Well, I’d start with getting the tight ends more involved.
The Seahawks have used multiple tight ends often, but their role in the passing game has been way down compared with what I expected under Fleury, the former 49ers tight ends coach. It’s especially stark on third down, where only one target has gone to a tight end (Barner) all season. Scheme up some ways to take the pressure off Smith-Njigba, and get Barner and Elijah Arroyo more touches on third down.
When the Seahawks hired former 49ers tight ends coach Brian Fleury as their offensive coordinator, there was an assumption that AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo and Eric Saubert would be more prominently featured in Seattle’s offense. Such has not been the case through four games. Both Arroyo and Saubert have been non-factors, combining for three receptions, 20 receiving yards and one touchdown. Barner leads the position group with nine receptions for 102 receiving yards, but he also dropped two passes Sunday. His production is down relative to last year, too, when he broke out with career highs in receptions (52), receiving yards (519) and touchdowns (six). This is despite Seattle playing with at least two tight ends (counting Brady Russell as a tight end) on 62.4 percent of snaps, the third-highest rate in the league.
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