Okay, let's put aside the zero catches for zero yards — Rashid Shaheed killed the Tennessee Titans on punt returns. Okay, let's bring back the zero catches for zero yards. Why did the Seattle Seahawks trade for him?
Cooper Kupp has had a stellar career. He's a Super Bowl winner, a Wide Receiver Triple Crown winner, and, well, he's your classic A+ teammate with elite locker room leadership capabilities. What he's not, at least this season, is a great receiver. Kupp hasn't been the Kupp Seattle was likely hoping to get, and they should be seeing this by now.
Still, the Seahawks continue to go to him more than someone who can take the top off of defenses and pose as an active deep threat downfield: Shaheed. Why are they not going to Shaheed more? Why did he finish Sunday's game with zeroes across the board? It's not all bad, though, because the former Saints wideout is making an impact elsewhere, just not where most expected.
Seattle Seahawks' Rashid Shaheed would be more useful in his specialty
It wasn't all zeros for Shaheed. Sam Darnold did target him twice. It gets worse than that, though, unfortunately. In three games since the trade, Shaheed has been targeted just eight times, with three receptions for 30 yards.
In the first nine games of the year before the trade, Shaheed was targeted 66 times. Should he have stayed in New Orleans? Because Spencer Rattler got him the ball. Darnold is no Tom Brady, but Rattler is no Darnold.
Obviously, the Seahawks are a much better place for Shaheed because he's on a winning team, but so is A.J. Brown. Nevertheless, Shaheed is without question having an impact returning kicks, but if this is Seattle's plan for him from here on out, then the logic has to be questioned.
He is a lightning-quick receiver, but he's not being used as one. In fact, it feels as if he's not returning kicks; he's being used more as a running back.
In light of Kupp's decline this season, one of the expected reasons for Shaheed's acquisition was to give Darnold another lethal option downfield, which has thus far not been the case. Granted, at the time of the trade, Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald did highlight that it may take some time for Shaheed to get aligned with the Seahawks' offense.
If comfort is the reason to explain Shaheed's curious lack of involvement in Klint Kubiak's game plan, that's fair, for now. That said, if Seahawks fans don't see a few downfield connections between Darnold and Shaheed over the next few games, let the confusion spread.
Seattle only gave up two future mid-fourth and mid-fifth-round draft picks for the talented wideout, but in the NFL, even a fourth-round pick can churn up a solid player. Not using Shaheed in the way he's best at seems like a waste. It also seems time to move Kupp more out of the way, and let Shaheed step in behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
There's no way Seattle traded for Shaheed to return punts. Let him cook.