Bumpus: What the Seahawks need from Tyler Lockett this season

Much of the focus this offseason for the Seahawks has been at receiver, namely young standout DK Metcalf.

Metcalf, 24, was entering the fourth and final year of his rookie deal before inking a massive three-year extension on Thursday, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid receivers.

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Metcalf is certainly a star, as evidenced by his 3,170 yards and 29 touchdowns over his first three seasons, but he’s not the only Seahawks receiver who’s among the game’s elite at the position.

The other would be Tyler Lockett, who’s entering his eighth year in the NFL and coming off his third consecutive 1,000-yard season. But despite being one of the game’s top receivers in recent years, Lockett has slid under the radar this offseason due to Metcalf’s contract situation as well as the Seahawks moving on from both quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner.

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So what do the Seahawks need from Lockett this season? Former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus broke it down during a recent edition of Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports 710 AM.

“Tyler’s been kind of lost in this whole thing. We’ve been focusing on DK and all these new additions, but the most consistent player on this roster for the past seven years has been Tyler Lockett,” Bumpus said.

So what type of year should Lockett have in 2022?

“You just need a year where he makes a couple of catches on the sideline for first down, where he makes a couple of catches that he’s not supposed to make where he picks up a few first downs,” Bumpus said. “Like, I don’t think he’s gonna go for 1,000 yards just because of the (quarterback) situation over here. But you just need big plays and timely plays out of him.”

Bumpus knows Lockett can be that guy as he’s done so in the past.

“He’s been the guy that you can rely on. We talk about DK and what he did on game-winning drives, but Tyler Lockett has done exactly the same (things), and he’s probably more versatile,” he said. “He can go inside, he can go outside, you can use him in a lot of different ways. He just has to be the constant because sometimes teams are gonna do whatever they can to take away DK. So what do you do? You slide over to No. 16 and you get him the rock. So just keep being consistent. That’s what he’s been his whole career.”

Listen to the second hour of Wednesday’s Bump and Stacy at this link or in the player below.

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