Adjusting to Life Without Russell Wilson, Tyler Lockett Building Chemistry With New QBs

RENTON, WA - Over the course of his illustrious NFL career, Tyler Lockett hasn't had to deal with much turnover at the quarterback position. But with Russell Wilson now in Denver, like the rest of the receivers around him, he entered a whole new world when the Seahawks reported for offseason workouts earlier this month.

Dating back to his rookie season in 2015, Lockett hauled in the majority of his 449 receptions and all 45 of his receiving touchdowns courtesy of throws from Wilson. Emerging as one of the best quarterback/receiver duos in the league, they torched opponents with unrivaled efficiency, as Wilson competed 71.5 percent of his targets and posted a ridiculous 122.4 rating when throwing to the speedy wideout. Over the past three seasons, they were one of just four quarterback/receiver tandems to team up for over 3,000 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 250 receptions.

Now rolling into his eighth NFL season, Lockett won't have Wilson launching moon balls for him to run underneath anymore or scrambling away from rushers before finding him on extended, broken plays. Instead, the former Kansas State star is in the process of acclimating to catching tosses from Geno Smith, Drew Lock, and Jacob Eason, who are engaged in a competition for the right to start under center in Week 1.

With four organized team activity sessions now in the books and mandatory minicamp scheduled for next week, as Lockett noted, these non-contact practices in May and June allow the team to push the limits and coaches to experiment with different plays and concepts. To this point, while he expects a "lot of differences" with Wilson running the show, he's been impressed by what he's seen from all three so far.

“I think Drew is doing good, I think Geno is doing good, I think Eason is doing good," Lockett said. "Whatever happens is going to happen at the end of the day but as a whole, we all just want to make sure that we are doing our part. And I think everybody is doing that so far.”

In a weird way, despite playing with an iron man in Wilson who missed a grand total of three games due to injury over the past seven years, Lockett's past has prepared him to an extent for Seattle's drastic change at quarterback. In high school, his team often utilized two quarterbacks, though he wasn't complimentary of his own play in the pocket, citing issues throwing interceptions to the other team.

Even in college, Lockett told reporters after Tuesday's OTA session that Kansas State rotated quarterbacks some during his junior and senior seasons before he made his way to the NFL. All he did during those two seasons was amass 2,700 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns.

“It always worked out,” Lockett remarked. “So I think that it’s something that’s new but it’s something that’s interesting to see when it comes to that competitive nature. Two people, three people being able to compete for a spot.”

In the early stages of the final phase of offseason workouts, Lockett hasn't had too many opportunities to reel in long receptions in practices devoid of 11-on-11 team drills. However, the Seahawks made sure to promote one of those catches from individual period, posting video on their social media account last week showing Lock connecting with him on a deep corner route. On Tuesday, Lock showed off his touch by throwing a touchdown to tight end Tyler Mabry over the outstretched arms of a linebacker in coverage.

Though the two have a long way to go before they come anywhere close to the same rapport he built with Wilson and it will take time for him to figure out everything that makes his new quarterback tick, Lockett praised Lock for his arm talent and even-keeled demeanor as he learns a new playbook with his new team.

"He just has that type of calmness about himself to where he knows what he can do, he's making the throws regardless of where the DB is, he made a couple of really great deep ball throws last week before we had this break. I think he's adjusting really well being able to come to a new team, learn the new plays... Just to be able to be here for a couple of months, I think he's done a really great job picking up the plays, we've been installing a lot of heavy stuff, and he's been able to run with it and I think he looks really good."

As for Smith, Lockett continues to build chemistry with the veteran signal caller after the two had their first extended run playing together over a four-game stretch last season. After the two only connected four times on 10 targets in Smith's first two starts, Lockett exploded for 12 receptions in a Week 12 win over the Jaguars and finished with 16 catches for 189 yards in three games with Wilson sidelined by a right middle finger injury.

Now armed with a legitimate chance to be a starter for the first time since 2014, Lockett has seen Smith take grab the bull by the horns during the offseason program and make the most of his opportunity as a passer and leader early in the competition. Like Lock, he found success on Tuesday targeting tight ends, including hitting a tightly covered Noah Fant on a slot fade in the end zone for a touchdown.

"He has that fire in his eyes, he has that look that he wants to be able to go out there and do great," Lockett said of Smith. "This is an opportunity that all of us wait for."

When training camp arrives in late July, the real litmus test will begin for Lock and Smith as the Seahawks jump into 11-on-11 and eventually, real football with padded practices against a live defense. At that point, Lockett as well as DK Metcalf will play an important role in helping decide who wins the job, as both quarterbacks will be judged on their ability to get the football into the hands of their top playmakers on the outside.

For now, Lockett isn't tipping his hand on who he may prefer to see taking snaps under center and throwing him the football. It's far too early to make that determination and at the moment, he's enjoying the process gelling with a new-look team, stepping into a greater leadership role while staying within himself, and doing everything in his power to adjust to a new set of quarterbacks with different skill sets.

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