The Seahawks’ practice squad move at tight end wasn’t just a simple one-for-one transaction.
Seattle brought in Ben Sims on Tuesday afternoon after cutting Josiah Deguara earlier in the day, and the swap lines up with the larger shift the team made when it traded two draft picks to the Indianapolis Colts for Quenton Nelson. In other words, this looks like a change in direction, not a random roster shuffle.
Deguara arrived with a very specific type of job in mind. A former college fullback, he entered the league as a player the Green Bay Packers hoped could handle the “H-Back” role - the kind of hybrid spot that sits between tight end and fullback. The mold has worked before with players like Zach Miller for the Seahawks, the late Aaron Hernandez for the New England Patriots, and Chris Cooley for the Washington Redskins.
His pre-draft testing reflected that kind of versatility. As a fullback, he checked in as an 85th percentile athlete, but that number dropped to the 66th percentile when measured as a tight end.
Still, he earned his way into the league by blocking willingly and showing route-running ability at 242 pounds. His time at the University of Cincinnati also helped, given that he came from a strong team environment.
Sims, though, brings a different profile entirely. He’s a more natural receiving threat at tight end, standing over 6-foot-4 and posting 90th percentile times in the 40-yard dash and in the 10- and 20-yard splits. His testing also included a 91st percentile broad jump and an 89.9th percentile vertical jump.
That athletic profile makes him a strong match for what Seattle needs now. Just a week ago, Deguara felt like a move aimed at getting more blockers on the field as the Seahawks tried to fix their run game at any cost. Since then, running back Emanuel Wilson became their first 100-yard rusher of the season on Sunday Night Football, Elijah Arroyo had season-ending surgery, and the Seahawks added Nelson to reinforce the ground attack even further.
With Arroyo out, Seattle needed another tight end who could offer size and speed as a receiving option. Sims fits that template better than Deguara did. He may not bring Arroyo’s route-running ability, but he does bring the two traits that matter most for that role.
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Anthony Bradford stands out as the one starter who brings a more physical, aggressive element, the sort of presence that can help turn inside runs into something sturdier. Against the Chiefs, Seattle kept coming back to the run game between the tackles, and Emanuel Wilsons 4.2 yards per carry offered at least some proof that the approach can work, even if the bigger question about what this line still lacks remains very much in play. [Read more 🡒]