Which receiver is gone next year?

[bjornanderson21]

You guys forgetting just how big Kearse has been for us in the big games?

I don't think Norwood is worth keeping over Kearse. Ultimately you want a guy who can make the big time plays when they count.

Sure big catches in both NFCCG's, but also very inconsistent. (Big drop in 49, @ KC, poor plays on the ball that could have saved a int or two in the NFCCG)

If the routine plays are made........big plays may not have to be made

Bingo. Call it the Tebow Problem.

Game-winning 4th-quarter drives are not necessary if you get the job done in the first 3 quarters.
How many drives were stalled because of drops on easy passes? Too many.

In the end, he averages out between a mediocre and decent receiver. The problem is he goes from being cfl-backup-quality to making an incredible catch at a crucial moment, and sometimes its just better to have a consistent vanilla wr

 

[hawknation2015]

Baldwin ($4.4 million), Lockett (~$600k), and Graham ($8 million), if you consider him a receiver, are the only ones guaranteed to make the roster. Richardson ($1 million) will start out on the PUP list, while recovering from ACL surgery, only to be activated sometime in weeks 6-8.

Kearse ($2.3 million), Lockette ($660k), Norwood ($615k), and Matthews ($510k) will need to fight like hell to make the roster. FAs Douglas McNeil ($435k) and Austin Hill ($435k) will also be battling.

 

[mikeak]

Remember Matthews had ONE game for us last year. Sure it was a great game and yes his profile is not matched on the team but we now have Graham for redzone.

Not saying he is gone but he better bring it this years training camp....

That ONE game was the biggest game of the season and he looked better than any receiver had all season in that game. I think the biggest problem with the wide receiver position was that all the receivers were basically the same. Matthews is different and creates mismatches easier so I think he'll stick.

I get all that but I think you can't ignore the fact that he hadn't been used all year so the Patriots weren't ready for him. I remember a few years ago Dallas had an opener and their one WR went off for a ton of yards. Everyone was like WOW unbelievable game will have a great season. He went from not owned in FF to 99% owned overnight

Had like one more TD all year and a few hundred yards..........

I agree Matthews create a mismatch, I agree that he has potential and he played for a long time but if he is that good he should have seen the field earlier so there is a risk that he simply isn't that good. We will see this year and I surely hope you are right

 

[McGruff]

If I'm Baldwin, I'm a little worried about my long-term future. Lockett has to project as a slot.

Lockett can easily play outside at the Z position as well as inside. In fact, outside at the Z makes a lot more sense for a guy who can play in space as well as Lockett.

 

[mistaowen]

I'm hoping Kearse is gone next year or sinks in the depth chart as it means we upgraded sufficiently. As it stands he needs to be on our team but he disappears from games and drops routine (by NFL standards) passes in an offense that doesn't pass much. His biggest asset is the deep ball which his why I feel he could be what Devery Henderson was for the Saints all those years. He's a solid #4 option who makes a big splash play here and there when defenses take their guard down. Russ loves the deep pass, throws it beautifully, and has some obvious chemistry with him on those types of passes.

I think Lockett can be special. He isn't really gimmicky, his routes are crisp and fluid so he doesn't need special packages for open space. Though I think those plays will definitely work with him. His hands seem to be pretty above average as well. As far as a returner goes, I think his ability to change starting field position will be a massive improvement for our offense. We no longer need to think every big defensive stop leads to a fair catch. If he can add ~10 yards to the start of every drive, he's definitely worth the trade up.

Richardson was becoming a solid contributor before injury. Everything seemed to click halfway through the year, you could just tell. Hopefully this injury isn't a major setback.

Baldwin is our most consistent WR but has obvious limitations when defenses focus on him. He's a great slot receiver who has been asked to be our #1. I think adding Jimmy Graham will do wonders for ADB.

Who knows about Matthews. Has #1 qualities but is incredibly inexperienced. I think preseason will be very telling about his future in Seattle.

Norwood is another shrug. Not much to judge.

 

[rideaducati]

Remember Matthews had ONE game for us last year. Sure it was a great game and yes his profile is not matched on the team but we now have Graham for redzone.

Not saying he is gone but he better bring it this years training camp....

That ONE game was the biggest game of the season and he looked better than any receiver had all season in that game. I think the biggest problem with the wide receiver position was that all the receivers were basically the same. Matthews is different and creates mismatches easier so I think he'll stick.

