With OTAs in full swing, it’s truly starting to feel like a new Seattle Seahawks season is approaching.
Brock: A pivotal trait for Seattle Seahawks’ O-line position battles
If there’s one thing we know about the Seahawks heading into the 2025 campaign, it’s that the offense is going to look quite a bit different than it did last season.
Seattle brought in new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, starting quarterback Sam Darnold and receivers Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. All four of those individuals are set to make an impact on the Seahawks’ offense this year.
While those new faces will garner plenty of attention in the months leading up to Seattle’s season opener, Seahawks Radio Network Michael Bumpus has his eyes on an offensive position battle toward the back end of the roster: the fight for the fourth spot in the wide receiver room.
“As a receiver, you know who the (top) three guys are going to be. Cooper Kupp, (Jaxon Smith-Njigba), (Valdes-Scantling),” Bumpus said during his Four Down Territory segment on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. “You’re still going to need a fourth guy, because if you just look at the snap counts for the Saints last year, there are a bunch of guys getting reps.”
Bumpus, a former NFL receiver himself, believes that fourth player will be one of the number of receivers currently fighting for playing time during OTAs, a list made up of returning Seahawks Jake Bobo and Dareke Young and rookies Tory Horton and Ricky White III.
Bobo has become a fan favorite despite mainly being used on special teams and as a blocking specialist when he lines up at receiver. In two seasons, he has 32 catches for for 303 yards and three TDs.
Young, a former seventh-round draft pick, is heading into the final year of his rookie contract. In three seasons, he has just two catches for 24 yards but has also been a key special teams contributor.
Horton was selected in the fifth round out of Colorado State during the NFL Draft in April. He’s coming off a highly productive college career in the Mountain West, which included 1,000-yard campaigns in 2022 and 2023, along with three punt return touchdowns.
White was selected in the seventh round out of UNLV. He also posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for a Mountain West school and was a special teams ace with four blocked punts in 2024.
All four of those receivers have the potential to contribute on special teams, which Bumpus said could be an important factor.
“This is going to be an interesting battle,” Bumpus said. “How many receivers are these guys going to carry? Because the numbers tell you three, four, five guys have the potential to get some snaps when it comes to this Kubiak offense. Of course, your first three are going to be there, but (the No. 4 wide receiver is) a battle that we need to pay more attention to.”
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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