Examining Seahawks Options For Kick/Punt Return Duties

Opting to jettison both Laviska Shenault and Dee Williams after poor games in New Jersey, the Seahawks will have new kick and punt returners in Arizona.

Oct 20, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenny McIntosh (25) reacts after a first down against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks managed to survive a potential trap game upset against the New York Jets last Sunday for a 26-21 win, but not thanks to their dreadful special teams units, which fumbled away two kickoffs and allowed a kick return for a touchdown in the first half.

Not surprisingly, in the aftermath of such a horrific performance, the Seahawks shook things up on Monday by waiving veteran returner Laviska Shenault, who lost a fumble and also lost control of another kick before recovering the loose football. Three days later, they also waived undrafted rookie Dee Williams, who lost the other fumble and struggled mightily fielding punts in the first 12 games with multiple muffs.

Leading to the decision to move on from Williams, Seattle was awarded former Cleveland receiver and return specialist Jaelon Darden off waivers in a corresponding move on Thursday.

One day earlier, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald indicated the coaching staff was still looking at how the team would handle the fallout of Sunday's ugly outing and didn't have an answer on who would take over returning kicks and punts, though Williams remained on the roster at the time and appeared to still be in the mix despite his turnover issues.

"I'd say both returner spots and the punt and the kickoff return game, we're working through still. So, we don't have an answer quite yet," Macdonald said. "We have some people that we're going to be working at those spots, Dee [Williams] included. I just don't have an answer for you exactly what we're going to do right now."

With Shenault and Williams both now gone, assuming the latter doesn't re-sign with the practice squad and receive a game day elevation, Seattle will go into Week 14 with two new returners and it remains anyone's guess who will take over those duties. But the team does have plenty of options for consideration.

When Shenault missed parts of two games with an oblique injury last month, running back Kenny McIntosh received the first dibs in his place, returning two kickoffs for 35 yards. He previously returned kicks for Georgia at the college level, including averaging an impressive 36 yards per return as a sophomore in 2020 on limited opportunities, and returned one kickoff for 14 yards during the preseason in August.

Seattle also put third-year receiver Dareke Young back deep during a 16-6 win over Arizona two weeks ago after Williams left with an ankle sprain, but he did not field any kickoffs and wasn't active last week with both Shenault and Williams back in action. Starring at Division II Lenoir Rhyne, he returned nine kicks for 180 yards and one punt for 13 yards in five college seasons, and he has a prior running back background that could make him an intriguing candidate with the new kickoff rules.

Away from McIntosh and Young being the most obvious solutions to replace Shenault and Williams, Darden instantly becomes the most experienced kick and punt returner on the Seahawks roster upon arrival and could jump right into the lineup as an upgrade. The former North Texas standout has returned 27 kicks for 565 yards in his four-year NFL career and has been the primary punt returner for the Buccaneers and Browns during that span with 78 returns for 760 yards.

Most importantly, Darden doesn't have a single muff on over 100 kick and punt return opportunities in his NFL career, so he's been incredibly reliable catching the football cleanly.

As far as dark horses are concerned, special teams coach Jay Harbaugh has now had a few weeks to look at veteran receiver Cornell Powell on the practice squad. The ex-Clemson product returned eight kickoffs in college with moderate success, but hasn't been used in that capacity in four NFL seasons while primarily being on Kansas City's practice squad.

Considering his extensive experience, it wouldn't be a shocker if Darden got the first crack at returning kicks and punts with McIntosh likely being next to him on kick returns and Young serving as the third option. But since he's joining the team late in the week, it's also possible the Seahawks could opt to go with the two holdovers this weekend rather than throwing a newcomer into the lineup immediately, so time will tell what direction Macdonald and Harbaugh opt to go on Sunday.

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