The Seattle Seahawks’ wide receiver room will look quite different this fall.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is back after his breakout 2024 campaign, but star wideout DK Metcalf was traded to Pittsburgh and veteran Tyler Lockett was released as a salary-cap casualty.
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To fill the void, the Seahawks signed former Rams star Cooper Kupp and speedster Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency. They also added a pair of receivers in the NFL Draft, taking Colorado State’s Tory Horton in the fifth round and UNLV’s Ricky White III in the seventh round.
With so many changes, many pundits have been skeptical of Seattle’s new-look receiving corps.
Seahawks Radio Network analyst Bryan Walters, however, is excited about the new group. Walters, a former Seahawks wideout on their 2013 and 2014 Super Bowl teams, explained why during an appearance Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
“They really revamped this wide receiver room to fit that Kubiak scheme and (they have) guys that are just better route runners and guys that just kind of complement each other,” Walters said, referring to new Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. “I think JSN and Cooper Kupp are gonna be so fun to watch together, because how do you cover both of them? That’s the thing. They’re such technicians and they’re so smart with what they do.
“And then I think they addressed the speed need that you lost with DK,” he added. “DK is one of the most physically talented and fastest receivers in the NFL. You will miss that, but you got a guy that can take the top off of defense with Marquez Valdes-Scantling. And you know, it’s not gonna be the same threat, but you have that threat, and I think that’s important.”
But what about how Smith-Njigba and Kupp fit together from a positional standpoint?
That’s been a concern among some, as both receivers have previously operated mostly out of the slot. Last season, Smith-Njigba lined up in the slot on 77.6% of his snaps and Kupp did so on 62.8% of his snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Walters doesn’t see that as an issue.
“I don’t like putting receivers in certain bubbles – like, this is only a slot receiver, this is only an outside receiver,” Walters said. “Yes, it’s true, I think some are better in the slot, some are better on the outside. But essentially as a receiver, you’re lining up and you’re going one-on-one against that corner. … And the way Kubiak will use them, they’ll be motioning from the outside a lot, they’ll be coming in, they’ll be blocking a lot probably.
“So I don’t see that being a huge issue for these guys because, Cooper Kupp especially, if he’s pressed out there, he’s shown he can get off press. He’s done that for his whole entire career and people can’t press him.”
Listen to the full conversation with Bryan Walters at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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