Seahawks don’t miss Jimmy Graham one bit, are back on their game

Ed Dickson has been just what the Seahawks needed

Dickson missed the first six games of the season. He hasn’t been as prolific as Graham, no. What he has been is efficient. The man Pro Football Focus identified as the best pass-blocking tight end in 2017 has 12 catches on 13 targets. Add in his three touchdowns, and that it seems virtually every other catch was for a critical first down, and Dickson has come up big.

Nick Vannett hasn’t been as efficient as Dickson, as he’s caught just 27 of his 40 targets. To be fair, he’s caught six of his seven targets in the last five games. Like Dickson, Vannett has three touchdowns. He’s still caught more touchdowns than Graham has this year, with almost exactly half the catches.

As for Mr. Dissly, we can’t wait to see him back on the field next year. In the four games the rookie started, he caught eight of his fourteen targets. Not a great rate, but he’s a rookie, and that’s about what Graham averaged for the Seahawks last year. In four games, Dissly hauled in two touchdowns.

Combined, the Seahawks tight ends have 49 catches on 69 targets, a catch rate of 71 percent. Yes, I included the two catches by the magnificent George Fant and the athletic Tyrone Swoopes. The group also accounted for eight touchdowns. Pretty good for a couple of blocking specialists and a third-stringer. Of course, this production is all on top of the improved blocking that has tunred the Seahawks back into a solid offense.