Seahawks' offense may have found the missing piece amid shootout loss

It was a slow start for the Seattle Seahawks' offense at home against Tampa Bay, but once Klint Kubiak’s unit caught its footing, the game evolved into a high-scoring shootout as each offense traded blows. In the end, it didn’t prove to be enough to win, but Seattle may have unlocked the secret weapon in their offense in the process.

Sam Darnold focused on his usual top targets, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, to get the offense going, but in the red zone, he leaned on his big ‘blocking’ tight end, A.J. Barner.

Barner had a career day,  hauling in all seven of his targets for 53 yards and two scores, all single-game highs in his young career.

Seattle Seahawks may have found an under-the-radar difference-maker in A.J. Barner

A fourth-round pick out of Michigan in 2024, Barner’s role wasn’t so clear heading into the season. Noah Fant was still on the roster, and rookie second-rounder Elijah Arroyo carried the hype as a dynamic pass-catcher through training camp.

Naturally, the typical Big Ten in-line tight end was miscast by outsiders as the primary blocking tight end option for the run-heavy Kubiak scheme. But this season, he’s proven to be more of a complete player than anyone wanted to give him credit for.

After his career performance Sunday that nearly doubled his season totals, Barner now has 14 catches on 16 targets for 135 yards and four scores. Through five games, even with modest overall production, so far, he’s proven to be the most productive option at the position.

Barner has already picked up half of his total production as a rookie, where he caught 30 passes for 285 yards and four scores. 

It’s tantalizing to think this type of performance could mean big things are in store for Barner. His stats aren’t competing with the Brock Bowers of the league, but if he’s proving to be a reliable underneath option, it’s certainly possible he could evolve into a real X-factor for Kubiak’s offense.

Of course, if this is a sign of a potential breakout for Barner, he’ll have to continue to stack such reliable performances week to week. Considering he’s been making the most of his targets so far this season, he could be due for more going forward.