HEADLINES

Luke Willson

Seahawks To Cut TE Luke Willson

November 3rd, 2020 at 12:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks are releasing tight end Luke Willson, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The move will allow the Seahawks to activate rookie TE Colby Parkinson and maintain a group of four players at the position.

Willson, a 2013 fifth-round pick, spent the first five years of his career with the Seahawks. That streak was interrupted in 2018 when he spent one year with the Lions. After notching just 13 catches in 14 games for Detroit, and having a cup of coffee with the Raiders, he returned to Seattle for the 2019 season. This year, he was re-upped, but did not record a catch in five games.

Parkinson was drafted in the fourth round to push for snaps at tight end, which wasn’t necessarily a position of need in the spring. Unfortunately, he broke the fifth metatarsal in his foot over the offseason, delaying his debut by a few months. The Stanford product first put himself on the map with seven touchdowns in 2018. Then, last year, he set new career bests with 48 grabs for 589 yards (though he only scored once).

Parkinson will get his first chance to suit up as a pro on Sunday when the Seahawks face the Bills in Buffalo.

Seahawks Re-Sign Luke Willson

March 17th, 2020 at 10:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks are holding on to Luke Willson. The tight end – with help from the Ultimate Warrior – confirmed that he’ll return to Seattle in 2020, via Twitter.

Willson, a 2013 fifth-round pick, spent the first five years of his career with the Seahawks. That streak was interrupted in 2018 when he spent one year with the Lions.

In Detroit, he saw time in 14 games and notched 13 catches for 87 yards. Then, in March of 2019, he had a cup of coffee with the Raiders before missing the final cut. In September of last year, he circled back to the Seahawks and went on to appear in eight games.

Willson finished out ’19 with eight catches for 79 yards. For his career, he has 110 grabs for 1,295 yards and eleven scores.

Seahawks To Sign Luke Willson

September 25th, 2019 at 8:39am CST by Zachary Links

Luke Willson is heading back to Seattle. The Seahawks have agreed to reunite with their former tight end, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 

[RELATED: Seahawks Trade Vannett To Steelers]

Willson spent the first five years of his career with the Seahawks before moving on to the Lions in 2018. in Detorit, he saw time in 14 games and notched 13 catches for 87 yards. Then, in March, he hooked on with the Raiders, but was unable to make their final cut to a 53-man roster. After working out for the Saints and Cardinals this month, Willson is going back to where it all started.

Willson takes the place of tight end Nick Vannett, who was traded to the Steelers on Tuesday night in exchange for a 2020 fifth-round choice. With Willson back in the fold, the Seahawks now a second tight end on the active roster to support starter Will Dissly.

The Seahawks will look to advance to 3-1 in Week 4 as they take on the Cardinals in Arizona.

Cardinals Audition Alfred Morris

September 17th, 2019 at 8:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

David Johnson suffered a wrist injury in the Cardinals’ Week 2 loss, and although the standout running back returned to action, the Cards are gathering some intel for a possible in-case-of-emergency scenario.

Arizona worked out Alfred Morris, Thomas Rawls and Zach Zenner on Tuesday, ESPN.com’s Field Yates and veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer report (Twitter links). The team also auditioned tight end Luke Willson.

Morris reunited with the Cowboys, but Ezekiel Elliott‘s holdout coming to an end prompted them to part ways with the veteran back. Morris, 30, played 12 games with the 49ers last season. Rawls last held a notable role with the 2016 Seahawks; he’s since bounced around. Zenner averaged 4.8 yards per carry last season and re-signed with the Lions in March. However, he did not make their 53-man roster.

Kliff Kingsbury‘s Cardinals have lapped the field in terms of 10 personnel usage — four wideouts, one running back — and have not used tight ends Charles Clay or Maxx Williams much. But the team auditioned Willson, Thomas Duarte and Jason Vander Laan anyway. Willson played 14 games for the 2018 Lions but did not make the Raiders’ roster this summer.

NFL Workout Updates: 9/3/19

September 3rd, 2019 at 9:27pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are today’s workout updates, all courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter) unless otherwise noted. The Saints had several recognizable players in for workouts.

