Seattle Seahawks get a sneaky good tight end in fourth round of 2024 NFL draft

After losing TE Colby Parkinson to free agency and cutting TE Will Dissly the Seattle Seahawks needed to replace two tight ends. They already added TE Pharaoh Brown in free agency this offseason, so there was a good chance the Seahawks were going to take a tight end in the draft.

With the 121st pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seahawks selected tight end A.J. Barner from Michigan. Now the 'Hawks have found replacements for Parkinson and Dissly.

A.J. Barner gives the Seahawks depth at the tight end position a possible long-term fit at the position. TE Pharaoh Brown was signed to just a one-year contract. With the selection of A.J. Barner, they will now have one of their tight positions locked down for the next four years. Barner played in a run-heavy scheme at Michigan, which will be beneficial for a Seahawks team that wants to run the ball effectively with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.

Seahawks find future starting TE on day three and add depth to their tight end room

The Seahawks have been missing a tight end who can block effectively in the run game for a while now. Clearly, they wanted to upgrade that position this offseason bringing in two tight ends to replace Parkinson and Dissly. Pharaoh Brown and A.J. Barner are supposed to be better blocking tight ends and hopefully, they will have a big impact in the run game this season. Adding A.J. Barner was important to fill out the rest of their tight end room.

Figuring out the tight end position was critical for the Seahawks given that Seattle cut Will Dissly on top of having TE Noah Fant and TE Colby Parkinson become free agents. GM John Schneider was able to re-sign TE Noah Fant to a two-year, $21 million contract. He then signed TE Pharaoh Brown to a one-year $1.1 million deal. By drafting A.J. Barner on day three of the 2024 NFL Draft, John Schneider was able to fill out the rest of the tight end room.

A.J. Barner gives the Seahawks breathing room contract-wise, with two of their other tight ends on short-term deals. He also can make an immediate impact on the field as well. How the Seahawks use Barner in 2024 will be interesting. The most intriguing thing about Barner is the difference he will make in the Seahawks run game. The Seahawks found a solid TE prospect who can grow in OC Ryan Grubb's offense system on day three of the 2024 NFL Draft.

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