Seahawks, please: Get Doug Baldwin the ball!

The Seahawks’ best receiver is Doug Baldwin. 12s all know angry Doug is the best. He wants the ball. And Seattle should give it to him more.

Before the season I expected the Seahawks to throw Doug Baldwin the ball about 120 times. In 2016 he was targeted 126 times. In 2015, he had 104 passes thrown his way. There was no reason to think 2017 would be less than 2016, especially since Jermaine Kearse was traded prior to week one of this year.

Early in 2017, Baldwin did have the ball thrown his way quite a bit. Between weeks two and eight, the receiver was targeted 9.8 times a game. 9.8 times a game equates to 157 targets over the course of a full year. Seattle went 5-2 in that stretch.

Now clearly, Seattle’s record in that time was not just because Russell Wilson was throwing more to Baldwin than he has lately, but maybe it has been a factor in Seattle’s offensive struggles of late.

In weeks nine through 16, Baldwin has been targeted just 38 times. This is an average of 5.4 times a game. The Seahawks’ record in the last seven games is 4-3. Plus, Baldwin clearly wants the ball more. Seattle hasn’t gotten Baldwin the ball as much in the last several games.

And why not give it to him. Sure, opponents know that Baldwin is Seattle’s best receiver. They will try to take Baldwin away in their gameplans. But this has been the case for the last two seasons. There is no reason for Seattle to slow Baldwin’s pace down now.

Or is there?

Baldwin’s catch rate – the times he actually catches a pass versus how much he is thrown to – has decreased. In his breakout year of 2015, the season he caught 14 touchdown passes, Baldwin ranked 26th in the NFL. He caught 74.6 percent of his passes. In 2016, the receiver ranked 29th and caught 75.3 percent of his targets. In 2017, though, Baldwin is 80th in catch rate at just 64 percent.

Unless Baldwin catches another touchdown pass against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, this will be the fewest amount of touchdown receptions he has had in three years as well. He will never match his 2015 total of 14. But this year he has six. Jimmy Graham’s red zone ability has clearly affected Baldwin’s statistics.

Seattle, though, is clearly a better team when Baldwin gets passed to. Sort of. Since week eight of 2015, when Russell Wilson throws Baldwin the ball between 3-9 times a game, the Seahawks are 21-7-1. In games where Baldwin gets 10 targets or more, Seattle is 4-6.

The point is, of course, get Baldwin the ball, just don’t have the need to throw to him too much. If Baldwin has 10 or more targets on Sunday against the Cardinals, there is probably a bad reason why. But don’t throw him the ball too few times, either. There is a reason Baldwin is an All Pro; He is the key receiver in the Seahawks scheme.

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So get him the ball. Just don’t make it have to be too often.