Seahawks Final Report Card: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett Dominant Season
With the 2022 season officially in the books, the Seattle Seahawks will head into the offseason with plenty of momentum after a surprising 9-8 season that resulted in an unexpected return to the playoffs.
In the aftermath of the Russell Wilson trade, star receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett led the charge for a top-10 Seattle scoring offense with a prolific passing attack, combining for more than 2,000 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns snagging passes from Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith. Looking back at another quality season for pass catchers in the Pacific Northwest, how did the receiving corps perform in 2022?
What Went Right
Even without Wilson, Metcalf and Lockett didn't miss a beat.
Both receivers surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in three years, marking only the third time in franchise history where two receivers eclipsed the century mark in a single season. Further building on his chemistry with Smith, Metcalf set a new career-high with 90 receptions, while Lockett became the second player in team history with four straight 1,000-yard seasons, joining Hall of Famer Steve Largent in exclusive company. In addition, the underrated veteran finished with at least eight touchdown catches for the fifth straight year and broke a team record with six straight games finding the end zone, remaining a pillar of consistent excellence.
Enjoying a semi-revival of his own snagging passes from Smith, veteran Marquise Goodwin emerged early in the season as a viable third target behind Metcalf and Lockett.
Still possessing excellent speed and a capable route runner from the outside as well as the slot, he finished with 27 receptions, 387 yards, and four touchdowns, his best production in all three categories since way back in 2018.
Even after the veteran went down with a shoulder injury late in the season, second-year target Cade Johnson became an unlikely contributor off the practice squad, catching five passes for 60 yards in Week 18 and the wild card round while seeing the bulk of Seattle's snaps out of the slot.
After a quiet start to his rookie season, seventh-round pick Dareke Young slowly became more integrated in the Seahawks offense. While waiting for his opportunity behind Goodwin, he surfaced as a core special teams player with five tackles on kick and punt coverage and received a handful of snaps as a hybrid fullback.
By the end of the season, he finally received a chance to make some plays as a receiver, registering his first two catches in the season finale and looking like a potential playmaker to keep an eye on down the road.
What Went Wrong
Though Metcalf had a strong statistical season overall, he struggled with penalties and inconsistency game to game.
Flagged eight times, including twice for unsportsmanlike conduct and once for taunting, he still has yet to discover how to balance playing with passion and fire and doing so without hurting his team.
At times, with opponents finding ways to get under his skin, those miscues took him out of the game for Seattle, as he finished with fewer than 40 yards in seven games. In comparison, Lockett had only three such games in 16 starts.
For a second straight season, former second-round pick Dee Eskridge was largely a non-factor due to injuries. After missing seven games with a concussion as a rookie, a broken hand led to a lengthy injured reserve stint that sidelined him for the Seahawks final 10 games. Unable to make much of an impact even when healthy for seven games, he caught only seven passes for 58 yards and didn't score a touchdown, casting doubt about his fit in the receiving rotation moving forward.
With Eskridge out for more than half of the season and Goodwin battling through several injuries, Seattle rolled out journeyman veteran Laquon Treadwell as the third wideout for a pair of games in the second half.
Eventually, both he and Penny Hart were bypassed in favor of Johnson for the final two games, illustrating the crevasse-sized gap from Metcalf and Lockett to the rest of the receiving corps.
Final Grade: B+
While one could nitpick on Lockett and Metcalf's numbers pointing out areas for improvement in 2023, both of Seattle's star receivers finished in the top 20 in receptions and receiving yards, while Lockett ranked in the top 10 in touchdown receptions.
Still among the best at their position, the Seahawks were in good hands figuratively and literally with the two dynamic threats continuing to dominate defenses even with a different quarterback throwing them the ball.
After a couple of down seasons, Goodwin's resurgence proved to be a welcome development as well.
Unfortunately, Eskridge's inability to be available and produce when healthy puts a slight damper on the evaluation of this group. The Seahawks remain hopeful he can bounce back and stay on the field to finally give them the yards after the catch maestro who can complement Lockett and Metcalf as downfield threats they thought they were drafting a couple of years ago.
On the flip side, however, Young's steady improvement and the surprising ascendance of Johnson late in the season provides reason for optimism even if Eskridge isn't able to fulfill on his promise.
With four picks in the first two rounds of April's draft, it's not out of the question Seattle could make another significant investment in the position either, turning up the heat on the rest of the receivers battling for scraps behind Lockett and Metcalf next spring.
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