Filled with injury-prone WRs, the Seahawks
may need to rebuild the once reliable position.
In part one of “Are the Seahawks in Need of a Rebuild,” I concluded that the defensive side of the ball was better off than a lot of people might think.
2009 will determine whether the Seahawks need to rebuild the defense, but for now we have the right personnel in place to have success next year.
However, I’m not so optimistic about the offense.
I’ll start with the easy stuff: wide receivers. The wide receiving corps is in trouble. That might even be an understatement. If 2009 starts similarly to 2008 then it will be time for PANIC.
To Continue...
The top three wide receivers proved to be made of glass and all signs indicate that nothing will change.
1 Deion Branch: While spectacular when healthy, he has missed games in all three season with the Seahawks due to injury (14 games). He’s a perfect fit in the west coast offense, with blistering acceleration and quickness and the ability to shake tackles and get good yards after catch. GM Tim Ruskell guaranteed Branch a roster spot next season.
While I love what Branch can do, his injury history makes him unreliable. Don’t count on him playing 16 games in 2009.
2 Nate Burleson: He showed signs of drastic improvement to begin his short 2008 season, but only played about half a game after suffering a season ending knee injury. He missed a month with a sprain to the same knee in 2005 when he was with the Vikings.
The re-injury is troublesome because it appears the left knee is problematic for Burleson. Another tendon tear in the same knee could end his career. However, there is a ray of light for Burleson, who is well ahead of recovery time.
If Burleson can stay injury free for most of 09' he will undoubtedly have a great year because he was finally getting the hang of the Seahawks west coast offense. But, that is a big "if".
3. Bobby Engram: Engram has missed games in four of the last five seasons, including only playing seven games in 2006. Did I mention he is an unrestricted free agent? Ruskell has said he would consider retaining Engram, but at 36, is he really worth it?
Bobby could serve us one more year with the right contract. How many teams will really be interested in giving Engram a contract at that age with an injury history and a poor 2008 year? Bobby could be in Seattle at the right price and he is as reliable as any receiver when he's on the field.
If Engram leaves, Logan Payne might be the heir apparent to the slot position. However, Payne’s season ended week 2 against the 49ers last season when a dirty hit put him on injured reserve.
Payne/Obomanu/Taylor/Kent/Bumpus: Logan Payne and Ben Obomanu ended their seasons earlier on injured reserve in 2008. Obomanu never showed he can be a true NFL starter during the time he had had with the Seahawks in 2007, when he played 13 games.
Taylor will never be good enough, he proved that this season with the inability to get open or catch the ball.
Jordan Kent is a track and field star at heart and hasn’t been able to adjust to the NFL despite a perfect opportunity in 2008, with so many injuries to the team. Bumpus showed some flashes of skill, but not enough to get excited about – he was an undrafted free agent.
OUTLOOK
Things could be brighter for the once high-flying Seahawks passing game. Just a season ago, Hasselbeck was breaking all kinds of records and Engram was racking up career highs.
There are a few free agents that could provide a breath of fresh air for Seattle’s stagnant offense. I broke down a few of the key free agents earlier, click here.
Lance Moore could be a replacement for Engram and there are also big play receivers T.J. Houshmandzeadah and Antonio Bryant.
The brightest prospect of them all seems to be Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree, who is slotted to be taken no. 4 with the Hawks in many mock drafts.
NSS has an extensive compilation of articles on Crabtree. Click here to choose.
Conclusion: The WR corps needs a rebuild.
CLICK FOR PART I
