Predicting 3 surprise starters for Seattle Seahawks in 2020

TE Colby Parkinson

At this moment, Colby Parkinson is buried on the Seahawks’ tight end depth chart. Reasonably, he’s no higher than fourth at this moment, sitting behind Greg Olsen, Will Dissly and Luke Willson in large part due to being an incoming rookie.

However, don’t expect that to last long.

Parkinson was a subtle star at Stanford, shining in their pro-style offense as both a receiver and blocker. He’s polished, boasting the plug-and-play abilities that often come built-in with Cardinal tight ends. Once the team is able to start practicing, we should see Parkinson start to put his intriguing mix of talents on display.

It also helps his case that the players ahead of him have their own issues heading into 2020. Olsen is 35 years old and has seen his effectiveness steadily decline in recent years. Dissly is coming off a torn Achilles and may not be back to full health before the season gets going. Willson has always been a solid depth piece, but he’s not talented enough as a receiver to start long-term.

That could lead to a door opening for Parkinson. He’s athletic enough to hurt defenses down the middle, sturdy enough of a blocker to see significant snaps as a rookie, and is reliable enough of an option in the passing game to earn Russell Wilson‘s trust.

Either way, the Seahawks will find a way to get Parkinson on the field. Before the 2020 campaign comes to a close, he’ll sit atop the tight end depth chart — at least temporarily.