With Seahawks training camp kicking off later this month, Seahawks.com is counting down, in no particular order, 10 of the most intriguing storylines, position battles and players heading into the 2025 season. On Monday, we kicked things off with a look at special teams, and the return game in particular, and today turn our attention to tight end. Check back tomorrow when we focus on safety, and in particular on how Mike Macdonald might use uniquely talented rookie Nick Emmanwori.

Key Tight End Additions: Elijah Arroyo (second-round pick), Eric Saubert (free-agent signing).

Key Tight End Departures: Pharaoh Brown (signed with Miami).

Among the bigger moves the Seahawks made this offseason were the difficult decisions to part ways with Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, two of the best receivers to wear a Seahawks uniform. With those moves, of course, comes the question of who makes up for that type of production in the passing game. The Seahawks have a ton of confidence in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, last year's leading receiver, and Cooper Kupp, to lead the way at receiver, and they also think highly of veteran free-agent addition Marquez Valdes-Scantling, as well as several young players vying for roles.

But as much as the Seahawks view their current receiving group as one that has the talent and depth to get the job done, the real answer when it comes to making up for lost production in the passing game could come from a different position group: tight end.

Yes, Smith-Njigba and Kupp seem like the overwhelming favorites to be the team's top two pass-catchers in 2025, but when looking at what the offense could be under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, it's worth considering that one or more tight ends could be among the team's leading receivers.

Kubiak, like any coordinator, wants to get the most out of the personnel he has on the roster, but he also has shown through his play-calling as well as his words that he's fond of heavier sets featuring multiple tight ends and/or a fullback, something the Seahawks didn't do as frequently in recent years under multiple coordinators.

"Certainly I love playing with a fullback like being 21 (two backs, one tight end) and 12 (one back, two tight ends) personnel," Kubiak said on the day he was introduced as Seattle's offensive coordinator. "Again, that's going to come down to the strength of our players who we have on our roster and let's use the best 11 out there, let's get the five best eligible deployed out into the route scheme."

Last season, the Seahawks all but lived in 11 personnel (one back, one tight end, three receivers), using that formation at the third highest rate in the league according to NFL Nex Gen Stats. Under Kubiak, things will almost certainly change, leading to more playing time, and with that, opportunities for tight ends.

While Kubiak will no doubt make some changes to what he did last year, there will also be plenty of similarities, and the 2024 Saints used the seventh most 12 personnel in the NFL, lining up in that formation 30.3 percent of the time, compared to last year's Seahawks, who ranked 20^th (17.3 percent). The Saints were also third in the NFL in 22 personnel (two backs, two tight ends) usage at 7.6 percent, a formation the Seahawks used for a total of five snaps last season, and the Saints were fourth in 13 personnel (one back, three tight ends), running 89 plays form that formation, compared to 19 for the 2024 Seahawks.

In all, the Saints ran 480 offensive snaps in 12, 13 and 22 personnel under Kubiak last season, while the Seahawks combined for 202 plays in those multi-tight end sets. Yes, some of that had to do with injuries at receiver last year for the Saints, including top receiver Chris Olave playing only eight games, but Kubiak clearly likes the versatility those multiple tight-end sets provide for an offense. While 11 personnel often allows opposing defenses to focus on the passing game, feeling like they can still play run defense in nickel knowing the offense doesn't have extra size on the field, using 12 or 13 personnel forces defense to respect the threat of the run. Not only can those extra tight ends help the Seahawks with their stated goal of being a better and more physical running team, it can all create favorable matchups in the passing game with tight ends matching up with linebackers.

And again, as Kubiak himself said, a lot of those decisions will have to do with the talent on the roster, but the Seahawks really like what they have at tight end. Noah Fant is coming off what Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald called the veteran tight end's best season, and AJ Barner was very impressive as a rookie, hauling in four touchdown receptions despite being seen as more of a blocking tight end coming out of Michigan. The Seahawks added to that group veteran Eric Saubert, whose time with the 49ers gives him familiarity with the type of scheme Kubiak is bringing to Seattle, as well as second-round pick Elijah Arroyo, an athletic tight end out of Miami who can stretch the field.

"This guy can run an extensive route tree," Macdonald said after Day 2 of the draft. "To have to account for a tight end body on the field and him also to be able to split out wide, do X receiver type of things, bigger body that we probably have right now on our roster, just provides a ton of value. Then he's going to throw it in there as the actual tight end in-line and be able to create some of those bigger personnel formations is the vision that we have for him. Really exciting."

Both of Seattle's fullbacks, Brady Russell, who is making the conversion to fullback this offseason, and rookie Robbie Ouzts, have tight end backgrounds, meaning they could be weapons both out of the backfield or as players who can line up in multiple spots on any given play. That type of flexibility, along with the depth and talent the Seahawks have with tight ends like Fant, Barner, Saubert and Arroyo, is why for the 2025 Seahawks, the question of who makes up for lost production at receiver is answered by looking to multiple position groups.