Seahawks George Fant might be key to the season

Seahawks tight end/right tackle/left tackle George Fant is a riddle of a player. And that might just be a big reason Seattle makes the postseason.

What exactly is the Seahawks’ George Fant? Is he a tight end or a right tackle or a left tackle? Maybe he could take over at long-snapper or backup Michael Dickson at punter? Whatever Fant is, one thing is clear: He works his butt off the get the most out of his ability.

Remember how Seattle asked Fant to do something completely stupid in his rookie season of 2016? This was when Fant, who had never played left tackle in his life, was given the task of not only playing one of the most important positions in the NFL, but actually starting as a rookie. Granted, the Seahawks do some strange things with personnel moves, but this may have been the oddest.

Fant lined up a lot at tight end in 2018. This wasn’t meant to be as a position where Fant would get a lot of looks from Russell Wilson. Fant was really just a glorified right tackle who could have caught passes. As it was, he caught one and it wasn’t that pretty.

From offseason accounts, though, Fant has worked on his route running as it is assumed he will play the same kind of role in 2019 as he did last year. He probably still won’t catch many passes but he will be better prepared if he does.

Fant’s real importance comes with his potential. And I am not talking long-term. In 2018, Fant graded out well as a blocker, according to Pro Football Focus. He actually graded better, though in far fewer snaps, than starting right tackle Germain Ifedi. Last year was Ifedi’s best season but he still wasn’t great. If Ifedi regresses to his pre-2018 form, Fant could replace him as the starter.

If something awful happens and Duane Brown is injured, Fant might slide over and pick up his snaps. I am not saying Fant is as good as Brown; He isn’t. But Fant does have experience at left tackle and is much stronger than he was in 2016. Fant could be Brown’s replacement in a time of need.

Unless something changes, George Fant is expected to have minimal impact on the Seahawks 2019 season. But this is the NFL and changes always happen. Injuries occur and players have to step up and replace starters. Fant could potential replace two different positions and in doing so might become a key to Seattle’s success this year.