Can Brandon Marshall turn back the clock for the Seahawks?
![CHICAGO, IL- SEPTEMBER 28: Brandon Marshall #15 of the Chicago Bears celebrates his touchdown during the first quarter of their game against the Green Bay Packers on September 28, 2014 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) CHICAGO, IL- SEPTEMBER 28: Brandon Marshall #15 of the Chicago Bears celebrates his touchdown during the first quarter of their game against the Green Bay Packers on September 28, 2014 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2F12thmanrising-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F456281738-850x560-966f72314c07ff929af3f0c9fdcf606f103f583d6ebf97ea6cfff43a6f403b1b.jpg)
Seahawks don’t need Marshall to be a Pro Bowler
Throwing the ball 170 times to one receiver has never been the Seahawks game, and it’s much less likely to be their game in 2018. Seattle doesn’t need to replace all 101 of the receptions from Graham and Richardson. They just need Brandon Marshall to be a solid target, particularly in the red zone. That is the one area that Jimmy Graham really came through last season. At 6’4″ and 229 pounds, Marshall should be able to make a very comfortable living in the red zone this season.
One thing to keep in mind, too. Marshall has never played with a quarterback nearly as good as Russell Wilson. He has been on the receiving end of passes from Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton, Chad Henne, Matt Moore, Cutler again, Josh McCown, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and one of Eli Manning’s worst seasons. No one will mistake any of those performances for a Russell Wilson season. That alone gives me hope for a resurgence by Marshall.
Marshall doesn’t need to be a Pro Bowler, which is good, because they’re certainly not paying him like one. He signed a one year contract reportedly in the neighborhood of $2 million. For that money, 50 catches, 650 yards and five touchdowns is a great bargain. One last note on why I like this signing: Marshall can block. Even last year, which was basically a complete washout for him, Pro Football Focus graded him at 72.5 for his run blocking. That put him in the top ten of all wide receivers. Yeah, we told you the Seahawks are getting the running game back.