Seahawks Insider: Paul Richardson showing his gift of grab

At 6 feet even and 183 pounds – maybe — Paul Richardson is never going to be described as a red-zone threat.

He does lead the Seahawks with five touchdowns, though, and his speed is only part of the reason. His ability to leap up and make a contested catch has made him one of the most dangerous receiving threats on Seattle’s team.

And after suffering a season-ending injury in each of his first two seasons in Seattle, Richardson is showing what teammates like Richard Sherman have known for a long time.

“Paul hasn’t had an opportunity to show his talent,” Sherman said. “To show his big-play ability, his jumping ability, his 50-50 ball dominance, and to see him get a chance to go out there and just mano-a-mano, throw the ball up, better man makes the play week in and week out is awesome.”

Richardson is averaging 17 yards per catch, which ranks No. 7 among all NFL players with 16 or more catches.

A second-round pick in 2014, Richardson suffered a serious knee injury in the final month of his rookie season. No sooner had he returned to the field in 2015 than he suffered a season-ending hamstring injury.

Richardson had the most improbable catch of the year for the Seahawks in 2016 when he made a one-handed grab in the end zone for a first-half touchdown in Seattle’s wild-card victory over Detroit.

Turns out that was a sign of what Richardson had in store for this season.

“It’s awesome to see him do what we have to deal with every day,” Sherman said.

It’s coming at the right time, too. Richardson will be a free agent at the end of the season.

“Obviously it’s a contract year for him,” Sherman said, “so you’re happy to see that guy have this kind of success and hopefully he continues to have this level of success and (he) gets his money, man, because he works hard and he deserves it.”

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