Moore: The Seahawks may regret not adding more to their WR corps
Sep 5, 2019, 12:03 AM | Updated: 12:12 am
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As much as I think the Seahawks have elevated themselves into the Super Bowl conversation with the addition of Jadeveon Clowney, I wonder if we’ll be talking about the receiving corps preventing them from being one and done in the playoffs.
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I mean, Doug Baldwin might even call this group mediocre. Outside of Tyler Lockett there is no one you can count on, plus David Moore will miss the first game and possibly more with a broken arm and DK Metcalf is questionable for the opener following knee surgery last month.
Jaron Brown is expected to be the No. 2 receiver, but he gets that designation basically by default. Though he had five touchdown receptions last year, Brown, in my mind, was a disappointment last year with only 14 catches. Moore still has a lot to prove, and Metcalf, as spectacular as he’s supposed to be, had one catch in the preseason.
And who has faith in Malik Turner? Maybe he’ll be fine, maybe not. Then there’s Gary Jennings, who did nothing to justify a spot on this team other than being a fourth-round draft choice. I would venture to say if he was a fifth- or sixth-round pick, he’d be a goner.
It says something about this collection of receivers to think that John Ursua, a seventh-rounder, looks like the best of the bunch to me after Lockett.
Hopefully they’ll all come around and prove to be solid targets for Russell Wilson, but think about it, even if that happens, it’s going to take time to develop the rapport a quarterback needs with a receiver, or so they say anyway.
And if I’m making predictions, I would guess that tight end Will Dissly or one of the running backs might have the second-most receptions on the team. Problem is, I’m still not convinced that Dissly, coming off of a torn patellar tendon, is going to pick up where he left off last year right away. And receptions by the running backs will no doubt be spread out among Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny and C.J. Prosise.
It’s interesting to note that running back Mike Davis, who signed with the Bears as a free agent in the offseason, had 34 catches last year, and this year offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has talked about wanting to use running backs more frequently in the passing game.
But if I were a defensive coordinator, my game plan would involve stacking the box to stop the Seahawks’ running game and take my chances against receivers who haven’t shown much of anything yet.
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