I get all that but I think you can't ignore the fact that he hadn't been used all year so the Patriots weren't ready for him. I remember a few years ago Dallas had an opener and their one WR went off for a ton of yards. Everyone was like WOW unbelievable game will have a great season. He went from not owned in FF to 99% owned overnight

Had like one more TD all year and a few hundred yards..........

I agree Matthews create a mismatch, I agree that he has potential and he played for a long time but if he is that good he should have seen the field earlier so there is a risk that he simply isn't that good. We will see this year and I surely hope you are right

Golden Tate is considered a good receiver and he took three seasons before he saw the field. Do you expect all other receivers to offer instant results? How many drafted players on the team at any position were good right from the start? Two. Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson.

The NEED for instant gratification around here is RIDICULOUS.

 

[naholmes]

I hope that Ricardo Lockette is gone which most likely means that Tyler Lockett has made him expendable and Matthews as well as either Norwood or Austin Hill made the roster. Lockett will free up a roster spot by filling both Ricardo Lockette's and Bryan Walter's roles from last year.

In the ideal scenario, Matthews seizes the starting job from Kearse and we can stop talking about the height of the receivers. I'm also hoping that one of the other sizable receivers take that 5th and final spot. Paul Richardson would start on PUP and return for the 2nd half.

1. Doug Baldwin
2. Chris Matthews
3. Jermaine Kearse
4. Tyler Lockett
5. Kevin Norwood / Austin Hill (whichever is healthy and ready to contribute)

PUP - Paul Richardson

 

[Keyhawk]

Great thread. A little confusing though with Lockett/Lockette talk.

 

[jlwaters1]

You guys forgetting just how big Kearse has been for us in the big games?

I don't think Norwood is worth keeping over Kearse. Ultimately you want a guy who can make the big time plays when they count.

It's premature to make that call at this point. For all we know Norwood's going to have a breakout year. You might say that thought is ridiculous, but it wouldn't be any more ridiculous than what occurred with Kearse from year 1 to 2. If you recall, Most on here thought Kearse was sure to be cut after his 2nd training camp. Instead Wilson and coaches kept praising him and he a pretty significant year. Norwood is entering his 2nd year he should be significantly improved now that he has a year under his belt.

 

[titan3131]

Lockette is fodder...

 

[Hawkfan77]

Golden Tate is considered a good receiver and he took three seasons before he saw the field. Do you expect all other receivers to offer instant results? How many drafted players on the team at any position were good right from the start? Two. Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson.

The NEED for instant gratification around here is RIDICULOUS.

It took years for Tate because he was lazy and thought he could get by on his skill alone. He never put the time in when he first got to the league

 

[kearly]

If Kearse catches that ball in the superbowl that he dropped we probably win the game.

For as clutch as he can be he is also prone to make mistakes that kill drives.

I won't miss him when he's gone.

Kearse more than made up for that drop later in the game. In terms of WPA (win probability added), the catch he did make at the end of the game impacted Seattle's chances of winning a lot more than the one he didn't make earlier on.

Kearse has made some of the biggest plays in team history while earning like $400k a season the last three years. In terms of yards and touchdowns, he's neck and neck with Baldwin for playoff production over the past two years. Maybe Kearse shouldn't be starting, but he's an enviable asset as a low cost #3 WR.

I get that he's frustrating sometimes. But his drops aren't as bad as people think. His catch rate and YAC is a bit low because he's targeted deep down the sideline so often, but his drop rate is basically league average for his career. And really, his drop problem is mostly on throws where he's crossing over the middle. He very rarely drops a pass that he catches over his shoulder down the field.

But I agree, Kearse should be viewed as an expendable player eventually. Just not right now. He is by far Wilson's most dependable target on red line throws. I figured Seattle would be targeting Kearse's replacement in this draft but they didn't. I wonder if Seattle views Kearse as a 2nd contract player after all? Or maybe they think Norwood will improve outside. I guess we'll find out.

 

[ducks41468]

Hopefully Lockette. His spot needs to be occupied by someone that can actually play the position.

Surprised by all the mentions of Kearse. Our receiving core isn't nearly good enough to make him expendable. I wish it was, but it isn't.

 

[kearly]

With so many smallish, thin build WRs, Seattle is probably forced to carry six WRs for the foreseeable future.

My guess for the 2016 WR corps: Baldwin, Lockett, Richardson, Kearse (if cheap), Norwood, 2016 Draft pick.

I think Matthews has to prove that he can do more than exploit midget corners. The catch is that even if Matthews is successful next season, he's an impending free agent, and he'd probably get more in FA than he would in Seattle. It's hard to envision a scenario where Matthews is good enough yet not too good to remain on Seattle's roster.

