Seahawks need to make finding a tight end a top priority

By now, the words sound more like an empty promise.

We must get more production from the tight end.

In various forms, the Seahawks have uttered that phrase the past few years. The more they have said it, the larger the problem has grown. It now warrants a roll of the eyes.

It belongs right up there with "Read my lips: no new taxes" and "I did not knowingly take steroids."

So here we are again, less than two weeks before the NFL draft, and what does the Seahawks offense need most?

More production from the tight end.

This time, however, the need is more desperate than ever. To understand the problem, look at the depth chart.

Will Heller.

Jeb Putzier.

Between the two, you have one decent backup and some guy whose last name makes him a candidate to be mistaken either for journalism's ultimate prize or J.J. Putz's third cousin.

The vitals for Heller and Putzier: 11 combined years of experience, 128 combined career receptions.

Tony Gonzalez, they are not.

They're fine to play small roles. Think itty bitty. They're decent blockers. They're coachable. They're made to assist a team for a few snaps a game.

But if Heller and Putzier remain atop the depth chart in September, the situation will be so bad that the Seahawks will look back wistfully on Marcus Pollard's dropped passes last January against Green Bay.

Selecting a tight end on the first day of this draft shouldn't be a consideration. It should be an ultimatum.

The Seahawks failed to cover this hole sufficiently in free agency. Now they're down to their last hope.

Fortunately, it's a good draft to have this need. Unfortunately, it's unlikely a rookie could solve all the Seahawks' tight-end problems.

As many as eight tight ends are expected to be taken in the first three rounds, according to several NFL draft experts. The crop includes USC's Fred Davis, the most known commodity; Purdue's Dustin Keller, a big-play threat; and Texas A&M's Martellus Bennett, a good talent with considerable room for growth.

If the Seahawks opt to take a tight end with their first-round selection (No. 25), they should have their pick of the bunch. Davis or Keller figures to be the first chosen at that position, and neither projects to go higher than late in the first round. It could be that easy.

But, true to form, the solution will likely be more complicated. It all depends on how the Seahawks feel about their running-back corps.

Speculation still exists that if a quality back is available, the Seahawks will pick him, despite the fact that they added two rushers in free agency (Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett) and must make a decision on what to do with Shaun Alexander. If they select another back, the Seahawks would have to hope to find the right tight end for their system in the second or third round.

With the tight-end depth in this draft, it's doable, but the Seahawks should have reservations about dropping it down the priority list.

They can get by next season with a hodgepodge at running back, but they can't without a starting tight end. Although there's no guarantee that a rookie could start in coach Mike Holmgren's offense, it's better than the alternative.

This dilemma is so strange, given Holmgren's résumé. He became an offensive mastermind partly because of his ability to use tight ends effectively in the passing game.

Through the years, Holmgren brought out the best in Brent Jones, Mark Chmura, Jackie Harris and Keith Jackson.

And then he came to Seattle.

Since then, his tight ends have produced spotty performances.

In the 10 years before the coach came to the Seahawks, the tight ends in Holmgren-led offenses had combined to average about 60 receptions per season. By comparison, the Seahawks tight ends combined for 41 receptions last season.

So, what happened? Ultimately, Holmgren went wrong when he drafted Jerramy Stevens in 2002 and then stuck with him too long. The Stevens fiasco lasted five years, which will wind up being half of Holmgren's Seahawks tenure.

Before Stevens, the Seahawks were searching for a player talented enough to be an impact tight end. Last season, after Seattle finally gave up on the mercurial Stevens, it endured a year in which an over-the-hill Pollard limped through the season. If you thought that was bad, a warning: It could get worse, much worse.

Because Holmgren has announced this season will be his last, the year will take on a tributary vibe. But, really, there's only one gesture that would show proper appreciation for Holmgren's stellar coaching career.

Find a legit tight end.

It's an appropriate parting gift.

The only problem is that, considering their recent history, the Seahawks would have an easier time purchasing a Nintendo Wii.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com. For his Extra Points blog, visit seattletimes.com/sports