Seahawks tight end Will Dissly figures to be more prominent in offense with Greg Olsen out
Perhaps as much as anyone on Seattle’s roster, Will Dissly understands the long process of returning from a significant injury.
The Seahawks’ 24-year-old tight end had to make his way back from two season-ending injuries his first two seasons in the NFL.
“I’m grateful to be playing,” Dissly said Friday on a Zoom call with reporters. “Grateful to be helping this team win.”
Dissly also understands how to prepare to be a starter, and his role in helping the Seahawks (7-3) win these final six weeks of the regular season is about to become more prominent.
With veteran Greg Olsen now on injured reserve after rupturing the plantar fascia in his left foot, the University of Washington product will be at the top of the Seahawks’ depth chart.
He’s been there before.
Dissly was Seattle’s top tight end as a second-year player in 2019, and had a team-leading four touchdown catches through four weeks, before he was carted off the field last October in Cleveland with a torn Achilles.
His impressive rookie season was cut short about a year before that when he was sidelined by a knee injury four games in.
Given what Dissly, now in his third season and having played a career-high 10 games, has been through so early in his career, it wasn’t surprising to see him approach Olsen last Thursday, moments after Olsen dropped to the turf during Seattle’s win over the Cardinals at Lumen Field.
Olsen was blocking on a short pass play in the fourth quarter before abruptly falling to the ground. He attempted to hop on his right foot to the sideline before signaling for trainers to come to the field.
Both Dissly and quarterback Russell Wilson appeared to briefly speak to Olsen before he was helped off. He was ruled out almost immediately and carted to the locker room. Olsen was placed on IR Monday.
“We’re a close group,” Dissly said. “So, when G.O. went down, obviously the first thought was just to be with him — me especially just knowing what it’s like going down and having to go through that battle.
“First thing we thought of was just trying to pick Greg up, trying to be there for him. … The guys did a good job stepping up, finishing that game off, getting a win against Arizona. That felt really good to get that done for him.”
Olsen, the 35-year-old veteran who signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Seahawks earlier this year, was leading Seattle’s tight ends in receiving before the injury, tallying 23 catches on 35 targets for 224 yards and a touchdown.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll hasn’t closed the door on a possible return for Olsen — who has previously dealt with a plantar fascia rupture in his right foot — this season, though he is expected out 4-6 weeks.
“I refuse to allow this to be my final moment,” Olsen tweeted late last week with a photo of him being helped off the field by trainers following the injury. “I will find a way to finish on my feet!”
But, even if Olsen were to return for the final set of regular season games, or in the playoffs should Seattle quality, the Seahawks will lean more heavily on Dissly, Jacob Hollister and rookie Colby Parkinson while he is out.
“Moving forward, I think the guys are excited,” Dissly said. “We’re a close group. We work really well together, and we’ll kind of all attack the role together.”
Dissly is now Seattle’s leading receiver among tight ends with 14 catches on 17 targets for 163 yards and a touchdown — he found the end zone for the first time since his Achilles injury during the Week 5 win over the Vikings.
He has played 47% of the Seahawks’ offensive snaps through 10 games — Olsen was in on 62% — but that number should jump as he returns to Seattle’s No. 1 tight end spot.
Hollister, now Seattle’s No. 2, should also see an increase in workload after playing 22% of offensive snaps through 10 games. He has 14 catches on 19 targets for 118 yards and a touchdown.
Parkinson hasn’t played meaningful offensive snaps since returning from the non-football injury list, but Carroll said earlier this week Seattle’s fourth-round pick will be put right into the rotation. Dissly noted Parkinson has “done a really good job picking up the schemes, blocking and passing.”
“He’s a sharp dude,” Dissly said. “I’m excited to get him out there and see what he can do and let it rip a little bit. He’s done a good job just working his tail off, getting back from his foot injury, and I think it’s time for him to let it rip.”
But, Dissly should surely see the biggest boost in responsibility, and said he is completely healthy coming back from the Achilles injury.
“Without the OTAs and running through routes and stuff it took me some time,” he said. “I think fall camp was definitely a little bit rusty, but as weeks go on I get more and more confident, but I would say I was totally back running 100% speed and being able to execute at a really high level and I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t think I was going to be able to do that. I think my PT and I did a great job just attacking it and knowing that we were ready to come back.”
Back at full strength, Dissly’s focus is on contributing to wins down the stretch.
“I think my first and foremost is how the team is doing winning games,” he said. “Just to be in contention right now is kind of my main focus, and doing anything I can to help this team win.
“I don’t really look at expectations or goals or whatnot — I’m just trying to do my job to the best of my ability.”
This story was originally published November 27, 2020 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Seahawks tight end Will Dissly figures to be more prominent in offense with Greg Olsen out."
