Time for Tyler Lockett to turn it up for the Seahawks
With the departure of Paul Richardson, the Seahawks need Tyler Lockett to really step it up in 2018. They’re giving him plenty of help to do just that.
Tyler Lockett has been a key component of the Seahawks passing attack since his rookie season in 2015. Initially the third wide receiver, Lockett showed why Seattle was happy to land him in the third round that year. He brought down 51 catches for well over 600 yards and six touchdowns. Moreover, he was dynamic on special teams as well as he returned both kicks and punts. He scored a touchdown in each category, and wound up his rookie campaign with just over 1,900 all-purpose yards.
Since then, his early promise hasn’t really developed any further. Lockett had fewer catches each of the past two seasons than he did as a rookie. While his yards per catch rose in 2016, his touchdown receptions dropped from six to just one. In 2017 he doubled his touchdown catches and returned another kickoff for a touchdown, but still fell short of his production as a rookie.
With the explosion of Paul Richardson’s game last year, it wasn’t that critical for Lockett to step up his game. Yes, it would have been great for Lockett to score six touchdowns again instead of two, but this year he has to come through. With Richardson in Washington and Jimmy Graham in Green Bay, Lockett has to be a viable threat for this team.
It appears the Seahawks are taking steps to ensure he has every opportunity to improve on his rookie campaign. And it seems the focus will definitely be on his role as a receiver. The return game may very well play no part in the improvement of Tyler Lockett. Or to be more specific, no return game for Tyler Lockett may be the answer to improving his receiving game.
Seattle Seahawks
Seahawks have at least two players in mind for Lockett’s former jobs
By now you’ve probably heard the Seahawks took Rashaad Penny in the first round of the NFL Draft. Penny is explosive, and has seven kickoff returns and two punt returns on his resume. Pretty good for a 220 pounder, right? The Seahawks have made it clear that Penny will get a lot of work on special teams, with an eye to taking over return duties, at least on kickoffs.
The surprise may be a name that had a lot of buzz early in the 2017 off-season is back in the news. Cyril Grayson, the former LSU record-holder in track, is very likely going to be in the mix for a shot at return duty as well. He’ll get his opportunities at receiver too, but the Seahawks really need to lighten the load on Lockett this season.
I’ll admit Grayson would certainly be challenged to take on that critical role, but it’s a less crowded field than wide receiver. It certainly will help that Lockett will be another year removed from his nasty injury. Whether it’s Rashaad Penny or Cyril Grayson or maybe even Russell Wilson (relax, just kidding), the Seahawks will do their best to give Tyler Lockett the chance to be a top playmaker this season.