Seahawks bring back receiver Paul Richardson on a one-year deal

The Seahawks improved their receiving group on Saturday by re-signing Paul Richardson.

The Seahawks might not be re-signing Josh Gordon or bringing in Antonio Brown for 2020 because on Saturday they announced that the team signed former Seahawk receiver Paul Richardson to a one-year deal.

Richardson gives Russell Wilson another speedy option and one who knows how to work with Wilson when Wilson improvises and has to make plays out of nothing. Richardson’s issue when he was with the Seahawks wasn’t production, it was that the receiver couldn’t stay healthy.

In fact, in six NFL seasons, Richardson has played a full season just once. Twice he has played in 15 games. But in the other three years, Richardson has played in 10 games or fewer. In his one full season (2017), Richardson had 44 catches on 80 targets for 703 with an average of 16 yards a reception. He has the capability of taking the top off of a defense.

Paul Richardson concerns

Richardson has a ton of injuries in his career. Many of them due to hamstring injuries. This is the biggest concern about him in 2020. Can he stay healthy and if he can play through pain will it be an injury to a leg? Richardson relies on speed to be productive and any hindrance to this will be detrimental to his production.

That said, the Seahawks clearly have tried to add more speed both on offense and defense this offseason. If they go with five receivers for the 53-man roster in 2020, four of them will likely be Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, Phillip Dorsett and Richardson. All four of those guys can fly, if healthy.

Terms of Richardson’s one-year deal with the Seahawks have not been released. I doubt it is very much. But if he can get to 30 receptions, that seems like a good signing, especially if he can get some of those catches on deep throws down the sideline from Russell Wilson.