Until Klint Kubiak, no Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator of recent vintage appeared to have a real idea for how to involve the team’s tight ends into the offense. Seattle wasn’t without receiving talent at the position. Just ask the Cincinnati Bengals about Noah Fant, after all.
But any tight end the Seahawks chose in the draft appeared doomed for failure as a pass catcher. They just weren’t going to be good fits in Seattle. Thankfully, new OC Kubiak has begun to change that. Second-year pro AJ Barner is second on the team in catches (43) and third in receiving yards (413), after all.
One failed Seahawks experiment, however, might have been excellent in Kubiak’s scheme. That player is Colby Parkinson, who, unfortunately, is having a bit of a breakout season with Seattle’s NFC West rival, the Los Angeles Rams.
2020 Seattle Seahawks draft pick Colby Parkinson has turned into a great season for the Los Angeles Rams
Parkinson is in his second season with LA and is setting many career highs in 2025 in just 12 games. That includes catches (31), yards (298), and touchdown receptions (6). While those statistics might not be overwhelming, the potential problem for the Seahawks is that Parkinson’s production is ticking up just in time for Week 16.
The tight end’s six touchdowns have all come in the last six games. He has at least one TD in five of those games, including two in Week 15. He also had just 11 receiving yards through the first four games, which means 287 of his yards have come in the last eight (Parkinson has missed two games this season).
He has learned to use his 6’7″ frame in the red zone to score points, but he has always had underrated speed, and Rams head coach Sean McVay has figured out how to best use that to the benefit of the excellent Los Angeles offense.
Colny Parkinson is third on the Rams in receiving yards and has as many receiving touchdowns as Puka Nacua. What former Seahawks offensive coordinators Ryan Grubb and Shane Waldron couldn’t figure out with the tight end, Los Angeles has been happy too.
Sean McVay is also using a lot of 13 personnel (one running back and three tight ends) in his game plan currently, which means Parkinson will need to be someone the Seattle Seahawks focus on in Week 16 on Thursday Night Football. It would be horribly ironic if LA beat Seattle once again and Parkinson was a big reason why.
