On the eve of the first day of training camp, the Seattle Seahawks have found their replacement at tight end for the recently waived Harrison Bryant , and it’s one of their own draft picks from a decade ago. Nick Vannett, a 2016 third-round selection out of Ohio State, has returned to the Seahawks for the first time since he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2019. Vannett most recently played for the Los Angeles Rams , having been poached off the Minnesota Vikings practice squad. He was one of three tight ends Seattle tried out earlier this week . The 33-year-old Vannett caught 48 passes for 463 yards and four touchdowns during his Seahawks career. He was primarily a blocking tight end who backed up Jimmy Graham at the start of his career and then was essentially the top tight end on the roster in 2018 following injuries to Ed Dickson and Will Dissly . To make room for Vannett on the 90-man roster, the Seahawks waived cornerback Tyrone Broden with an injury designation. Broden was on the PUP list with an undisclosed injury before he was let go. Welcome back, Nick!
The Seahawks made a change to their 90-player roster on the eve of training camp. Seattle signed cornerback Brandon Johnson and cut tight end Harrison Bryant on Tuesday. Johnson signed with the Eagles as an undrafted rookie out of Oregon last year and played in three games as a rookie, spending most of the season on the Eagles' practice squad. The Eagles waived Johnson last month. Bryant signed with the Seahawks in April after spending last season with the Texans. He has previously spent time with the Eagles, Raiders and Browns. The Seahawks' rookies are already at camp and their veterans arrive on Friday. Their first training camp practice is Saturday
The Seattle Seahawks are nearing their first training camp practice of 2026, which means we should expect plenty of roster tinkering over the next several weeks. After bringing in four players for tryouts this week, the Seahawks have turned one tryout into a signing. Former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Brandon Johnson has been added to the 90-man roster, while veteran tight end and former John Mackey Award winner Harrison Bryant has been waived. Johnson began his college career at Duke, where he played three seasons and had a couple of All-ACC honorable mentions, before transferring to the Oregon Ducks in 2024. He started eight games and recorded 45 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and an interception for the eventual Big Ten champions. As a nickel DB, Johnson had a penchant for downhill play, having recorded 5.5 sacks for Duke in the 2022 season. Johnson joined the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent last season, appearing in three games as a practice squad elevation. In his limited NFL playing time, he recorded a pass defensed and a solo tackle over 37 snaps (28 defense, 9 special teams). With Nick Emmanwori on the mend with what is seemingly a non-serious injury , this may be an instance of just adding a camp body while Emmanwori recovers and gears up for practice. Otherwise, add Johnson to the list of CBs hoping to stake his claim for either a 53-man or practice squad roster spot
After the NFL Draft concluded, the Seattle Seahawks had very little room left to add undrafted free agents. Even so, the Seahawks chose to bring in tight end Lance Mason. At first glance, that decision seems difficult to justify. Seattle’s tight end room is already crowded. AJ Barner emerged as a legitimate contributor following a strong second season. Elijah Arroyo remains one of the organization’s most significant recent investments at the position. Eric Saubert received a somewhat surprising extension during the middle of last year , while Harrison Bryant , Nick Kallerup , and even Brady Russell continue fighting for specialized roles throughout the roster. On paper, there simply doesn’t appear to be much room available. Then again, that’s true for most undrafted free agents who ultimately make NFL rosters. They enter crowded rooms by definition. And Seattle, perhaps more than most organizations, has built a long history of finding contributors where other teams saw camp bodies. Growing up in Rockwall, Texas, he spent much of his high school career playing on both sides of the ball at Rockwall-Heath High School, lining up as both a linebacker and a tight end. He never developed the prototypical frame of a dominant inline tight end, but he did carry over many of the traits associated with defensive football: physicality, spatial awareness, and a natural comfort operating near traffic. Despite that versatility, he barely registered on the recruiting landscape. Mason finished high school as an unranked prospect in the 2022 recruiting cycle and ultimately landed at Missouri State in the FCS. His first two seasons were relatively quiet from a production standpoint. He functioned primarily as a complementary piece within the offense, rotating snaps and serving as a security blanket in underneath situations. The breakthrough came in 2024. With a larger role in the Bears’ offense, Mason posted 34 receptions, 590 yards, and six touchdowns, emerging as one of the more productive tight ends in the conference. That season opened the door to a much bigger opportunity. In 2025, he transferred to Wisconsin. Many FCS tight ends produce because they overwhelm inferior competition physically. Mason’s transition is notable because he did the opposite. He jumped up a level and remained productive despite playing within an offense that struggled to consistently generate explosive plays through the air. Leading Wisconsin in receiving yards with 398 may not immediately jump off the stat sheet, but context matters. The Badgers’ passing game was inconsistent throughout much of the season. Protection issues, limited vertical efficiency, and an overall lack of explosiveness frequently constrained the offense. Yet Mason kept finding ways to contribute. And that’s one of the more interesting aspects of his NFL projection. The tape consistently shows a player capable of remaining useful regardless of the offensive environment around him. The Seahawks aren’t building a tight end room based solely on athletic mismatches. There is a clear preference for players who can align in multiple locations, execute a variety of assignments, and help preserve offensive flexibility without telegraphing tendencies. Mason checks several of those boxes. The first thing that stands out on film is his understanding of spacing against zone coverage. Many college tight ends simply run through zones at a constant speed, making life easier for linebackers and safeties. Mason operates differently. He shows a natural feel for changing tempo within routes, subtly throttling down without disrupting timing with the quarterback. Small head fakes, slight variations in pace, and an understanding of defensive leverage allow him to settle into voids rather than carry defenders directly into throwing windows. On stick concepts, spacing routes, and shallow sits, he consistently presents clean targets. Several of his most important receptions at Wisconsin came from his
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Houston Texans tight end Cade Stover (knee) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's AFC Divisional Round game against the New England Patriots with a knee injury. He suffered a knee injury during the fourth quarter and will not return on Sunday. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, his knee injury appeared significant. Dalton Schultz also exited Sunday's game earlier with a calf issue, and now leaves Harrison Bryant as the only healthy tight end for the Texans. Stover caught one of three targets for two yards before exiting. The 25-year-old will undergo additional tests after the game to determine the severity of the injury. Bryant should see an expanded role with both Schultz and Stover out
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