Seahawks bring back familiar face to address lack of wide receiver depth
By Scott Rogust
The Seattle Seahawks are reunited with a former wideout, and it feels so good
The San Francisco 49ers have been gaining a ton of attention for their wide receiver corps falling like dominoes. But we can’t gloss over the Seattle Seahawks‘ struggles at the position as well. Phillip Dorsett, Cody Thompson and John Ursua are all sitting out of team practices due to injury. So, the Seahawks opted to bring back a familiar face to run it back.
According to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo, Seattle is signing receiver Paul Richardson to a contract. Richardson traveled to Seattle earlier this week to work out for the team and to undergo COVID-19 testing.
The Seahawks are signing Paul Richardson, a source tells me (@MikeGarafolo first reported). They're banged up at WR with Phillip Dorsett (foot), John Ursua (hamstring) and Cody Thompson sitting the last few days with injuries. Richardson spent his first four seasons in Seattle.
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) August 29, 2020
Richardson looking to prove himself after leaving Seattle
Richardson started off his NFL career in Seattle, as he was a second-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Colorado. The deep-threat receiver didn’t make much of an impact in his first three seasons with the Seahawks, but once he entered his contract year, Richardson’s production exploded. Through 16 game in 2017, Richardson hauled in 44-of-80 targets for 703 yards and six touchdowns.
At season’s end, the Seahawks were bracing for Richardson’s exit, because he was arguably the best receiver on the open market. Sure enough, the Washington Football Team signed him to a five-year, $40 million deal. Washington didn’t get much production out of Richardson in his two years with the team, as he dealt with shoulder and hamstring injuries. In 17 appearances, Richardson recorded 48 receptions for 507 yards and four touchdowns. Washington ended up releasing Richardson prior to the start of the 2020 league year.
The Seahawks called in Richardson after Dorsett went down with a foot injury. Given that the team reached an agreement on contract terms with Richardson means that Seattle is expecting Dorsett to miss quite some time.
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Richardson has a tremendous opportunity this season. The Seahawks are Super Bowl contenders in the NFC and he joins a wide receiver room with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. With receivers being sidelined with injuries, the Seahawks made the wise decision to bring back Richardson, who’s very familiar with head coach Pete Carroll’s playbook.