It was expected that Seattle Seahawks would target a wide receiver at some point in the off-season. It was a bit of a surprise when they decided to select three during the draft. It all has come to make sense since the rumors of Doug Baldwin‘s impending retirement broke. Here we will preview the Seahawks wide receiver room for 2019.
Seattle Seahawks Wide Receiver Preview For 2019
Returning Players
Tyler Lockett
Tyler Lockett earned his pay in 2018. His efficiency as a wide receiver earned him a big year in 2018 and should set him up for an even bigger year in 2019. Not only is he the best route-runner in Seattle, but he also finished with a perfect passer rating when targeted and was ranked first among wide receivers in best conversion rate (first downs and touchdowns), per Pro Football Focus.
Lockett was originally viewed as a kick/punt returner for the Seahawks but he hasn’t done a whole lot in a while on special teams. J.D. McKissic, a former receiver and running back, is now listed as a return specialist on the Seahawks roster. This could mean that Lockett is moving to a more prominent role on the offense next season.
David Moore
David Moore was drafted by Seattle in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He had a good year in 2018, finishing with 445 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 17.1 yards on 26 receptions.
He isn’t the most polished route runner but could likely become the Seahawks number two receiver considering Balwin’s situation, as pointed out by Corbin Smith.
Jaron Brown
2018 was Jaron Brown‘s first season with the Seahawks after spending the previous five seasons in Arizona. With Seattle, Brown had a career-high five receiving touchdowns and his highest catch rate yet at 73.7%. Targeted only 19 times, Pete Carroll admitted that he wished they could’ve used Brown (and Moore) on their offense more.
Amara Darboh
Amara Darboh was drafted by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft but hasn’t had much of a role since. He only caught eight passes for 71 yards in his rookie season. Just before the opening of the 2018 season, he was waived by Seattle and claimed by the New England Patriots but was forced to return to the Seahawks over a failed physical.
Keenan Reynolds
Originally a quarterback in college, Keenan Reynolds has spent time rotating between the Seahawks active roster and practice squad. He’s only played in two games and has zero receptions. It’s not really expected for Reynolds to make the roster, once again.
Malik Turner
Malik Turner, like Reynolds, has rotated between the Seahawks active roster and practice squad and seen minimal action with the team. In 2018, he appeared in six games, catching two passes for 20 yards.
The Draftees
D.K. Metcalf
D.K. Metcalf took a bit a tumble in the draft and landed, surprisingly, with the Seahawks. Despite concerns over his route running ability, Pete Carroll raved about Metcalf’s quickness, size, and catch radius during the Seahawks three-day rookie mini-camp.
Metcalf comes in likely as Doug Baldwin’s replacement, whether it happens right away or another year for now (depending on Baldwin’s health). Because of his size and speed, Metcalf will most likely be the X (split end) receiver which is where he took most snaps during mini-camp.
The Seahawks have needed a big wide receiver for some time now. Last season they signed Brandon Marshall but he didn’t last long in Seattle and now remains a free agent.
Gary Jennings
Gary Jennings played his college career at West Virginia and had over 2,000 career receiving yards and 17 touchdowns, 13 which were in 2018. In his first two seasons, he saw action as a punt and kick returner. Ironically, Jennings and Russell Wilson are both from the same area in Virginia.
John Ursua
John Ursua was drafted by the Seahawks out of Hawaii in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft, their third wide receiver of the draft. Ursua was a big contributor for Hawaii. During his three years there, he had a total 189 receptions, 2662 yards, and 24 touchdowns. In his final year, he had 89 receptions for over 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns alone and never averaged less than 12 yards per reception during his time at the University of Hawaii.
Undrafted
The Seahawks invited two wide receivers to their mini-camp on a tryout basis. Terry Wright left the Seahawks mini-camp with a lasting impression. He comes out of Purdue undrafted and only had 57 total receptions for 742 yards and five touchdowns in two years. But in his last season at Purdue, he averaged 13 yards per reception. Wright, a track star, will most likely see time on special teams if makes the final roster.
Northwestern State receiver Jazz Ferguson was someone Pete Carroll had his eye on during the pre-draft process so it only seems fit that the undrafted receiver was invited to the Seahawks rookie mini-camp. Despite concerns about his ability against press coverage, Ferguson had a strong mini-camp. But for most undrafted receivers, it’s difficult to make the 53-man roster, especially if there were three receivers chosen in the draft over them.
The Big Question
It came as a bit of shock this off-season when news broke that Doug Baldwin has been mulling retirement after undergoing the second sports hernia surgery of his career. Right now it’s hard to speculate whether or not he will play in 2019 but there are serious implications that he may have played the last game of his career.
If he has, the Seahawks should expect to be fine without Baldwin considering their 2019 draft haul on wide receivers.
Last Word
The Seahawks off-season focus on wide receivers could mean that they are planning on implementing more passing into their offense. But no matter what, it seems that they have a good outlook for the position right now and in the future. It will be exciting to see how the mix in the rookies with the veterans.
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