Seahawks postgame musings: battle for last WR spots still wide open
By Dan Viens
In the aftermath of the Seahawks 27-17 preseason win over Dallas, we look at some of the potential ramifications of how the team performed.
One of the more intriguing battles heading into training camp was the competition for the 5th (and/or 6th) WR spots on the roster.
Three preseason games in, and the picture doesn’t appear to be any clearer.
The first four, Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Tyler Lockett and Paul Richardson, are locks. The last spot was supposed to be a fight between 7th round draft pick Kenny Lawler and 2nd year UDFA’s Kevin Smith and Kasen Williams. Smith and Williams haven’t been able to say healthy, and Lawler just hasn’t stood out.
Meanwhile, Players such as Deshon Foxx and Antwan Goodley have made a bunch of plays in practice, and Tanner McEvoy has stood out in the games. Foxx had 1 catch for 8 yards tonight and Goodley added a catch for 14 yards.
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But again it was McEvoy who attracted the most attention. The 6’6″ 230 converted college QB first served notice with the hail mary TD catch with no time remaining to win game #1 vs. Kansas City. Tonight, he had a 43 yard catch from Wilson, showing pure hands hauling on a typical Wilson scramble play.
He presents a big target unlike any of the other candidates; a potential weapon in the red zone. He appears willing and capable to contribute on special teams which is a key for any potential 5th WR.
A lot could happen over the next week, and in the 4th preseason game it might just be the most important position battle to watch. Heading into camp, I thought this was Williams’ battle to lose, but if he can’t get on the field he just might find himself on the outside looking in.
McEvoy is raw, but possesses a ton of potential and has improved with each and every week of practice. His upside just might give him the edge now.
Next: predicting the firsts 15 Seahawks cuts
Regardless, unless the team keeps Lawler on the 53 man roster, whoever grabs this spot can have his name added to the ever-growing list of undrafted free agents to make the team since John Schneider and Pete Carroll took over in 2010.