One under-the-radar signing that could pay off huge for Seahawks in 2024

The Seattle Seahawks waited until training camp to make their splashiest of free agency signings in 2024. When free agency began in March, Seattle started by giving big contracts to two of their own: Leonard Williams and Noah Fant. After that, Seattle seemingly mostly filled in.

That was until this month when Seattle was able to add veteran center Connor Williams. Williams should be an instant starter for Seattle and create a huge upgrade in the quality of the offensive line overall. He was graded as the second-best center in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and he was excellent in 2022 as well.

Besides Williams, though, perhaps the free agent that will have the biggest impact for the Seahawks this year comes from an unexpected source. When Laviska Shenault, Jr. was signed, he was expected to compete with Dee Eskridge for kick return duties. Shenault returned only nine kicks for the Carolina Panthers in the last two seasons, but he averaged 27.7 yards a return.

Laviska Shenault, Jr. could turn into the Seattle Seahawks secret weapon in 2024

The wide receiver has spent four years in the NFL, the first two with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the last two with Carolina. With the Panthers, Shenault did not help much in terms of the passing game. He caught a total of 37 passes and had just one touchdown catch. With the Jaguars, he was a bit more productive, but he never averaged more than 10.3 yards a reception.

The question Shenault has to answer is whether his lack of receiving production was due to something he was doing or, especially with the Panthers, whether the overall offense was extremely limited. In the receiver's first preseason game with the Seahawks, Shenault not only had a 44-yard kickoff return, but he caught two passes and averaged 15 yards a catch.

The expectation should be that - at best - Shenault is WR5 behind DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Jake Bobo. That doesn't mean that the receiver will not have his chance to catch passes. He should definitely be explosive on kick off returns, but he could get close to 30 catches and 350 yards receiving too.

That might not sound like much but it could also be enough that opposing defenses have to account for him. That would leave more space for the top trio of receivers - Metcalf, Lockett, and Smith-Njigba - to work. That could cause the offense to be even better than expected, potentially enough to be dangerous in the postseason.

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