Ricky Seals-Jones steps up in absence of Logan Thomas
Taking a closer look at how Seals-Jones has emerged as a viable option for Washington at tight end
Washington’s tight end depth was a point of contention throughout the offseason. Logan Thomas established himself as a strong option after a breakout year in 2020, but Washington had very little behind him. The team drafted John Bates in the fourth round, but the only other real noteworthy addition before training camp was Chilean Sammis Reyes, who had never played football before.
During training camp and preseason, it became pretty clear that Reyes wasn’t going to be ready to contribute this season, leaving Washington with just Thomas and a rookie in Bates as obvious options to make the roster. Fortunately, the team kept Risky Seals-Jones on the roster too. Seals-Jones signed in May but was fairly quiet throughout training camp, making a few nice plays in preseason but nothing major.
However, when Logan Thomas went down injured after just a few games, it was Seals-Jones rather than the rookie Bates that stepped up to fill his shoes. He’s become one of Washington’s most reliable targets in recent weeks and is currently third on the team for receptions and receiving yards, while he’s joint second in receiving touchdowns with Thomas. So how has he emerged as a good option? Let’s take a closer look.
Seals-Jones has shown some nice route running along with the ability to be a quarterback-friendly target, meaning he can adjust to various throws and still make the catch.
Here, Seals-Jones aligns to the right of the formation and runs a simple curl route at the first down marker. He uses some nice small details to manipulate the defender, first angling his path outside to widen the defender before then breaking back inside. The defender then feels out leveraged and has to rush back inside, while Seals-Jones is able to break off his route sharply to create some separation. He then works back outside to give his quarterback more room to work with and adjusts to go up and reach a high throw, something all Washington pass catchers need while Heinicke is the quarterback.
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