There’s no better way to signal the need for more competition in a particular position group than by bringing in a veteran player at the end of August, which is what the Seahawks did Sunday by re-signing wide receiver Paul Richardson.
The receiver room has been plagued by injuries lately, with Phillip Dorsett, John Ursua and Cody Thompson all missing time. But as I noted in my receiver outlook, even when that group was healthy, the wideouts not named Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf weren’t exactly making a case for Seattle continuing to use 11 personnel (three wide) the majority of the time.
Advertisem*nt
Richardson returns to Seattle after a two-year run in Washington that was highlighted by consecutive trips to the injured reserve list. A 2014 second-round pick out of Colorado, Richardson was a speedster with big-play capability his first three years with the Seahawks, but poor health made it tough for his production to match his potential. That changed in 2017 after Seattle traded away Jermaine Kearse and with Lockett dealing with the lingering effects of a broken leg, which opened things up for Richardson to be the team’s No. 2 receiver and produce a career year with 44 catches.
A healthy Richardson arguably has a higher ceiling than any of the other potential No. 3 WRs on the roster — I say this without having seen a ton of sixth-round rookie Freddie Swain — so it’s not much of a surprise Seattle felt compelled to bring back the guy who had 703 yards and six touchdowns last time he played with Russell Wilson.
“The timing was right for us to get him in,” coach Pete Carroll said. “He’s been a really terrific player for us when we had him. He got a great contract to go off and go in free agency, and we got a chance to get him back. The competition at the spot is really heightened. He’s a terrific downfield guy and playmaker downfield, and we’ve always loved that about him. Just put him in the mix and see how it goes.”
Dorsett is nursing a sore foot that Carroll says needs to be “managed” well moving forward, and the hope is that he’ll be available to return to practice in a limited capacity Tuesday afternoon. Ursua, dealing with a hamstring injury, may be back this week as well, Carroll said, along with Thompson. David Moore, who has been healthy throughout camp and battling, has been Seattle’s third option at receiver in the past and could conceivably take that spot on the depth chart if he’s able to deliver the occasional highlight play down the field. Like Richardson, he has Wilson’s trust when it comes to 50-50 balls, though Richardson may be slightly better at high-pointing such passes, as he demonstrated on numerous occasions in that 2017 campaign. A great deal of Seattle’s offense is built on play-action deep balls, so the man who comes through most often in practice is in the best position to see those No. 3 WR snaps in 11 personnel, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s favorite position grouping.
(Steven Bisig / USA Today)
Defensive end Branden Jackson was placed injured reserve Sunday, ending his hopes of playing football this year. Jackson — whom Seattle re-signed to one-year deals twice this offseason — was knocked unconscious during the team’s first scrimmage on Aug. 22. He posted that he was OK on Instagram the next morning, but Carroll said Sunday that while Jackson is not injured right now, he remains “susceptible” enough to reinjury that team doctors have determined that it’s unsafe for him to play this season.
Advertisem*nt
“It’s similar to situations a couple other of our guys have had in the past,” Carroll said. “We’re erring on the side of long-term health, taking care of our guys.”
If that sounds concerning, it’s because it mirrors the tone Carroll took when describing the injuries suffered by former safety Kam Chancellor and defensive end Cliff Avril in 2017. Chancellor was dealing with stiffness in his neck following Seattle’s win over Arizona in November of that season, and Avril took a shot to the chin that October and lost feeling in his arms. Chancellor said he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis. Avril required neck surgery and he later revealed that his spine was impacted as well. Neither of them ever played football again.
Carroll was careful to not divulge too much information on Jackson’s injury for fear of saying anything inaccurate. “It has to do with his makeup, spinal structure and stuff,” Carroll said. “He’s just got a condition that makes it possibly dangerous for him for the long haul, so they want to look after him right now.”
Then Carroll confirmed that Jackson’s condition is similar to what ended the careers of Chancellor and Avril.
“Similar type of issues,” Carroll said. “You know how those turned out.”
To replace Jackson on the active roster, Seattle signed a familiar face in defensive end Pita Taumoepenu, who spent parts of last season on the Seahawks’ practice squad and this spring on the team’s offseason roster. To make room for Richardson, Seattle waived defensive end Eli Mencer, and on Monday Seattle added one more receiver to the group: former Cowboy Lance Lenoir. He takes the spot of undrafted running back Patrick Carr, who was waived with an injury designation.
(Photo: Rich Graessle / Getty Images)
Michael-Shawn Dugar is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Seattle Seahawks. He previously covered the Seahawks for Seattlepi.com. He is also the co-host of the "Seahawks Man 2 Man" podcast. Follow Michael-Shawn on Twitter @MikeDugar
