It hasn't been the high-octane start fans envisioned when the Seattle Seahawks acquired Rashid Shaheed on Nov. 4. The deadline day trade sent expectations soaring. A lofty nickname, "The Legion of Zoom," floated around before the lightning-quick receiver even played a snap in Seattle.
So far, Shaheed's performance–and, more importantly, his utilization–has fallen short of the hype. He has just four catches and 37 receiving yards in four games for the Seahawks. Before the trade, Shaheed had at least four catches in every game this season on his former team, the New Orleans Saints.
Here are his Seahawks' game logs are as follows: Week 10 versus the Arizona Cardinals, one catch and three yards; Week 11 versus the Los Angeles Rams, two catches and 27 receiving yards; Week 12 versus the Tennessee Titans, zero catches and, obviously, zero yards; Week 13 versus the Minnesota Vikings, one catch for seven yards.
Breaking down Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed's recent usage
Shaheed and Darnold nearly connected on a 25-yard touchdown catch in Week 11 against the Rams, but the ball was tipped at the last second by a diving Emmanuel Forbes. Even if the play had resulted in Shaheed's first and only true highlight as a Seahawk, questions could still be raised about his usage.
The 27-year-old receiver has had nine targets since joining the Seahawks. That's fifth-most on the team over that time, trailing Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, A.J. Barner, and Kenneth Walker III.
He's only playing around 50% of offensive snaps, which also ranks fifth among Seahawks' skill players. Granted, he gets opportunities as a punt/kick returner, too.
Despite Shaheed's underwhelming start, or perhaps precisely because of it, Seahawks insider Brady Henderson listed him as the team's biggest X-factor in an article for ESPN.
Why Shaheed is essential down the stretch run
The obvious X-factor pick might have been Sam Darnold, whose play has regressed over the last few weeks. Coincidentally, the regression started when Shaheed joined the team. Darnold has thrown three touchdowns and four interceptions over the last four weeks. His passing yards have dropped to 207.3 per game, compared to 260.5 in the previous eight games.
Yet, Henderson makes a compelling case in his ESPN blurb, especially in the wake of Jaxon Smith-Njigba's season-low performance against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13. The superstar receiver was held to two catches on four targets for 23 receiving yards.
"Not long after acquiring Shaheed from the Saints last month, the Seahawks had to put rookie receiver/punt returner Tory Horton on injured reserve," Henderson writes. "While the trade has proved to be timely, it has yet to be as impactful as Seattle envisioned. Shaheed has only 73 scrimmage yards on nine touches in four games with the Seahawks.
"But among the reasons they gave up fourth- and fifth-round picks for one of the NFL's premier deep threats was to give opposing defenses someone else to worry about other than Jaxon Smith-Njigba. If teams follow Minnesota's lead and bottle up the league's leading receiver, Seattle will need Shaheed to step up."
The Seahawks (9-3) face four teams above .500 in their final five games, most of which are on the road:
- Week 14 at the Atlanta Falcons
- Week 15 vs. the Indianapolis Colts
- Week 16 vs. the Los Angeles Rams
- Week 17 at the Carolina Panthers
- Week 18 at the San Francisco 49ers
Most of those passing defenses rank in the middle of the pack as far as yards allowed, but some of the matchups could limit the seemingly illimitable Smith-Njigba. He'll likely be shadowed by shutdown cornerbacks A.J. Terrell Jr., Sauce Gardner (if healthy), and Jaycee Horn three out of five games.
As a result, Shaheed could see an uptick in targets. Even if the ball isn't thrown his way more frequently, his deep-threat ability might be the key to opening up space for Smith-Njigba. While the Shaheed trade didn't get off to a hot start, it could decide the winner of the NFC West over the final five games.