The Seattle Seahawks' 53-man roster is on the books. Sure, there will be at least a dozen changes before Week 1, but, wow. All 12s knew there were going to be some major changes to the roster, but one name really shocked me. Not because he was cut, but because he made it.
We've talked a lot about how the Seahawks have a decidedly different offensive philosophy under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Run the ball, then run the ball some more, and just for fun, ram it down the other team's throats. It worked pretty well with the first and second units on the field in the first two preseason games. Seattle even managed 130 yards on the ground in Week 3.
One thing we all knew was that Kubiak wanted tight ends to help that ground game move. Kubiak is happy to see a guy who can catch, sure. Elijah Arroyo was a lock to make the roster. But the OC loves a tight end who can block. That's the biggest reason I expected Noah Fant to be traded or cut; he simply wasn't a good blocker.
For that matter, the supposed blocking TE, A.J. Barner, was a much better receiver last year. But I never expected this.
Rookie tight end Nick Kallerup makes the Seattle Seahawks roster
Wait, what? Did the Seahawks cut Brady Russell after all, despite our prediction? Oh no... he's not listed at tight end. Oh, wait - there he is, at fullback. Whew. Weird, as rookie Robbie Ouzts made the cut too. I guess it's 1972 after all. Maybe Kubiak wanted to honor the inaugural team and their two fullbacks, Don Testerman and Hugh McKinnis.
Odd enough that Russell is listed at fullback, right? I mean, why not just group him with the tight ends? Oh, I see now. Because no team keeps five on its roster, and the Seahawks would have five on theirs, as crazy as that sounds. Arroyo and Barner are the no-brainers. Eric Saubert was thought to have a solid chance as well. And yeah, he made it. Gotta have another great blocking tight end.
But Nick Kallerup? An undrafted rookie making the roster as a fourth tight end seems wild. Especially when you see that in a four-year collegiate career, he caught 14 passes. That's 14 receptions in 57 games, 12s. A wide receiver in a tight end's body, he ain't.
At 6'5" and 270 pounds, Kallerup has one mission. If you had any doubts that the Seattle Seahawks are running the ball this year, erase them. Kubiak and Mike Macdonald have just served notice to the NFL: get ready, 'cause this is gonna hurt.