I think Ricardo Lockette needs to step it up in a big way on special teams if he wants to hang around.

 

[88Hawk]

I'm new here, so go easy!

I'm intrigued to see how Norwood goes this year, I thought he looked pretty good in the (very) limited opportunities he got, he looked natural catching the ball I thought. I wonder whether the largest part of his limited time last year was due to that injury, was it his ankle?, that he had during TC and pre-season. He missed out on the chance to build a rapport with Wilson. I reckon he sees the field a fair bit more this year.

 

[Schadie001]

Doug Baldwin is going no where. He has been our best most clutch receiver since signing. He isn't making huge money and brings the competitiveness everyday that Pete love's. Regardless of how many "slot" receivers we have Baldwin can play all spots in all formations. You may not like him as a person but the guy is a gamer. He's saved our butts in many games with huge plays and rarely drops a pass. People here just need to realize we are never going to have the prototypical #1 WR because this coaching staff and gm don't believe in that type of offensive system.

 

[Seahawkfan80]

I'm new here, so go easy!

I'm intrigued to see how Norwood goes this year, I thought he looked pretty good in the (very) limited opportunities he got, he looked natural catching the ball I thought. I wonder whether the largest part of his limited time last year was due to that injury, was it his ankle?, that he had during TC and pre-season. He missed out on the chance to build a rapport with Wilson. I reckon he sees the field a fair bit more this year.

I would like to see more of him too. Seems like we got a couple of games and he barely flashed a bit.

Welcome to .NET. :2:

Go Hawks.

 

[jblaze]

I think Baldwin, Lockette and Kearse will be gone next year. I can't tell u why cause idk but I just have a feeling.

This. We save 4.5m from cutting Baldwin next year and Lockett looks to be the slot guy for the future. Kearse had a down year and is on a RFA tender of 2.3m right now so he'll be a UFA next year and I doubt we sign him long term as he doesn't bring anything special to the table really. Lockette appears to be out the door also because it seems Lockett will be the new gunner in his place opposite Lane (if he comes back this year or stays beyond this year which is a long shot).

Seems clear to me that Matthews and Graham will be our big WR's going forward. Lockett in the slot with Richardson on the outside with Norwood in the Kearse spot hopefully.

All UDFA WR corp has been fun (really?) but it's time to move on and upgrade the position.

 

[MontanaHawk05]

Kearse has made some of the biggest plays in team history while earning like $400k a season the last three years.

It's worth asking how much of this is Russell Wilson extending plays. In any kind of structured passing system where Wilson is being asked to get his work done from behind the line instead of a Super Bowl run built almost entirely on improvisation, Kearse's value requires revisitation. As do a lot of receivers on this team.

I'll be honest - I did not react well to Baldwin and Kearse's post-game posturing after beating Green Bay. Yes, they made up for their mistakes. But had Green Bay's players and coaches avoided exactly one of about twelve bone-headed plays or decisions, they never even get a chance to make restitution. "I don't make every play, but when it counts, I make 'em!!!" is like our 2006 team bragging about their playoff presence after backing into a spot thanks to other teams' flops. Or me being proud of tearing through three weeks' worth of grading in one evening when I could have just gotten it done along the way and spared myself the trouble. C'mon, Kearse...let's not act like we had no reason to doubt you.

As much as I hate being the skinny guy with zero workout regimen criticizing pro NFL players from behind his keyboard, Baldwin and Kearse's biggest asset to this team has been tenacity. And opportunity. Jimmy Graham and probably Tyler Lockett are very likely to demonstrate what this team has been missing in terms of straight-up receiver skill. Don't like the cost? Well, sometimes cost exists for good reasons. Ferraris aren't free.

Baldwin is a team guy, less crazy highlight-reel and more third down clutch. He'll probably be the last out of he, Kearse, and Lockette to leave. They'll always be rightful heroes in Seattle for contributing to our first Lombardi, and their services are certainly nice while they're dirt cheap. But they cannot maintain a dynasty on their own, and I'm glad to see PC/JS have finally bitten the bullet and upgraded.

I REALLY hate being the skinny guy behind his keyboard. It's why I stopped blogging.

 

[onanygivensunday]

If I'm Baldwin, I'm a little worried about my long-term future. Lockett has to project as a slot.

Lockett can easily play outside at the Z position as well as inside. In fact, outside at the Z makes a lot more sense for a guy who can play in space as well as Lockett.

I agree.

Pegging Tyler Lockett as just a slot guy is being short-sighted.