Seahawks appear to be signing Paul Richardson for depth

The Seattle Seahawks seem to be in the market for a wide receiver, and they reportedly are on the verge of signing Paul Richardson.

The Seattle Seahawks seem to be looking for a wide receiver, with a level of rumors attaching them to Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network they are on the verge of signing someone, as Paul Richardson is at the facility today for COVID-19 testing.

According to Garafolo, Richardson will go through protocol and could sign later this week. As long as virus testing and protocol go as hoped, the signing looks like a formality.

Richardson was drafted by Seattle in the second round of the 2014 draft, and he spent his first four NFL seasons there. His best season came in 2017, with 44 catches for 703 yards (16.0 yards per catch) and six touchdowns on 80 targets.

Richardson signed a five-year, $40 million deal with Washington in 2018. Over two seasons and 17 games for them, he totaled 48 receptions for 507 yards and four touchdowns. With the ability to clear $6 million in cap space, with only $2 million in dead money, Richardson was an easy cut for the new regime in Washington this offseason.

Paul Richardson is merely a depth signing for the Seahawks

Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf remain established as Seattle’s top two wide receivers. Phillip Dorsett has been called “the fastest guy we’ve had here” by head coach Pete Carroll, so Richardson is probably coming in at No. 4 on the depth chart when he signs. Presumably, there will be no guarantees he makes it to Week 1 on the 53-man roster.

Signing Richardson is small potatoes, so it doesn’t necessarily mean the Seahawks are out on making a bigger move for Brown or Gordon at some point. If anything, Richardson’s familiarity in Seattle makes him an ideal fill-in until Brown serves out his eight-game suspension.