The Seahawks made what seemed to be a minor trade two days after the draft. Turns out it could have big repercussions for the Seahawks offense in 2019.
All 12s are familiar with the wizardry weaved by general manager John Schneider in the 2019 draft. A move that slipped under the radar a bit happened two days after the draft when the Seahawks traded a 2020 seventh-round pick to the Patriots for backup tight end Jacob Hollister. That small move could have a big impact on the Seahawks roster and scheme this season.
I said Hollister was a backup in New England. To be accurate, he was the backup to the backup. When Rob Gronkowski couldn’t go, the Pats turned to 2017 Pro Bowler James Develin, who split time between fullback and Gronk’s caddy. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Hollister still got a couple of starts in his two seasons in Foxborough. He was actually listed as a wide receiver last year.
This flexibility naturally drew the attention of the Seahawks, who love players that can shift to multiple spots on the field. Hollister only has eight catches in his career so far, but he has a few other items on his CV that stand out. He’s 6’4″ and 245 pounds and ran a 4.69 40. That isn’t world-beating time, but it’s at least two-tenths faster than either Will Dissly or Nick Vannett.
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I didn’t mention Ed Dickson for a couple of reasons. First, the listed 40 times for him range from 4.59 all the way to 4.73 seconds, depending on the source. I’ll assume the nine-year veteran has lost a step since the NFL Combine, so let’s say he has a slight edge on Hollister. The other reason I didn’t list Dickson is that he seems to increasingly be the odd man out of the tight end rotation for the Seahawks. The arrival of Hollister has a lot to do with that.
I think Dickson is very underrated, but there’s no disputing that Seattle doesn’t think he’s as useful as I do. Dissly is the starter, of course, but when he went down for the season, the Hawks turned to Vannett as his replacement. Dickson was on the injured list, but he said he was ready to go. Regardless, when Dickson was activated, Vannett kept the starting gig. Dickson played in 10 games last year but got just one start. Vannett played well, but he wasn’t exactly Rob Gronkowski.
Hollister could be just what the Seahawks need
Now here comes Hollister, who has a very different skill set than any of the three main tight ends on the roster. Dissly and Dickson are both renowned for their blocking skill, called the best blocking tight ends in college and the NFL, respectively. Vannett isn’t in their class as a blocker, but he’s certainly not Coby Fleenor or, you know, Jimmy Graham.
Hollister is not a blocking tight end, as you might guess from his move to wide receiver by the Patriots last year. What he can do is run routes, run them fast, and catch. In his senior season at Wyoming, he caught 32 passes for 515 yards and seven scores. That’s roughly what Vannett did in four years at Ohio State, and about double what Dissly accomplished at U-Dub. Not a knock on them; Hollister is just a different type of player.
Which is why I think his arrival means Dickson is the odd man out. Does it make sense to keep three tight ends on the roster that all have basically the same skill set? Especially when tackle George Fant can slide outside and play a goliath version of the same role? No, it doesn’t. It especially doesn’t make sense to keep Dickson’s cap hit of $4.4 million on the roster. Not when he’s not even the backup, and not when Hollister will cost almost $4 million less.
Seahawks like Hollister for his aggression, too
Hollister gives the Seahawks much more flexibility in scheme, too. He can clearly be split wide. Pete Carroll likes what he’s seen from Hollister in minicamp, too, as reported by Andy Patton for the Seahawks Wire of USA Today:
"“We’re really fired up that we got Jacob,” Carroll commented after the final day of minicamp on Thursday. “He’s different. This is a different dimension receiver at the tight end spot. He’s feisty and aggressive and sticks his head in there.”"
Yeah, Pete loves everybody, I know. He gets fired up about the sunrise, I’m sure. That’s a great way to live, by the way. But Hollister gives the Seahawks a weapon they don’t have right now. As much as Seattle runs, he’ll never be the number one tight end. At his price, he doesn’t need to be.
I can easily see him doubling Dickson’s production for a lot less money. That would be 24 catches and six scores. Okay, the touchdowns are a lot, but the catches aren’t. With the Hawks trying to formulate a plan to extend both Bobby Wagner and Jarran Reed, Hollister looks like a very attractive part of the solution.