Field Gulls
The Seahawks’ starting tight end has a year left on his contract, but it’s not a total lock that he’ll remain on the team entering the regular season.
Veteran tight end Noah Fant arrived in Seattle in the Russell Wilson trade. The idea was that he could achieve what was expected of him when he was drafted in the first round by the Denver Broncos. The change of scenery didn’t help much. Even so, his contract was renewed, and his production has been meager. He has 130 receptions, 1,400 yards, and only 5 TDs through three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.
Fant went all of 2023 without a score, and his only TD in 2024 was in the last game of the year. Fant has only reached 50 receptions once as a Seahawk (in 2022), and the 500 yards he had in 2024 marked his best output since the trade.
Targets: 62 (26 out of 43 tight ends with at least 30 targets)
Receptions: 48 (21)
Receiving Yards: 500 (18)
Touchdowns: 1 (41)
YPR (yards per reception): 10.4 (31st, lowest since his time in Denver)
PFF Receiving Grade: 70.2 (28)
PFF Pass Block Grade: 34.5 — sixth-worst among qualified tight ends
PFF Run Block Grade: 42.3 — seventh-worst among qualified tight ends
Drops: 2 (16)
Drop Rate: 4% (20)
With Seattle teammates: AJ Barner (rookie) had 30 receptions, 245 yards, and 4 TDs — a promising performance for a first season.
Excellent route selling a post and cutting out. Geno Smith’s pass takes a while to arrive and Fant has to wait, otherwise he could have achieved more after the catch.
5.9 yards after catch (9th among 45 TEs with at least 27 targets), total of seven broken tackles (13th). From memory, Fant’s best plays in Seattle were improvised plays where he broke tackles to make a big run. This play is an example of him helping the QB in the scramble. We have a pass from Drew Lock against the Giants and one from Geno against the Cardinals, but it’s very little.
With a low average (~10 Y/R), he lacks explosiveness comparable to elite TEs. He could have been used much more in the end zone. Plays where he could fight for the ball like he did here. It’s still very few.
I’m not placing any blame on Fant here; Geno’s play was terrible. But it’s just an example of how he rarely fights for the ball; he infrequently uses his 6’4 frame as a shield to protect the ball in the middle of the field. Fant is a player with the tools, but he needs to use them.
Beneath-average blocking: PFF grade of 34.5 and ranked 47th among 69 tight ends.
He has a poor base, close-knit feet, and uneven weight distribution. This is the result....
