Brady Russell

Brady Russell
No. 38 – Seattle Seahawks
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1998-08-31) August 31, 1998 (age 26)
Camp Pendleton, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:Fossil Ridge (CO)
College:Colorado (2017–2022)
Undrafted:2023
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 14, 2024
Games played:26
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Brady Russell (born August 31, 1998) is an American professional football tight end for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Colorado and was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2023.

Early years

Russell was born on August 31, 1998, at Camp Pendleton in California.[1] Several of his family members were also involved in athletics: his father, Randy, and uncle, Marc Booth, both played football for the Arkansas Razorbacks; his uncle, Matt, played for the Colorado Buffaloes and is an executive with the Philadelphia Eagles; his brother, Cody, played for the Northern Colorado Bears and another brother, Tyler, ran track at Navy.[1]

Russell attended Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, Colorado, initially being a track athlete before switching to football and playing defensive end as well as some tight end.[2] He was the team's most valuable player as both a junior and senior, twice earning first-team All-Front Range League honors on defense, as well as one second-team selection on offense.[1] He was a two-star recruit and opted to walk-on at Football Bowl Subdivision Colorado rather than accept a scholarship offer from Football Championship Subdivision Northern Colorado.[3][4]

College career

As a true freshman at Colorado in 2017, Russell spent time learning how to play outside linebacker and tight end, quickly being made the latter while spending the season on the scout team.[4] He was named Colorado's 2017 Offensive Scout Player of the Year.[4] He impressed in training camp in 2018 and was given a scholarship prior to the regular season, despite it taking most walk-ons at minimum three years to earn it, if ever.[4] Russell was placed second on the depth chart to begin the 2018 season.[4] He totaled five receptions for 41 yards on the year.[5]

In 2019, Russell made 23 catches for 221 yards with two touchdowns, exceeding the amount of catches made by Colorado tight ends in the prior three years (18).[5] The following year, he was named team captain, but suffered an injury in the second game that sidelined him for the season.[2][6] He had his best season in 2021, recording a team-leading 25 receptions for 307 yards while being a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the best player who started his career as a walk-on.[2][7] Russell returned for a final year in 2022 and posted 20 catches for 153 yards with no scores.[8][9] He finished his stint at the school with 78 receptions for 799 yards with three touchdowns.[10]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+7⁄8 in
(1.90 m) 		247 lb
(112 kg) 		34+1⁄2 in
(0.88 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.75 s 1.66 s 2.79 s 4.37 s 7.25 s 34.5 in
(0.88 m)		 9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		 21 reps
All values from Pro Day[11]

Philadelphia Eagles

After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Russell was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent.[10] He was waived on August 29, 2023 and re-signed to the practice squad.[12][13]

Seattle Seahawks

Russell was signed off the Eagles' practice squad to the 53-man roster of the Seattle Seahawks on September 20, 2023.[14] He played in 15 games for Seattle, logging 7 tackles while playing in just 2% of the team's offensive snaps. Russell made 11 appearances for the Seahawks in 2024, playing mostly on special teams. On January 2, 2025, Russell was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury, ending his season.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Brady Russell". Colorado Buffaloes.
  2. ^ a b c "NFL Draft Profile: Brady Russell, Tight End, Colorado Buffaloes". Sports Illustrated. November 16, 2022.
  3. ^ Cross, Nathan (September 1, 2022). "TCU Football vs Colorado: Opponent's Players to Watch". Sports Illustrated.
  4. ^ a b c d e Lytle, Kevin (August 30, 2018). "Russell's Gamble Pays Off". Fort Collins Coloradoan. p. D1, D4 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ a b Howell, Brian (December 25, 2019). "Brady Russell becoming reliable weapon for CU Buffs". BuffZone.com.
  6. ^ Howell, Brian (August 7, 2021). "Brady Russell playing key role for CU Buffs". Greeley Tribune.
  7. ^ Searfoss, Jimmy (August 7, 2022). "Veteran Colorado tight end Brady Russell ready to roll under new offensive scheme". 247Sports.
  8. ^ Wadleigh, Matt (February 18, 2023). "Brady Russell dazzles at NFLPA Collegiate Bowl practice". USA Today.
  9. ^ King, Tyler (October 19, 2022). "CU Buffs senior Brady Russell assuming bigger role in tight end room". Denver Gazette.
  10. ^ a b Howell, Brian (April 30, 2023). "Former CU Buffs tight end Brady Russell excited for NFL opportunity with Eagles". BuffZone.com.
  11. ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Brady Russell College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  12. ^ Spadaro, Dave; McPherson, Chris (August 29, 2023). "Eagles announce initial 53-man roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  13. ^ "Eagles announce practice squad". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. August 30, 2023.
  14. ^ Boyle, John (September 20, 2023). "Seahawks Sign TE Brady Russell". Seattle Seahawks.
  15. ^ "Minor NFL Transactions: 1/2/25". profootballrumors.com. Retrieved January 2, 2025.