Tight end Luke Willson suffered ligament damage in his knee during the Seahawks’ win over the Falcons yesterday, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). It’s possible that Willson will require surgery, per Carroll.
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Willson, 26, has taken a backseat to Jimmy Graham in 2016 as the latter has finally found his footing in Seattle. However, while Graham has outproduced Willson in terms of offensive numbers, Willson has actually played more snaps that Graham (168-to-159), and Willson has been a valuable asset as a blocker in two-tight end sets. While he hasn’t graded well overall according to Pro Football Focus’ statistics, Willson has ranked as an above-average pass-blocking tight end.
The Seahawks do have the tight end depth to withstand the loss of Willson, as the club boasts third-round rookie Nick Vannett and fifth-year pro Brandon Williams. If Seattle wants to add another tight end to its roster, one obvious candidate would be Marcus Lucas, who is currently on the Hawks’ practice squad.