Seahawks reportedly ‘asking around’ on the wide receiver market ahead of free agency

ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler filed their report from the NFL Combine on the latest whispers and tidbits around the league, and there’s something worth monitoring if you’re a Seattle Seahawks fan.

Lemme get the obvious stuff out of the way first: Russell Wilson is getting interest from other teams but he hasn’t asked to be traded, don’t expect the Seahawks to use the franchise tag, and Bobby Wagner’s future is uncertain due to his $16 million cap hit this season.

Now let’s get to the fun bit:

One Seattle development this week: The Seahawks have been asking around on the receiver market. That’s interesting because they are already loaded at wideout. Maybe they just want depth ... or maybe it’s something more.

“Asking around” is vague because that can mean anything from looking for cheap veterans, more expensive bigger names, or a trade, but the main point is Seattle is seemingly eyeing a strengthening of its wide receiver group.

The Seahawks obviously have Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf as the top two receivers on the team and they’re one of the best duos in the NFL. Below that the depth gets pretty interesting; Freddie Swain has been serviceable 3rd receiver in his two seasons with the team, Dee Eskridge missed much of his rookie season with a concussion and scarcely contributed when available, and Penny Hart is a free agent.

Some notable current unrestricted free agent wide receivers include Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin, Davante Adams (although I reckon his future is tied to Aaron Rodgers’ future so I’ll squash your dreams right there), Mike Williams, Christian Kirk, JuJu Smith-Schuster, DJ Chark, and Michael Gallup. Amari Cooper is likely to be traded or cut to save cap space for the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, some of these players will re-sign with their current teams but this looks to be an appealing market for WR talent.

Adding another receiver is by no means the top priority this offseason, but why shouldn’t the Seahawks make a push for more receiving targets for Wilson? Why should Seattle be content with what they have and hope that Eskridge makes a big leap in his second season?

The Arizona Cardinals had DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, and A.J. Green but still took Rondale Moore in the 2nd round of last year’s draft. Lest we forget that the Los Angeles Rams took Tutu Atwell in the same round when they already had Messrs Kupp, Woods, and Jefferson and DeSean Jackson. We know what happened with Odell Beckham Jr and he had heightened importance after Woods tore his ACL, Jackson was waived, and Atwell was put on IR. Two seasons ago the Tampa Bay Buccaneers already had Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, drafted Tyler Johnson in the fifth round and signed Antonio Brown midseason.

We’ll see what the Seahawks ultimately do as early as next week when free agency begins, but as long as they don’t break the bank, I’m of the opinion that you can never have too much depth at a position that is burgeoning with talent and thriving in this wide-open passing league.