Seahawks should look into the Delanie Walker situation

The Seahawks victory in Cleveland came with a massive asterisk in the loss of emerging star tight end Will Dissly. Naturally, the question of who replaces “Uncle Will” has come front and center in most minds.

Right now, the big tight end name being rumored as available is the Tampa Bay Bucs former first-round pick, O.J. Howard. And that does make a lot of sense on the surface. The Seahawks love taking chances on talent, particularly those with first-round pedigrees.

Howard’s 2019 season has been awful as Bruce Arians and his staff just haven’t figured out a way to consistently get Howard the ball. An upgrade in situation and quarterback could help Howard, who will likely be pretty cheap at the deadline.

But while Howard is the flashy and fun addition, perhaps there is a veteran who makes a bit more sense. Maybe somebody like current Tennesee Titans tight end Delanie Walker. If that name sounds familiar, you may remember Walker’s days as Vernon Davis‘ backup in San Francisco.

Walker has moved onto the Titans in recent years and has flourished as the starter ever since. From 2013 to 2017, Walker averaged 71 catches for 830 yards and 5 touchdowns. An injury forced him to miss nearly all of 2018, but Walker is back and healthy in 2019.

Thus far, he is off to a nice start this season and is on pace to snag 56 catches for just under 600 yards and 5 TDs with a bad QB situation around him. The Titans fancy themselves a playoff contender, so it may take some convincing that they should look to deal their 35-year-old TE.

But Walker has been pretty vocal about some of the Titans problems on the field, is banged up, and the team does have a young replacement ready to go in Jonnu Smith. Walker’s prowess as a pass-catcher is a nice addition to the play-action heavy Seahawks, as is his above-average run blocking.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle would be the contract of Walker, who is set to make roughly $2.3 million for the remainder of this season and has a projected $8.3 million cap hit for 2020. The team could cut Walker and save roughly $6 million after 2019.

But Will Dissly‘s injury is a serious one and there is no guarantee he will make it back by the first month or two of 2020. Walker’s veteran presence and solid on the field production make him an appealing option for the Seahawks. If he can be had for a 4th or 5th round pick, he may just well be worth the gamble.