Seahawks’ latest conversion: rookie tight end Stephen Sullivan into what they really need
Stephen Sullivan overcame immeasurably long odds to become a self-made wide receiver and national champion at LSU.
The Seahawks drafted him this spring and made him at tight end.
Now, because they absolutely need one—or four—the Seahawks are making him a defensive end.
Of course they are.
The team that converted college defensive lineman J.R. Sweezy into a Super Bowl champion offensive lineman, college basketball power forward George Fant into a starting offensive tackle and college safety Tre Flowers into a starting NFL cornerback, to name a few, is turning Sullivan from a practice-squad pass catcher into an edge pass rusher.
“I’m willing to, honestly, fit anywhere,” Seattle’s seventh-round draft choice said before training camp began in late July.
“I’m willing to do anything the team needs.”
Not sure then he imagined they’d do this. But duty—and need—call.
This new plan from coach Pete Carroll, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and defensive line coach Clint Hurtt is to see if the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Sullivan’s receiver size and speed translate into becoming an end. Seattle’s defense needs edge rushers to pressure quarterbacks like footballs need air to take their shape.
Seattle’s defensive line has seven sacks in five games entering its first NFC West game of 2020 Sunday at the Arizona Cardinals (4-2). The Seahawks (5-0) are 24th in the league in sacks. There were 31st last season. They are 19th in rate of pressuring quarterbacks (on 21.4% of dropbacks).
So number 48 is no longer a tight end. He’s a defensive end. He’s now the guy he was blocking all training camp through the first month of the regular season in practices.
“You look at Sully, he’s a guy that has the length and the speed and that look of the great pass rushers,” Norton said Wednesday. “He has a lot of good speed. And, certainly, when you have the ability to develop on the practice squad that we do, you do what you can to try to make sure guys can help you at all these positions.
“You certainly want to see if you can use that length—and speed and turn it into a pass rusher.”
Sullivan was wearing blue during Wednesday’s practice. Defensive players wear blue all week leading up to road games in which the Seahawks are going to be wearing white jerseys. The idea is the offense (which usually wears home blues) puts on white for practices for away games to get quarterback Russell Wilson used to looking for white jerseys that week.
Sullivan’s work remains in the early stages. Of the position drills at the start of his latest practice had defensive linemen firing off the ball low under a metal, horizontal bar and cage, Sullivan awkwardly banged the back of his helmet into it. Every other defensive tackle and end smoothly and easily stayed under the bar as the fired off the ball.
Hurtt and veteran defensive end Benson Mayowa were giving Sullivan extra teaching on footwork coming out of his three-point stance into a blocking sled during position drills early in the practice.
The interest in Sullivan is obviously there.
No wonder.
The Seahawks lost edge rusher Bruce Irvin to season-ending knee surgery last month. Their top rookie pass rusher, second-round pick Darrell Taylor, has yet to practice in the NFL. He remains on the non-football-injury list indefinitely. Taylor, expected to be a “Leo,” weakside defensive end for Seattle, had surgery Jan. 30 to have a Titanium rod put into his lower leg to fix a stress fracture.
Carroll said this week he believes Taylor will play at some point this season, yet he and team doctors aren’t sure.
Mayowa was limited in practice Wednesday by a knee injury. The 29-year-old end and All-Pro safety Jamal Adams co-lead the team with two sacks each, though Adams hasn’t played since Sept. 27 because of a strained groin.
Mayowa and Irvin are signed only through the end of this season. In 2021, Seattle will be needing more edge rushers.
So they are seeing if a rookie tight end under contract for three more years after this one can become a defensive end.
Sullivan last played defense in high school in Donaldsville, Louisiana. Norton said he saw video clips of Sullivan playing defensive end for Donaldsville High School.
“He was a killer in high school,” Norton said, smiling and shaking his head. “But it’s been a while.”
That was while Sullivan was homeless for a time then lived with an aunt, with a little league coach and with friends. He was in grade school when he saw police take away both his parents to jail on drug charges, and he was sleeping under a freeway overpass with his older brother.
So compared to what he’s been through, a position switch isn’t exactly daunting to him.
“He has been there for a few weeks now,” Norton said. “It’s been very impressive watching how quickly he’s been able to pick it up.
“We are still in the development stage for him. But, certainly, he’s a guy we have our eyes on. ...
“He’s certainly a guy that has that ability, that length and his speed, that you look for in that position. So why not give him a shot and see how he looks?”
