RENTON — When Tom Cable was the head coach in Oakland, a lot of his team’s offense ran through tight end Zach Miller.
Cable, now the Seahawks’ offensive line coach, and the rest of the coaching staff are banking on Miller having the same type of impact in Seattle.
Miller, a Pro Bowl p
layer last season for the Raiders, agreed to terms on a contract with the Seahawks on Tuesday, giving Seattle one of the top tight ends available on the free agent market. That move, along with the signings of receiver Sidney Rice, quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and guard Robert Gallery last week, continue the overhaul of an offense that ranked 28th in total offense and 23rd in scoring last season. According to ESPN, Miller will sign a five-year deal worth $34 million with $17 million guaranteed.
“This is a fantastic move for us,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “Zach is a great football player, he’s a great person and a great competitor. We obviously have great information from Tom on his background and who he is and what he brings. He makes us a more versatile offense.”
Miller, who is only 25 despite having spent four years in the league, caught 60 passes for 685 yards and five touchdowns last season. The year before he had 66 catches for 805 yards and three touchdowns.
“You get a good locker room guy first, a guy who shows up early,” said receiver Mike Williams, who played with Miller in Oakland in 2007, Miller’s rookie season. “He’s going to know what’s going on, he’s going to pick the book up fast. He’s a good dude. I knew Zach when he was young, when he was fresh out, and he had it together then. He’s only gotten better. … With Zach, we get a big-time guy. We get a guy who can stretch the field.”
And while he is best known as a pass catcher, Cable says Miller can do the dirty work required of a tight end as well.
“He’s a very complete player,” Cable said. “He’s able to block off the line of scrimmage as the wide tight end. You can move him around, he can block effectively that way, you can split him out.
“He can do all the crack blocks, he can play the one-on-one matchup game in the passing game, and I’ve seen that from John (Carlson) already. So, I’m tickled because I just think offensively, you add Sidney Rice, you’ve got Tarvaris in here, we’ve got great runners here, we’re building a young offense line, and you’ve two tight ends I think are as good as there is in football.
“That’s a strong statement, but I’ve seen them both in person, and they’re very good.”
Ah yes, Carlson. He’s the other part of this equation. The immediate question when new came out of Miller’s signing was what that meant for Carlson, the team’s starting tight end for the past three seasons. While it would appear that the two are too similar to coexist, Carroll and Cable both instead said they were excited about the options the two will give the team.
“Absolutely,” Carroll said when asked if there was room for Carlson on the team. “That’s exactly what’s in our minds. Anybody that things otherwise doesn’t get it. Those guys will play together, in tandem. They’ll be on opposite sides, and we’ll move them around for matchups and all kinds of stuff. It’ll be a great asset for us now.”
And the Seahawks should have room on the field for two tight ends. Darrell Bevell, Seattle’s offensive coordinator, ran an offensive in Minnesota that used two tight end sets on 34 percent of its snaps last season, according to Football Outsiders. That was ninth highest in the NFL.
Carlson said he welcomes Miller’s addition, even if it means more competition at his position.
“It’s great that he is coming to the team and is going to add another weapon to the offense,” Carlson said. “It’s going to be competitive at the tight end position and that’s the way coach runs things, the way the NFL is. I’m happy he is going to be here, I think he’s make the team better and I look forward to seeing what we can do with two tight end packages and see what we can do offensively.”
Seahawks sign DE Wilkerson
The Seahawks continued to bolster their defensive line Tuesday, reaching a deal with free agent defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson. Wilkerson, 30, spent last season in New Orleans, playing all 16 games but starting none.
In 2009, his only season as a regular starter, Wilkerson recorded six sacks for Tampa Bay. Wilkerson, who came into the league as a sixth-round pick out of Oklahoma, spent his first five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Carroll said Wilkerson will serve as an inside rusher on third down, and that the versatile end can move around the line and help at different positions.
Besides Wilkerson, the Seahawks previously added defensive linemen Ryan Sims and Alan Branch in free agency, and also re-signed Brandon Mebane and Junior Siavii.
Of note
RB Chris Henry, who spent most of last season on the practice squad, has been released. … Jameson Konz, a seventh-round pick last year, has been moved to defensive end. … DE Chris Clemons was held out of practice because of what Carroll called a slight infection in his ankle. Clemons had surgery on his ankle in the offseason. Carroll said Clemons could have practiced, but sat out as a precaution.
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog
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