Seattle Seahawks to give Doug Baldwin more playing time

With Sidney Rice suffering a season ending injury, the Seattle Seahawks are planning to give fellow wide receiver Doug Baldwin more playing time.

Baldwin, when he does play (which has been relatively minimal) usually does so in the slot, however with Rice out and Baldwin as his direct backup on the Seahawks’ depth chart he figures to play more of a ‘Z’ spot.

"Baldwin, though, is confident that he can help fill the void created by the loss of Rice. While Baldwin is usually used in the slot, he is listed as Rice’s backup at the “Z’’ (or outside receiver) position and has lined up there regularly throughout his career.And it is Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse who are expected to get the first call at filling in for Rice when the Seahawks host Tampa Bay on Sunday.“You’ll see those guys out there quite often,’’ said Seattle offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell."

Of course, this may be more of a week-to-week solution as the Seahawks are expected to get Percy Harvin back from the IR in the extremely near future, so Baldwin’s days as an outside receiver may be done before they ever get off the ground.

There have been rumors that Harvin may return as early as this weekend, though, would likely be on a snap count if he does. Either way, expect to see Baldwin on the field a bit more – at least for the next few weeks or so.