Lefko: What Seahawks\u2019 early picks will tell us about their future<\/a><\/p>\n The position change comes after Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak stated in February that he plans to use a fullback<\/a>\u00a0in his offense. It\u2019s something he also did during his previous two OC stints with the New Orleans Saints in 2024 and the Minnesota Vikings in 2021.<\/p>\n Russell has a bit of recent experience at fullback, with 19 of his 49 offensive snaps over the past two seasons coming at the position, according to Pro Football Focus<\/a>.<\/p>\n The last time the Seahawks consistently used a fullback was in 2015 with Will Tukuafu.<\/p>\n Russell, a 26-year-old undrafted free agent out of Colorado, signed with Seattle in 2023 and emerged as a key special teams stalwart. He logged a team-high 542 special teams snaps over past two seasons, while playing on Seattle\u2019s kick return, punt return, kick coverage and punt coverage units. He had a team-high 10 special teams tackles last season, despite being limited to 11 games with a foot injury.<\/p>\n Russell also spent last season as the Seahawks\u2019 fourth tight end, behind Noah Fant, AJ Barner and Pharaoh Brown.<\/p>\n Russell signed an exclusive rights tender with Seattle earlier this month. He was tendered as an exclusive rights free agent<\/a> in March, which secured his rights for the 2025 season.<\/p>\n In recent years, fullbacks have made a minor resurgence across the NFL. With defenses employing smaller linebackers and lighter boxes in an attempt to slow down complex passing attacks, teams like the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens have countered with strong rushing attacks that regularly mix in a fullback.<\/p>\n Seahawks general manager John Schneider discussed the trend earlier this month<\/a> during his weekly appearance on Seattle Sports. He pointed to how the NFL\u2019s\u00a0limits on practice time can make it challenging for defenses to prepare for two-back formations.<\/p>\n \u201cI think (the fullback) is making a comeback,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cWe don\u2019t get enough (practice) time in college football or pro football, so the fundamentals aren\u2019t great. So when you\u2019re talking about preparing for a two-back offense, your run fits, that\u2019s a lot now. Everybody\u2019s really just preparing for (one running back).<\/p>\n \u201cSo when Klint came in, I know (head coach) Mike (Macdonald) was real fired up about (having) a fullback in our offense.\u201d<\/p>\n Due to the 46-player gameday roster limit, Schneider noted that a fullback needs to have the versatility to play special teams. Russell certainly checks that box.<\/p>\n \u201cThat guy has to be a special teams player,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cYou can\u2019t have a fullback that can\u2019t move and (can\u2019t) play on (special) teams.\u201d<\/p>\n Seattle Seahawks draft coverage<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Brock\u2019s Seahawks Draft Profile: Why Zabel is the No. 1 fit<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Brock: How Seattle Seahawks could call an audible in the draft<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0How should Seahawks allocate their O-line picks? Daniel Jeremiah\u2019s view<\/a>
\u2022 Analyst: Why the Seattle Seahawks may not draft O-line in first round<\/a>
\u2022 A full seven-round Seattle Seahawks mock draft \u2013 with three trades<\/a><\/p>\n
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