With both Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry off the market — and both players finding new homes in Foxborough with the New England Patriots — perhaps the most enticing tight end option left in free agency stood Gerald Everett.
Everett is staying in the NFC West, but will be switching teams. The tight end announced on social media that he is signing with the Seattle Seahawks:
12!!!!!!!
— Gerald Everett (@lightningstrk12) March 17, 2021
In case the reference to the “12s” was unclear, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provided more clarity and the terms of the deal:
Gerald Everett’s Seahawks deal is worth up to $7M, source said, with $6M guaranteed. https://t.co/LLgdGRmT38
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2021
I’ll admit to taking something of a shine to Everett, and particularly how Sean McVay used him in Los Angeles.
Everett’s movement skills and quickness make him a matchup nightmare against linebackers, and given that Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay found a variety of ways to ensure that Everett would get favorable matchups this season, and then exploit them after the snap. Everett’s ability was a big reason that Los Angeles used a lot more 12 offensive personnel the past few seasons, including using that package 29% of the time this past year.
Only the Philadelphia Eagles, the Tennessee Titans, and the Arizona Cardinals used that two tight end package on a higher percentage of their offensive plays.
As a result, Everett started seven games, the most of his career, and put up career-high numbers in targets, receptions, yards and first downs. This play against Washington is a perfect example of how McVay would get his tight end favorable matchups against linebackers, as Everett aligns as a fullback in the backfield:
The Football Team drops into a Cover-4 on this play, but you can see how the alignment and personnel work to get Everett a golden opportunity for a bit play.
Then there is this example against the Cardinals, where Everett flashes his change-of-direction ability on a slant route against a man coverage linebacker:
As more teams use 12 personnel, having the true move type of TE is a big part of offensive game-planning. Organizations that are looking for such a player would be smart to kick the tires on Everett. Seattle, a team that used 12 personnel on 28% of their snaps last year, is one such team, and they might have just gotten a steal.
