The Seattle Seahawks are in a weird transition year for the team and its fans. The franchise has been one of the more loyal to its good players, and those players tend to hang around for a long time. Sometimes too long.
In the case of wide receiver Tyler Lockett, though, many 12s probably still wish he were a part of the team. Not because he would be overly productive, but because he was a great veteran voice in the locker room, and genuinely a great human being. The NFL is a tough business, though.
Lockett was released this past offseason, mostly because he had a huge cap hit. The team saved $17 million by releasing him. It appears obvious that general manager John Schneider thought Lockett's best days were behind him, too. Seattle didn't aggressively try to sign Lockett back.
Former Seattle Seahawks fan favorite Tyler Lockett is having a rough year for the Titans
At least, not as aggressively as the Tennessee Titans tried to sign him. Tennessee has recently had its eye on several Seahawks, as many have signed there after being let go by Seattle. The list includes Lockett, Quandre Diggs, Dre'Mont Jones, and Jamal Adams. None were the fan favorites that Lockett was.
Maybe it is because the Titans were poorly coached (they have already fired head coach Brian Callahan this season) or are starting a rookie quarterback (Cam Ward), but Lockett is having a terrible season. In fact, as the season grows old, the receiver's efficiency is getting far worse.
In his first three games with Tennessee, Lockett caught six of his seven targets, but for only 46 yards. In his last three games, the receiver has caught only two of his 11 targets, has had two drops, and produced only six yards.
A change of offensive scheme could help. Tyler Lockett began his career as mostly a slot receiver, but transitioned to a wideout who lined up more outside while aligning in the slot no more than 41 percent of the time over the previous four seasons. This year, he lines up in the slot 83.6 percent of the time, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Lockett no longer has the pure speed, and never had the size, to be a pure outside wide receiver, but limiting him to only the slot doesn't help him or the offense he is in either. Hopefully, Lockett's production will increase in future games. Only, not in Week 12. That is when the Seattle Seahawks play the Tennessee Titans.