'Bigger, Faster, Stronger' Parkinson Eyeing Starting Job

RENTON, Wash. - Up 14 with a hair over seven minutes left to play at SoFi Stadium, the Seattle Seahawks had just stopped the Los Angeles Chargers on fourth down and were looking to throw a knockout punch on the road.

Starting their latest possession from their own 26-yard line, the Seahawks broke the huddle with 13 personnel featuring three tight ends, including Colby Parkinson, who motioned across the formation pre-snap. Right after Parkinson passed behind him, Geno Smith took the snap and tossed the ball to Ken Walker III on a sweep with the tight end sprinting out in front of him as a lead blocker.

With Walker looking for room to operate outside, Parkinson initially teamed up with teammate Will Dissly to chip linebacker Kyle Van Noy, allowing the back to slip by the defender at the numbers. The third-year tight end then shifted his attention to the next level, setting his sights on Asante Samuel Jr., blocking the cornerback towards the sideline to create a huge crease and springing the back for a 74-yard game-sealing touchdown run.

In the midst of a breakout year following two seasons marred by foot injuries, no play better encapsulated Parkinson's growth and development as an all-around tight end for the Seahawks. After coming into the NFL viewed as a glorified receiver by most draft pundits, the former Stanford standout has successfully transformed into a capable inline blocker, playing a key role in Walker's 1,000-yard season as a rookie.

What's been the secret to Parkinson's evolution? While getting stronger has paid major dividends and his technique has improved under the coaching of Pat McPherson, he believes adopting the right mentality to play in the trenches has been the biggest difference maker in his performance.

"It's mindset," Parkinson cited as his greatest area of improvement. "Just being able to be the aggressor, getting off the ball as fast as you can, and taking the fight to them has been the biggest thing."

When Parkinson first arrived at Stanford, he weighed under 230 pounds, lacking the size necessary to hold up in the trenches against Pac-12 competition. During three years on campus, he bulked up to north of 250 pounds on his 6-7 frame and he saw an uptick in usage as a blocker in a run-centric offense, but his receiving talents remained his greatest attribute to the program and as an NFL draft prospect.

One of the Cardinal's most reliable weapons in the passing game, Parkinson amassed 87 receptions for 1,171 yards and scored 12 touchdowns in three college seasons before bypassing on his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft. After a strong showing in the combine, Seattle invested a fourth-round pick in him with hopes of developing him into a true every down tight end in time.

Unfortunately, before Parkinson even participated in his first training camp practice, he suffered a fractured foot during a spring workout amid COVID shutdowns. He opened his rookie season on the Non-Football Injury list and didn't make his NFL debut until November, appearing in six games with two receptions.

Misfortune struck again for Parkinson the following August, as he re-injured the foot after a strong start to camp and missed the first three games before returning to action. Though he appeared in 14 games with one start for the Seahawks, the injury once again set him back and he caught just five passes for 33 yards while being targeted only eight times in the passing game.

But with a clean bill of health, Parkinson finally took a big step forward in 2022. Thriving as part of a talented tight end trifecta alongside Dissly and Noah Fant, he set career-highs with 25 receptions for 322 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns while building a strong rapport with Smith. He also earned high marks as a blocker, finishing 11th out of 52 qualified players in overall blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus.

Overall, while logging 441 offensive snaps and seeing an expanded role later in the season, Parkinson was pleased with his progression in all areas of his game.

"I think I played really well last year with the opportunities that I got," Parkinson assessed. "I just need to emphasize getting on the field more, not being taken out on specific run plays or pass plays, being able to be an all-purpose tight end."

While his foot problems set him back on the field, Parkinson benefited immensely from hitting the weight room hard during his recovery. Packing on close to 20 pounds of muscle, he arrived at his third training camp sporting a chiseled physique emulating a Greek god carved out of marble and the extra strength immediately showed up in all areas of his game, particularly in the blocking department.

Enjoying another injury-free offseason, Parkinson continued to prioritize getting bigger, faster, and stronger throughout the spring. Most notably, for a second straight year, he trained in Nashville with 49ers star George Kittle among other standout NFL tight ends, participating in the annual Tight End University program looking to add new elements to his ever-evolving game learning from from the best in the business.

Away from his football training, Parkinson also married his wife Melanie, who he met only a year prior to them tying the knot, on March 10. The couple had their wedding in the historic Greenbrier Resort in the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia and the festivities were profiled in an April edition of People magazine, capping off a phenomenal year for the upstart tight end.

Continually pushing to better himself on and off the field, Parkinson now enters a critical fourth season with free agency just around the corner next March. While there's much at stake for him on an individual level in regard to his ascending football career, his central focus remains on doing whatever it takes to help the Seahawks win with rising expectations for both the player and team.

"My goal is to become a starting tight end, not come off the field, and earn that spot. I'm coming out every day competing and that's my goal to help the team any way I can."