Veteran Tight End Embracing Leadership Role in Seattle
Moving past last season and going into the upcoming 2025 season. The Seahawks have always thought one thing: how different the offensive line has been acting this year compared to previous seasons. Mainly in an attempt to get the tight ends more involved in the upcoming season. The tight end trio of veteran Eric Saubert, AJ Barner, and rookie Elijah Arroyo has been an integral part in being able to help bring the Seahawks' tight end line back to life. Eric Saubert himself had a few things to comment on directly as well.
“We’ve heavily relied on it to do a lot of things here, right?” Saubert said. “It’s a lot of responsibilities on our plate. We've got to be on point in the run game as well as the pass game. So when you have that role, whether or not you’re catching a pass, you’re contributing at the point of attack, you’re helping move the chains.”
You have to throw in Brady Russell as well, who is on the team roster as a fullback, after he had been switched from tight end to fullback this past offseason, even if he has been used as a tight end in training camp. Coach Macdonald commented, “I think what Brady brings to the table is he can do tight end stuff, and that makes you multiple on offense and how you can form stuff.”
Saubert and Arroyo both had gotten in some reps during last week’s preseason game, and Macdonald added on, “I thought they showed up. I thought they were physical; I thought they finished plays. The exciting thing was that you felt them on special teams, the physicality. I think we’ve got a great room. Mack Brown is doing a tremendous job with those guys. They’re kind of like the silent engine of what we’re doing on offense, too. We ask a lot of those guys, and I think they’re playing good football for us.”
The different uses of tight ends in Kubiak’s offense will provide Seattle with versatility, whether that be blocking or pass catching. “We’re tone setters,” Barner said of the tight end room. “I think of Devon Witherspoon, that’s how I want my role and the rest of the tight ends to be. We’re bringing juice, we’re setting the tone and playing defense, but on offense with the ball in our hands and blocking.”
On Saubert, Macdonald had more to say in terms of his game. “He doesn’t feel like a guy we just picked up for a year. It feels like he’s a true Seahawk, so that’s exciting.” For the rookie Arroyo, he’s been taking notes on Saubert and trying to learn as much as he can. “That is the guy right there,” Arroyo said. “He is the vet. He has also been in the league for a minute now. I have been following him around, trying to get his after-practice routine and trying to figure out ways to get my body right. I want to ultimately play in this league for a long time as well.”
