The Seahawks’ tight end unit, already a bit of a mystery while awaiting Jimmy Graham’s recovery from patellar-tendon knee surgery, took another hit Sunday when Cooper Helfet went down with a cracked bone in his foot.
Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell disclosed the injury but wasn’t specific about Helfet’s potential absence.
“He cracked a bone in his foot so we’re going to miss him for a little bit,” Bevell said. Bone breaks usually take about six weeks to heal, but a crack may be a shorter duration.
That leaves the Seahawks with one healthy holdover from the past season, Luke Willson. But the Seahawks drafted Nick Vannett from Ohio State in the third round, and the 6-6, 257-poiunder has done nothing but impress.
“He was going to come in as a blocker,” Bevell said. “I would say, yeah, he’s done a really good job of catching the ball. He’s kind of been a big part out here in some of the passing game.I would say that’s been a great surprise for us . . . how adept he is at catching the ball, how soft his hands are.
“He might end up being a real nice, solid combination tight end.”
The Seahawks also signed in the off-season Brandon Williams, 28, who spent three seasons at Carolina. He’s a University of Oregon grad who figures to get more reps at practice while Helfet recovers.
