The Seattle Seahawks will have a new-look wide receiving corp in 2019—led by Tyler Lockett. Doug Baldwin has retired from the NFL, leaving room for someone to step up in his place.
For years, Baldwin has led the charge as the main wideout on the Seahawks. In 2018, things were a little different with the veteran receiver suffering an injury that would keep him out a few games.
That injury has caused Baldwin to walk away from football and the city of Seattle. He will be remembered as one of the most hard-working guys in the NFL. Baldwin was a perfect example of what it meant to be a Seahawk.
The longtime Seattle wide receiver came into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford. It took a couple of years but Baldwin would wind up becoming a staple of the offense in 2014.
The dedicated wideout helped Seattle win a Super Bowl in 2013—catching five passes for 66 yards and a score. Now, the Seahawks are hoping for Lockett to assume the same role that Baldwin held for the past few years.
In 2018, Lockett showcased his potential as a key member of the offense. The speedy wideout totaled 57 receptions, 965 yards, and 10 touchdowns in 2018.
Lockett seemed like he was on the same page as Russell Wilson all season. Hopefully, the duo can continue building a better rapport going forward—making them even more dangerous.
As a result of Baldwin retiring, Lockett is going to be relied upon heavily as the veteran wide receiver on the roster. The electrifying wide receiver will need to truly show his potential in the 2019 season.
Lockett is heading into his fifth season with Seattle. Returning kicks and punts were two things that Lockett mainly did coming into the NFL. Offensively, he was usually utilized as an offensive weapon on certain plays.
With his speed, Lockett can run by defenders with ease. As a result, Lockett had a career-high in yards per reception in 2018 with 16.9 yards per catch. The 2018 season could likely be one where we look back and say Lockett arrived as a premier receiver in the NFL.
Although, the Seahawks are going to need Lockett to be more than just a deep threat moving forward. Furthermore, Seattle decided to draft D.K. Metcalf out of Ole Miss. In college, Metcalf was used as the deep threat and the Seahawks will likely use him in that manner as well.
Therefore, it's tough having a receiving group that all specializes in going deep. Of course, you can't expect to throw it downfield 50-yards on every play. Even though, Wilson would be capable of doing so.
Correspondingly, Lockett will need to become more well-rounded as a receiver in 2019. That means becoming a more reliable target on intermediate routes as well. All of the great receivers in the NFL are able to be utilized in plenty of different ways.
For instance, Odell Beckham Jr. has become one of the elite receivers in the game. He has done so by being able to run a slant route 10-yards down the field while also being a lethal weapon down the field at the same time.
By all means, Lockett has the potential to become one of the best receivers in the NFL.
He'll just need to showcase that during the 2019 season with the Seahawks.
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