Seattle Seahawks: 3 Worst case scenarios in the 2019 season
By Samuel Teets
Nobody likes talking about worst-case scenarios, but it’s worth discussing some of the things the Seattle Seahawks need to avoid at all costs in 2019.
The Seattle Seahawks are a playoff caliber team, but there are some risks that could derail the team’s 2019 season entirely. In large part, the Seahawks have no control over these three worst-case scenarios. While it might seem that these cases are a little general, they were chosen because of Seattle’s roster composition and because of the histories of specific players.
Right now, it’s playoffs or bust for the Seahawks, especially since the team already made the postseason last year.
While these three situations would not demote Seattle to the basement of the NFC West, it would be incredibly hard for the team to make the playoffs while dealing with any one of these issues.
The receiving corps fail
The Seahawks are going into the season without Doug Baldwin who was Russell Wilson‘s most reliable and beloved target in the past. Tyler Lockett proved last year he was capable of shouldering work as the team’s primary receiving option, and I expect he’ll produce similar numbers this year. Outside of Lockett though, the receiving corps is full of question marks.
Beside Lockett, David Moore is the most established receiver on the Seahawks. Moore has never recorded more 450 receiving yards or 30 receptions in a season. The Seahawks other semi-established option is Jaron Brown, who is actually the most experienced wide receiver in Seattle right now.
Brown entered the league back in 2013. His best season came in Arizona in 2017 when he recorded 31 receptions, 477 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns. He didn’t reach the 200-yard mark with Seattle last season.
The other most promising wide receivers on the Seahawks roster are rookies D.K. Metcalf and Gary Jennings. While Metcalf lit up the combine, there are serious concerns about his route running. A little while ago a video of Metcalf running routes appeared on Twitter. The responses were less than kind.
The problem with this route is how long it takes Metcalf to stop. He takes to many steps and strings them out over the course of roughly five yards. Against NFL defensive backs, that pass could be an interception.
While Jennings route running is more polished, it’s still hard to say what we can expect from the rookie this coming season. While the passing game has taken a backseat to the ground game in Seattle, Wilson still threw the ball 427 times last season. Even though Wilson is a very smart quarterback who rarely turns the ball over, if this receiving corps fails to bail the offense out in third-and-long or late in games, costly mistakes are bound to happen.