Seattle Seahawks DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Seattle Seahawks rookie tight end AJ Barner (hamstring), who didn't take part in rookie minicamp, is still sidelined during organized team activities this week due to a hamstring injury. It remains to be seen if Barner's hamstring issues will keep him sidelined for the start of training camp at the end of July, but he's still missing valuable repetitions as he tries to learn Seattle's offense heading into his first NFL season. The 22-year-old was taken in the fourth round of last month's NFL draft and was considered more of a project at the position, so he was unlikely to play a key role in 2024 anyway. When healthy, he's going to provide the Seahawks with depth at the tight end position behind Noah Fant, Pharaoh Brown, Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson. At best, Barner may be a red-zone weapon for the Seahawks offense down the road.

The Seattle Seahawks are in the early stages of installing new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's offense during organized team activities this spring. However, quarterback Geno Smith feels that he has "a really good grasp" of the offense so far and that it fits his skillset in a few ways. "I feel like I'm a dropback passer and I feel like this is a dropback offense," Smith said. The signal-caller went on to describe it as "an offense that's going to spread the ball around and trust the quarterbacks to make the right decisions... pre-and-post snap. I feel like that's something I'm really good at." A spread offense would be good for Smith and his receivers. The 33-year-old was a Pro Bowler in each of the last two years, but he was definitely not as productive in 2023 and missed two games with injuries. Smith probably won't ever be as good as his 2022 campaign again, but he can be a serviceable No. 2 in superflex fantasy formats.

The Seattle Seahawks selected Michigan tight end AJ Barner with the No. 121 overall pick in the fourth round on Saturday in the 2024 NFL draft. Barner is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-6, but his lack of production in four seasons at Indiana and Michigan (64 catches, 610 yards, five touchdowns) leaves a lot to be desired as he moves to the next level. The 21-year-old also isn't extremely athletic, but he'll have some opportunity in Seattle to make a name for himself as he starts out behind Noah Fant and Pharaoh Brown on the tight end depth chart in his rookie season in 2024. Fantasy managers should only consider Barner as a developmental prospect in deep rookie-only drafts this fall.

The Las Vegas Raiders have signed interior offensive lineman Cody Whitehair, according to NFL insider Field Yates. The 31-year-old was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 2016 NFL Draft, and he spent his entire eight-year NFL career in the Windy City before becoming a free agent this offseason. He earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2018. Whitehair has played in 124 games (118 starts) and has experience at both left guard and center. The Raiders could take a swing on a quarterback in the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft, and building up the offensive line is a key priority, as shown by this signing.

The Seattle Seahawks signed exclusive-rights free-agent tight end Brady Russell, defensive end Myles Adams, offensive guard McClendon Curtis, offensive tackle Raiqwon O'Neal and linebacker Joshua Onujiogu on Monday. The team also signed restricted free-agent cornerback Michael Jackson and linebacker Jon Rhattigan. Russell joined the Seahawks in 2023 as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado and played 308 snaps on special teams in 15 games played. He was only on the field for 17 offensive snaps for Seattle and wasn't targeted at all in his rookie season. The 25-year-old will most likely serve in a special teams role yet again in 2024 as he attempts to make the 53-man roster out of training camp this summer.