Arizona Cardinals (Twitter link via veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer)

Carolina Panthers (Twitter link via Balzer)

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

  • G Brandon Hitner

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Redskins (Twitter link via Balzer)

Raiders Sign Luke Willson

March 29th, 2019 at 7:07pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Raiders are making another move. Jon Gruden’s squad is signing tight end Luke Willson, the team announced in a release. 

Willson visited with the team earlier today, and they apparently liked what they saw. The Raiders just lost Jared Cook to the Saints, so they had a big need at tight end. Willson comes to Oakland from the Lions, after having a disappointing 2018 season in Detroit. He had spent the previous five years of his career with the Seahawks. Willson had been a solid if not spectacular option behind Jimmy Graham in Seattle, and landed a one-year, $2.5MM deal from the Lions last offseason.

Even though Detroit had very little at tight end after Eric Ebron left in free agency, Willson didn’t have much of a role on offense. He ended up catching just 13 passes for 87 scoreless yards. The Rice product was originally drafted in the fifth round back in 2013. His best season receiving-wise came in 2014, when he had 362 yards and three touchdowns.

Willson’s true impact has usually been as a blocker. He’s received solid marks from Pro Football Focus, grading out as their No. 17 ranked run-blocking tight end last season. The Raiders have been active in the second wave of free agency, signing linebacker Brandon Marshall and running back Isaiah Crowell yesterday, and now adding Willson today.

Raiders To Meet With Luke Willson

March 29th, 2019 at 3:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders will meet with tight end Luke Willson on Friday, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter). The former Lions and Seahawks receiver could help the Raiders replace Jared Cook, who left in free agency to sign with the Saints. 

Willson, 29, hooked on with the Lions last year on a one-year, $2.5MM deal. Unfortunately, the contract was not the platform to free agent riches that he envisioned. Willson finished out with just 13 catches for 87 yards and no touchdowns, a dropoff from his already modest offensive numbers.

Blocking is Willson’s true calling card and he placed as the league’s No. 17 ranked run-blocking tight end last season, according to Pro Football Focus. All in all, he had 424 snaps on offense and 124 on special teams.

Contract Details: Burnett, Bodine, Williams

March 23rd, 2018 at 8:45pm CST by Ryan Posner

Let’s take a look at the most recent new contracts around the NFL:

AFC

NFC

Lions Sign TE Luke Willson

March 21st, 2018 at 8:59am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions are signing former Seahawks tight end Luke Willson, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal worth $2.5MM with some upside potential in his deal. Willson will receive $1.5MM guaranteed, tweets Adam Caplan of SiriusXM.

Willson also visited the Panthers and Jaguars before agreeing to sign with Detroit. It’s not clear if he had viable offers from Carolina or Jacksonville, but in any case, the Lions will probably give him a better chance to showcase his talents. With the Panthers, Willson would have been playing behind Greg Olsen. And it’s possible that the Jaguars would have passed on Niles Paul had they signed Willson, but he probably still would have been playing alongside Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

The Lions had a clear need for a tight end after cutting Eric Ebron and watching Darren Fells sign with the Browns. The Lions missed out on Trey Burton, but they have added a promising (and cheaper) option in Willson..

Willson failed to top 200 yards receiving in either of the past two seasons, but he graded out as the league’s No. 26 run-blocking tight end among 69 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

The Lions’ tight end depth chart is comprised of Willson, Michael Roberts, Hakeem Valles, and Brandon Barnes.

Lions Host TE Luke Willson

March 17th, 2018 at 7:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions have completed a free agent visit with tight end Luke Willson, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link).

Detroit has released Eric Ebron and witnessed Darren Fells sign with the Browns over the past week, so the club is clearly in need of a new tight end. The Lions were reportedly interested in Trey Burton before he signed with the division-rival Bears, while they also met with veteran Brent Celek after he was released by the Eagles.

Willson has been busy in his own right, as the former Seahawk has been hosted by the Jaguars and Panthers this week. The 28-year-old has never been much of an offensive force, but his usage took a serious hit when Seattle acquired fellow tight end Jimmy Graham in 2015. Willson failed to top 200 yards receiving in either of the past two seasons, but he did grade as the league’s No. 26 run-blocking tight end among 69 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

At present, the Lions’ tight end depth chart is comprised of Michael Roberts, Hakeem Valles, and Brandon Barnes.

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