Barner will compete for playing time this summer and may even be the Seahawks' leader among tight ends in playing time. However, he's not expected to fill a large role in the offense, particularly given the number of pass-catchers the team added this offseason, including rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo. Barner isn't worth drafting.
Seahawks' AJ Barner: Finds paydirt four times as rookie
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Barner caught 30 passes (on 38 targets) for 245 yards and four touchdowns across 17 games with the Seahawks in 2024.
Barner operated as the Seahawks' No. 2 tight end behind Noah Fant. The rookie fourth-round pick managed to finish third among all Seahawks pass-catchers with four touchdowns despite never recording more than 34 yards in a game. Fant has one year remaining on his contract, meaning Barner will likely serve as the No. 2 tight end again in 2025.
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Seahawks' AJ Barner: Gains 13 yards in win
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Barner caught his lone target for 13 yards in Sunday's 30-18 win over the Cardinals.
Barner caught a short checkdown from QB Geno Smith and used his physicality to gain extra yards after the catch. The rookie fourth-round pick recorded a 38 percent snap share as the Seahawks' No. 2 tight end.
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Seahawks' AJ Barner: Scores in comeback win
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Barner caught two passes (two targets) for 14 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 26-21 win over the Jets.
With Noah Fant (groin) back in the lineup, Barner reverted to No. 2 tight-end duties, recording a 40 percent snap share. Barner -- a rookie fourth-round pick -- reeled in a 12-yard pass from Geno Smith in the second quarter to get the Seahawks on the scoreboard. He doesn't have much upside in his current role unless he finds the end zone.
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Seahawks' AJ Barner: Three short catches in win
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Barner caught three of four targets for 19 yards in Sunday's 16-6 win over the Cardinals.
Barner served as the Seahawks' top tight end with Noah Fant (knee) inactive. Through three games as the starter, Barner generated just nine receptions for 61 yards. Fant has a good chance to return in Week 13 versus the Jets, which would revert Barner to a No. 2 tight end role where he previously hovered around a 40 percent snap share.
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Seahawks' AJ Barner: Remaining top tight end Sunday
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Barner is slated to remain the top option at tight end for the Seahawks in Sunday's game against the Cardinals with Noah Fant (groin) inactive for the contest.
The rookie fourth-round pick wasn't able to do much with expanded opportunity during Fant's first two absences in Weeks 9 and 11, generating a modest 6-42 line on 11 targets. Nevertheless, Barner should continue to profile as the top pass-catching option at his position versus Arizona, with veteran Pharaoh Brown also mixing in.
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Seahawks' AJ Barner: Replacing Fant again
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Barner's teammate Noah Fant (groin) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at San Francisco, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.
Fant previously missed a Week 9 loss to the Rams in which Barner played 91 percent of snaps and caught four of seven targets for 27 yards. It was Barner's first time with more than 48 percent snap share or three targets in an NFL game, with his role being larger than what Fant handles when healthy. Fant now is missing another game after a Week 10 bye, but Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald told Dugar on Friday that he doesn't expect the veteran tight end to be placed on injured reserve.
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Seahawks' AJ Barner: Puts up 34 yards
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Barner caught both of his targets for 34 yards in Sunday's 31-10 loss to the Bills.
The rookie fourth-round pick continued to play a meaningful role in the Seahawks' offense with a 40 percent snap share in Week 8. Barner appears far from vaulting over Noah Fant for the starting tight-end role, as the former has yet to surpass three targets in a game this year.
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Seahawks' AJ Barner: Three catches in win
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Barner caught all three of his targets for 13 total yards in Sunday's 24-3 win over the Dolphins.
Barner handle his lowest snap share of the year (28 percent) while fellow tight end Pharaoh Brown returned to the lineup from a foot injury. These were his first catches of the season, but Barner will have little fantasy appeal as the No. 3 tight end.
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Seahawks' AJ Barner: Returns from injury
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Barner (hamstring) practiced with the team Monday, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.
The tight end sat out of rookie minicamp and missed OTAs at the end of May due to the injury. Now that he's back, the fourth-round pick can try to earn a role on a depth chart that also includes veterans Noah Fant and Pharaoh Brown.
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Seahawks' AJ Barner: Missing time with hamstring injury
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Barner won't participate in OTAs this week due to a hamstring injury, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.
Barner missed all of rookie minicamp with the injury and still hasn't made a full recovery. Though Barner will lose out on some valuable reps prior to training camp, the Seahawks haven't indicated that the injury is anything that will affect the fourth-round rookie's availability heading into the 2024 season. Barner will look to push for playing time behind veteran tight ends Noah Fant and Pharaoh Brown after the Seahawks let Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson walk in free agency.
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Seahawks' AJ Barner: Tremendous landing spot in Seattle
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The Seahawks selected Barner in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 121st overall.
Barner tallied just 64 receptions, 610 yards and five touchdowns across 20 collegiate starts with both Indiana and Michigan over his four seasons, but it's fair to dream about what the tantalizing 6-foot-6 frame coupled with the tight end crop's largest wingspan could do as a pass catcher at the NFL level. Barner is a bit lean (251 pounds) for his height and didn't showcase the type of wild athleticism that so many of his peers did at the NFL Combine, but the Big Ten pedigree will always attract a certain organizational philosophy regardless if the production is there. Expect Barner to compete with a number of veteran flotsam for the No. 2 TE job behind the newly re-signed Noah Fant.
