surprises, earning Smith’s trust as a viable target in the passing game while showing off his physicality running through tacklers and mixing it up in the trenches as an inline blocker. He looks to have a bright future as a focal point in new coordinator Klint Kubiak’s offense.

On the other hand, while Fant did boost his reception numbers, he still only scored a single touchdown and barely averaged 10 yards per reception, production that hardly fulfills the expectations that come with a two-year, $21 million contract. As for Brown, he was a relative non-factor in the passing game and didn’t help the Seahawks’ run game as envisioned, making his free agent signing a dud for general manager John Schneider.

Given Kubiak’s prior success implementing tight ends into his scheme, it’s not impossible that Fant could be back for the final year of his contract, but his status remains uncertain after another ho hum season with a cap hit north of $13 million in 2025. If the team does opt to go in a different direction, the tight end room could look dramatically different come July with Barner being the new building block for the group.

Previous 2024 Grade Cards: Quarterback | Running Back | Receiver | Cornerback | Safety | Linebacker

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