Four players the Seahawks could trade before the season
By Geoff Shull
Seahawks trade number 1: TE Jacob Hollister to the Panthers
The Seahawks are stacked at the tight end position. Greg Olsen looks fresh coming into his first season with the team. Coaches have praised his leadership and playing speed. He looks like a true number one pass-catching tight end.
The next tight end is a fan favorite, Will Dissly. When healthy, Dissly is nearly dominant. He is about as complete of a tight end as they come. He can block with the best of them. His route running is crisp. His hands are soft. If he can remain healthy, he is the future of the tight end position for the team.
The Seahawks are planning to run a 12-personnel scheme. This means having 2 wide receivers and 2 tight ends starting. This brings me to Jacob Hollister. He is the first man off the bench, as it is currently. His value in this role is huge. This is especially true with both Dissly and Olsen having some recent injury concerns.
After Dissly went down last year, Hollister really stepped up to the challenge. He accumulated 41 catches, 349 yards and 3 touchdowns across 9 games. He was a steady producer for a position Russell Wilson truly values.
However, he is playing this year on a 1-year, $3.26 million contract. This is an expensive hit for a reserve player. He is also slated to be a free agent after the year, meaning he could be expensive to retain beyond 2020.
If it were just Dissly and Olsen on the roster, this would be a different conversation. However, rookies Colby Parkinson and Stephen Sullivan both have some very appealing upside as well.
By trading Hollister, it would allow some of the younger guys, that are likely to be around more than just 2020, get some meaningful snaps. Parkinson in particular looks like a Jimmy Graham clone in terms of red zone potential.
My proposed trade:
Why this trade makes sense for the Panthers:
In an off-season where franchise staple Greg Olsen left, the Panthers did little to add depth. They had full confidence in second-year tight end Ian Thomas. However, with camp firmly underway, Thomas has vastly underwhelmed. A report came out that Thomas has had a ‘kind of quiet camp.’ That is not what you want to hear about your starting tight end.
Trading an early day 3 pick for a solid contributor makes too much sense. Teddy Bridgewater needs as many weapons as possible to be successful. It doesn’t appear that Thomas is the answer. Hollister is just 26 years old and should just now be entering his prime.