Why Seahawks Should Consider Re-Signing WR Malik Turner

Despite making Turner a free agent on Tuesday, the Seahawks haven't ruled out the possibility of bringing him back later this offseason and there's sufficient evidence indicating that would be a wise decision.

So far this offseason, general manager John Schneider and his staff have been searching to find additional depth for the Seahawks receiving corps.

The process started last month when the Seahawks signed former Patriots receiver Phillip Dorsett to a one-year deal worth just over $1.04 million. At the time of this signing, Seattle was carrying eight receivers on its roster and it appeared they were nearly finished retooling at that position heading towards the NFL draft.

However, things took an unexpected turn on Tuesday when the Seahawks rescinded their exclusive rights tender on Malik Turner, making him an unrestricted free agent. But as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes, the second-year pro could return to the Pacific Northwest next season on a “split” contract that would pay him a similar amount to his previous offer.

For Seattle, re-signing Turner to this type of contract would save them some money against the salary cap if he needed to be placed on the injury reserve during the 2020 campaign. It's a safeguard for a player who likely won't be a starter, but could still prove valuable from a depth perspective and on special teams.

Since the 2020 NFL Draft is expected to feature many talented receivers, the Seahawks could simply replace the Illinois product by selecting at least one receiver later this month. Still, there’s a lot of upside to bringing back Turner next season.

After spending most of his rookie campaign on Seattle's practice squad and making just a pair of catches in 2018, the former undrafted free agent finally received an opportunity to compete for the No. 3 receiver position last season.

During the 2019 campaign, Turner played in 15 regular season games and produced 15 catches, 245 yards (fourth-most among all receivers with 20 receptions or fewer), a 68.2 percent catch rate, one touchdown reception, and he averaged 16.3 yards per reception, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Under those same qualifications for receivers with 20 or less receptions, the 24-year old Turner generated the third-highest receiver rating (120.5) and the sixth-most yards after catch (105) in 2019, according to Sports-Info-Solutions.com.

Despite playing just 22 percent of Seattle's offensive snaps during this past season, Turner was still able to be effective at creating additional yardage after catching the football, which has been a weakness for the team for the past two years. 

As a result, he finished tied with the eighth-most receptions resulting in at least 20 yards among all receivers with 30 catches or fewer, according to NFL.com.

For the most part, Turner was productive for Seattle’s offense every time he stepped onto the field in 2019. Unfortunately, issues with drops started to surface late in the season, including a killer drop in the fourth quarter of a divisional round loss against Green Bay, and he’ll need to fix that problem regardless of where he plays.

Based on Turner’s production during the 2019 campaign, it’d be foolish for Seattle to cut his development short and not bring him back for a third season in 2020. He'll be pretty inexpensive to keep around and if he gets beat out for a roster spot in camp, so be it.

While it may be difficult to provide him with regular playing time with the arrival of Dorsett and a possible draft choice, Turner deserves another chance to compete for a reserve role on offense along with remaining a contributor on special teams.