Seahawks Roster Analysis: Receivers

The Seattle Seahawks wide receiver corps was both deep and talented. 8 different wide receivers catch catches this year. While having too many good receivers is a great problem to have, the Seahawks have some very tough choices to make about the position before the start of training camp.

Sydney Rice put together a nice season despite missing a number of games because of injury. When healthy he was clearly the team’s best receiver, and the offense was much better.

It tough to describe the year that Mike Williams had without using adjectives like awful and disappointing. Williams made 15 starts, and totaled just 18 catches. While it’s likely that Williams returns for training camp, if he can’t show that he can get open with regularity in the preseason, than I don’t think he’ll be on the roster by the time the season starts.

Deon Bulter isn’t a bad player, but he really doesn’t fit the Seahawks right now. Bulter is the last of the truly “Ruskell” receivers left with the Seahawks. He’s short, but quick and had good speed. He fits a Holmgren style offense, and doesn’t have the size that the other receivers on the Seahawks have.

Butler spent most of 2012 on the PUP list, and then didn’t crack the game-day roster until Sydney Rice was placed on IR. It tough to make a case for Butler to remain with the Seahawks.

Doug Baldwin was a major surprise in past season. Despite being undrafted, Baldwin was the Seahawks leading receiver in both yards and receptions. While Baldwin lacks the speed to be a starter, his has the quickness and toughness needed to excel as a slot receiver. Baldwin will definitely be back in 2012.

Kris Durham has all the physical attributes you’d want in an NFL receiver. He big, fast, agile and reportedly has soft hands. The problem is that Durham has never turned all of those physical attributes into on-field production. He didn’t put up huge numbers in college, and couldn’t make the game day roster as a pro. The Seahawks love him, but if he doesn’t show major improvement in 2012 then this next season may be his last in the NFL.

Richardo Lockette is said to be one of the fastest players in the entire NFL, and has emerged as a fan favorite after making a couple huge grabs at the end of the year. He’s got ideal size and speed, but it remains to be seen if he’s capable of running anything other than a go-route.

Golden Tate showed some flashes of the playmaking ability that made him a 2nd round picked, but then also would disappear for long stretches. When he was drafted it was expected that he was a projet and that it would take him some time before he reached his potential, but the Seahawks have to be disapointed that he’s not further along in his development by now. Tate has to hope that the Seahawks don’t draft another WR this April, or he could find himself being squeezed out of a job.

Ben Obomanu has been a special team mainstay for years, and put up pretty decent numbers when given a chance this past season. Fans undoubtedly will remember the big drops he had in the season finale, but his contribution over the rest of the year shouldn’t be overlooked because of one bad game. Obomanu finished the year with more than double the receptions and yards that Mike Williams had, and Williams was the starter who received most of the snaps.

Prediction: Rice and Baldwin will be back for sure.  Butler will be gone, as will Mike Williams. Tate and Obomanu will compete for a roster spot. Durham and Lockette will be back, but will compete with a draft pick or UDFA for a pair of roster spots with the odd man out being cut.