Top 10 Tight Ends All-Time in Seattle Seahawks History
It may not be the glamour position regarding receivers, but no NFL team wins without at least one good tight end on its roster. Whether it's blocking on the perimeter to set up the run or taking the ball into their own hands to move the chains, tight ends often provide the safety valve that offenses need.
The Seattle Seahawks have had some sure-handed tight ends in their nearly 40-year history, from their first game in 1976 through Super Bowl XLIX last month. Here's a look at the top 10 at the position to have graced either the Kingdome or what is now CenturyLink Field in that span.
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Players needed to have spent at least three years with the Seahawks to be considered. Statistics from www.pro-football-reference.com.
Ron Howard (1976-78)
Howard, who played basketball rather than football at Seattle University, was nonetheless the original Seahawks tight end and played in the franchise's first three seasons at the Kingdome. A member of the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X, he finished his professional tenure in the Pacific Northwest with 72 catches for 850 yards and two trips to the end zone.
John Sawyer (1977-82)
Sawyer, out of Southern Mississippi, made 84 catches for 980 yards in 64 games. He ranks seventh among Seahawks tight ends in career yardage.
Charle Young (1983-85)
Young, from USC, had 97 catches in three seasons in Seattle, ranking him sixth all-time among Seahawks tight ends, while gaining 1,217 yards and scoring five times. He ended his NFL career in Seattle after previous stops in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco, including an appearance in Super Bowl XVI.
Carlester T. Crumpler (1994-98)
Crumpler, who played collegiately at East Carolina, saw action in 67 games for Seattle, catching 88 passes for 944 yards and three scores. He finished his career with one year in Minnesota.
Mike Tice (1981-91)
Tice, who went on to serve as an assistant coach in Chicago and head coach in Minnesota, had two playing stints with the Seahawks totaling 10 campaigns, separated by one season in Washington. The former Maryland quarterback made 92 catches in 110 games, accumulating 766 yards and nine TDs, and he also helped Seattle to four playoff berths and the 1983 AFC Championship Game before completing his playing career with the Vikings.
Zach Miller (2011-14)
Miller was released on March 6, due to injury and the salary cap, plus last season's emergence of Luke Willson. Miller still managed 102 catches for 1,092 yards and eight TDs in 48 appearances with Seattle. The Arizona State product and former Oakland Raider was also a member of Seattle's Super Bowl XLVIII title team but was limited to just three outings in 2014 and finished the year on injured reserve.
Jerramy Stevens (2002-06)
Stevens, who scored the Seahawks' first touchdown in the Super Bowl XL loss to Pittsburgh, played 71 career games for Seattle. The former University of Washington Husky finished with 130 receptions for 1,458 yards, and a franchise record for tight ends with 15 TDs. He's also been in trouble with the law—a lot.
John Carlson (2008-10)
Carlson played three seasons with the Seahawks before moving on to Minnesota and then Arizona. The Notre Dame graduate stands third all-time in Seattle tight end annals with 137 catches for 1,519 yards and 13 scores in 47 outings.
Christian Fauria (1995-2001)
The Colorado product holds the Seahawks' record for most reception among tight ends with 166 grabs in his seven-year Seattle career. He also collected 1,683 yards and seven TDs. His best year came in 1998 when he hauled in 37 passes for 377 yards and two scores.
Fauria followed up the next year with 35 catches for 376 yards, including six receptions for 84 yards in a 23-14 win over Kansas City in the final regular-season game at the Kingdome. He later played four years with New England, scoring 13 TDs and winning two Super Bowls, before closing out his career with single stints with Washington and Carolina.
Itula Mili (1998-2006)
Drafted out of BYU in 1997, Mili spent his entire NFL career in Seattle, collecting 164 passes for 1,743 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The Hawaii native's best season came in 2003 when he caught 46 passes for 492 yards and four scores. In three career playoff games, he caught another 18 passes for 160 yards. He also helped the Seahawks to a pair of division titles before retiring at age 33.
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