Seahawks Position Review: Search for a Third Receiving Option Continues

Seattle should be set with Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf torching opposing defenses for years to come, but finding another reliable weapon on the outside remains on the agenda for 2020.

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Nearly a month after their season ended at Lambeau Field, the Seahawks have put the 2019 season in the rear view mirror and have transitioned focus to fortifying the roster for 2020.

Revisiting a successful 11-win season that culminated in advancing to the NFC Divisional Round, we’re going to look back at each of Seattle’s positional groups with player grades, top plays, and a key question that will need to be answered during the offseason.

Continuing our position review series, let’s analyze Seattle’s situation at receiver, where the vast majority of the team’s production came from its top two players in Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf.

Overview

Taking over the role of Seattle’s new alpha dog at receiver with ease, Lockett caught a career-high 82 passes from quarterback Russell Wilson and surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career. Shining out of the gate as a rookie, Metcalf provided the perfect complement to Lockett, catching 58 passes for 900 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. While Wilson found great success targeting his top two weapons on the outside, there was a big drop off for the rest of the Seahawks receiving corps. David Moore ranked third on the team with 301 receiving yards, while Malik Turner chipped in with 245 yards and veteran Jaron Brown yielded 220 yards. The decision to claim Josh Gordon also didn’t pan out as hoped, with him lasting just five games before being suspended by the NFL.

Player Grades

Tyler Lockett: A-

Coming off the best season of his NFL career, Lockett proved his fantastic 2018 season wasn't a fluke and silenced doubters who questioned his ability to be a No. 1 receiver. Though his efficiency numbers weren't quite on par with the year prior due to a substantial increase in targets, the fifth-year receiver produced at least 120 receiving yards and had nine or more receptions in five separate games this year for Seattle. He shattered his previous career-best with 82 receptions and became the first Seahawks receiver since Doug Baldwin in 2016 to reach the century mark for receiving yardage. If not for midseason struggles playing through a leg injury, he may have been in the discussion for All-Pro consideration.

DK Metcalf: B+

As he’s already addressed this offseason, Metcalf knows he has plenty of room for improvement after a sensational rookie season. Per Pro Football Reference, he dropped seven passes and lost three fumbles. His catch rate was also just 58 percent. But aside from those ball security issues, the 6-foot-4, 228-pound receiver shattered all expectations, giving Wilson the big-bodied, athletic target on the outside he’s lacked throughout his career. He finished in the top three among rookies for receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns and due to his penchant for explosive plays, he ranked 14th in the NFL in yards per reception. Just turning 22 years old in December, the sky is truly the limit for this dynamic young receiver.

David Moore: C-

After finishing with 445 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 2018, the Seahawks believed Moore would take another big step in his third NFL season. But he opened the year missing two games with a broken humerus bone and while he made a few big plays during the course of the year, he caught nine less passes and finished with nearly 150 less receiving yards than last year. A big game against the Eagles in the playoffs salvaged an otherwise disappointing campaign and the Seahawks will have a choice to make with him being a restricted free agent.

Jaron Brown: D+

Going into the season, the Seahawks coaching staff talked up Brown as being the No. 2 receiver behind Lockett. But even after starting multiple preseason games, he was cut in late August before quickly being brought back and aside from catching 14 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns in a five game stretch from Week 2 to Week 6, he was a non-factor for Seattle’s passing game. From Week 8 on, he caught just two passes and was targeted a mere four times.

Malik Turner: C

In his second season with the Seahawks, Turner made some splashy catches, including reeling in a 33-yard touchdown against the Eagles on a flea flicker from Wilson. As the season wore on, he carved out a larger role on offense, playing 156 snaps in his final seven games. But he also endured drop issues in crucial moments, failing to catch a fourth down pass against the Rams in Week 14 and letting a surefire first down pass from Wilson bounce off his chest in the divisional round.

Josh Gordon: D

Everything appeared to be going so smoothly for Gordon upon his arrival off waivers in early November. Coaches and teammates described him as a hard worker and a model teammate in the locker room, while he proved his worth on the field with several clutch third down receptions. But another indefinite suspension brought his brief stint with the Seahawks to a close after just five games with seven receptions for 139 yards and his NFL career is officially in jeopardy.

John Ursua: D-

It’s not Ursua’s fault that he didn’t get a chance to dress and contribute until Week 17. Once the rookie out of Hawaii received an opportunity, he nearly caught the game-winning touchdown to beat to the 49ers. Unfortunately, his stat line for the year consists of that one target and catch, as most of his snaps came in garbage time when Seattle orchestrated the victory formation to close out games.

Top Play of 2019

DK Metcalf sprawls out, climbs back to his feet for 53-yard touchdown reception vs. the Eagles in the wild card round.

There's no shortage of worthy play of the year candidates from Seattle's receivers, as Lockett seemed to make ridiculous grabs every week. But magnitude of the game matters and as part of a record-breaking performance, a spectacular all-around effort by Metcalf to ultimately lock up Seattle's first playoff win in three years takes the crown.

Lined up reduced inside the numbers on the left side of the formation, Metcalf took an inside release working against cornerback Avonte Maddox. As Wilson executed a quick play fake to a motioning Lockett as well as running back Travis Homer, the gigantic receiver rocketed past Maddox on a skinny post route and instantly created several steps of separation.

With Philadelphia's lone deep safety all the way on the other hash mark, Wilson lofted a strike downfield to Metcalf, who fully extended his arms and rolled to the ground as he secured the catch. Displaying astute awareness, Metcalf alertly climbed back to his feet before Maddox made contact with him and stiff-armed his way into the end zone to extend Seattle's lead to 17-6 midway through the third quarter.

Burning Question

Who will step up as Seattle’s third receiver? And is that player not yet on the roster?

Lockett and Metcalf combined for 140 receptions, 1,957 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns last season, emerging as one of the best receiving tandems in the NFC. Both players will be integral parts of Seattle's aerial attack for years to come, but question marks remain on the depth chart behind them.

Following two mediocre seasons, Brown will be an unrestricted free agent and likely won't return. Regardless of whether or not the team places a restricted free agency tender on him, Moore will be entering the final year of his rookie contract. Turner flashed glimpses of potential and has been a valuable special teams player, but it's unclear how high his ceiling is. It's not impossible Gordon could be re-signed if reinstated, but there are a lot of hoops that need to be jumped through before the front office can even consider the possibility.

If there's one player currently on the roster who could make a massive leap forward in 2020 and surface as Seattle's third receiver, it's Ursua. After playing just 11 snaps as a rookie and playing in just three regular season games, coach Pete Carroll indicated he would be in the mix competing for significant playing time next season. Once one of the nation's most prolific receivers at Hawaii, he impressed despite limited opportunities.

"I’m really going to be excited about what Johnny [Ursua] can bring playing in the slot for us next year. He looked terrific during the second half of the season in all of the work that we did and the more time he got with us."

While the organization has high hopes for Ursua and both Moore and Turner should be back, this year's draft class offers impressive depth at the receiver position as well. The Seahawks are slated to have eight picks, including three compensatory selections, that could be used on a receiver as early as the second round. Though it may not be a top priority early, don't be surprised if Seattle picks at least one wideout before the weekend concludes in Las Vegas.