Seahawks Add TE Depth, Sign Ex-49er Eric Saubert
San Francisco 49ers tight end Eric Saubert celebrates in the end zone after catching a touchdown pass against the Miami Dolphins. Credit: Eric Saubert/Instagram
Continuing to add depth on offense and special teams with free agency winding down, the Seattle Seahawks have brought in a familiar foe to further strengthen their tight end group in new coordinator Klint Kubiak’s scheme.
As announced officially by the team on their website and social media platforms on Monday afternoon, the Seahawks have signed former 49ers tight end Eric Saubert to a one-year contract. Financial terms have yet to be disclosed.
Originally a fifth-round pick by the Falcons back in the 2017 NFL Draft, Saubert has bounced around during the course of his eight-year NFL career, playing for seven teams in eight seasons. He played his first two years in Atlanta, catching five passes for 48 yards with one start in 30 games played, before being traded to New England for a conditional seventh-round pick in August 2019. He lasted just three weeks with the Patriots before being waived and signing with the Raiders practice squad.
By November, Saubert had been signed off of Las Vegas’ practice squad by Chicago, appearing in two games with two catches for 21 yards. After one season in Jacksonville, he enjoyed his best professional success in Denver, including catching a career-high 15 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown in 2022. He played in 10 games for Dallas and Houston in 2023 before seeing action in all 17 games in San Francisco last season, reeling in 11 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Throughout his career, Saubert has not been a frequented target in the passing game aside from his unexpected contributions for the Broncos three years ago, catching more than 10 passes just twice in eight seasons and dropping 10 percent of his career targets. But he has been utilized as an inline blocking tight end with over 1,100 snaps, seeing a great deal of action in zone-centric schemes similar to the one Kubiak will be installing with the Seahawks with previous teams. The coordinator previously worked with Saubert in Denver, interestingly coinciding with the season where he posted career-bests in receptions and receiving yards.
Saubert also brings a great deal of special teams experience to Seattle, as he has four seasons with at least 296 special teams snaps on his resume. He played a career-high 303 snaps in the third phase for San Francisco last season, producing a pair of tackles on kick and punt coverage.
With a month until the upcoming draft, the Seahawks now have four tight ends on the roster in Noah Fant, A.J. Barner, Brady Russell, and Saubert, providing a depth chart featuring four different players who all have the ability to contribute on offense. That’s good news for Kubiak, who historically has utilized extensive 12 and 13 personnel groupings with multiple tight ends on the field, and it allows general manager John Schneider to be more flexible with his draft strategy by not having to force a pick at the position.
