Despite Having More Pressing Needs, Seahawks Should Pursue Allen Robinson in Free Agency
As the March 14 start of free agency inches closer, both Pete Carroll and John Schneider have their hands full trying to reconstruct a defeated 7-10 team that has many weak spots on the roster. At the top of their offseason priorities list lies re-signing Quandre Diggs, D.J. Reed and beefing up the offensive line.
However, there's one spot the team has been unable to cement over the past few years: wide receiver.
Aside from the consistent greatness of Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, the Seahawks have desperately lacked a strong third option. And while they have taken their fair share of shots at the position, very little success has been found. Most recently, the front office's 2021 second-round draft pick, Dwayne Eskridge, missed a significant portion of his rookie campaign with a severe concussion and accumulated a mere 64 receiving yards on 10 receptions.
While Eskrige certainly has the raw talent and potential to be a playmaker in the coming future, the odds of him making a monumental leap in 2022 remain slim. The team's other option, former sixth-round pick Freddie Swain, also floats within the same boat. He finished the 2021 season with a meager 343 receiving yards and had multiple games of zero receptions. Both receivers aren’t going to force an opposing defensive coordinator to adjust the way they normally matchup against a tertiary receiving option.
In addition, the Seahawks' offense in 2021 was extremely big-play reliant. Collectively, the unit held the ball for 10 fewer minutes than opponents per game—the worst rate in the NFL. With hopes of reviving the offense, it’s clear that Russell Wilson and the Seahawks need a playmaking third option who can create individually and consistently. Wilson needs a target who he can trust to make a play when games are on the line—someone that one can argue the Super Bowl champion quarterback has lacked his entire career.
Of course, Schneider and Carroll could opt to acquire talent via the early rounds of the upcoming draft. However, given their draft position and additional needs, this is quite unlikely. Sure, hidden gems can be found in the draft through the later rounds, but success rates are very low. Typically, late-round draft picks take two or three years to develop into a quality starting role. Seattle cannot afford to bank on this path as its only option.
Then there's free agency. The upcoming free agency class of receivers has many notable names, such Mike Williams, Davante Adams and Chris Godwin. Yet one name sticks out as a perfect fit for Seattle more than the others: Allen Robinson.
In 2021, Robinson went through an unexpected down year after being franchise tagged by the Bears, even though he made it very clear he had desires to sign elsewhere. With the constant shuffle of starting quarterbacks between Andy Dalton and Justin Fields, Robinson struggled to settle into a groove during the season. He finished with a mere 410 receiving yards. For comparison: Robinson accumulated over 1,100 yards in each of his two prior seasons.
At this point in time, it remains clear that Robinson did not enjoy the playing environment in Chicago and was not put in a position to succeed. While he enjoyed the freedom of wide ranging route trees in the 2019 and 2020 seasons, 2021 saw an effective halt in the use of his unique skillset. The Bears opted to use him as a short-to-intermediate receiver while handing the receiver No. 1 rights to sophomore Darnell Mooney.
In Seattle, Robinson would open the field for Wilson. His 6-foot-3 frame—which Seattle’s other receivers in Eskridge and Swain lack—will also alleviate many of the issues Wilson had against two-high safeties in 2020 and 2021.
Yes, the Seahawks have larger holes to fill. Sure, Robinson will likely demand a high premium for his eventual contract.
However, with the Carroll and Wilson era likely coming to an end in the next couple of years, the Seahawks have to think outside the box. They can no longer afford to make the same roster construction mistakes that they have in previous years.
Seattle has to be aggressive with its larger-than-usual cap space in 2022. At the very least, it should be in talks with Robinson's camp this spring.
