Seattle, WA
Seattle Seahawks 90-Man Roundup: What Role Does Tyler Lockett Play in New Offense?
The Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in less than a month, officially ushering in the first season under new coach Mike Macdonald.
In preparation for the new incoming season, we’ll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, diving into scheme fits, exploring best and worst case scenarios and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2024 campaign.
After failing to hit 1,000 yards for the first time in five years, where does veteran receiver Tyler Lockett fit into Seattle’s receiver hierarchy in a new offense?
An immediate impact player for the Seahawks, Lockett proved worth the price of trading four picks to the Commanders to move up to select him in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft, earning All-Pro honors as a kick and punt return specialist as a rookie. Coming into his own as a receiving threat, he succeeded Doug Baldwin as the team’s No. 1 weapon in 2018, posting new personal bests in receptions (57) and yardage (965) as he took on a larger role on offense. Surpassing 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns in four consecutive seasons from 2019 to 2022, including snagging a career-high 100 catches and 10 touchdown receptions in 2020, Lockett put together one of the best four-year runs by a receiver in recent memory. Though his numbers dipped some last season with the arrival of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, he still led Seattle with 79 receptions and scored five touchdowns.
One of the NFL’s savviest receivers, Lockett has done plenty of damage in his career both from the outside and the slot, establishing himself as a premier passing game chess piece. From 2019 to 2022, he finished in the top 25 among receivers for receiving yards from the slot, including finishing in the top 10 in 2019 and 2020. New Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb should be able to move him all over the formation and even occasionally motion him into or out of the backfield if he wishes.
Still a masterful route runner who meshes well with Grubb’s scheme and has full confidence from Geno Smith, Lockett shows he isn’t quite ready to pass the torch as Seattle’s top receiver just yet, once again leading the team in receptions and targets while bouncing back with his fifth 1,000-yard season to go with seven receiving touchdowns.
Though still a productive wideout, Lockett’s targets take a significant dip with Smith-Njigba becoming a larger focal point in the offense and DK Metcalf taking over as Smith’s primary go-to weapon, leading to another statistical decline in receptions, receiving yardage, and touchdowns as he fades into a decorated third receiver role.
Now in his ninth season and into his 30s, Lockett has likely exited his prime and his days of being Seattle’s No. 1 receiver look to be finished, especially with the presence of an ascending star in Smith-Njigba cutting into his opportunities. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t be a dynamic pass catcher in a complementary role, as he still has plenty of burst to win vertically and his instincts finding soft spots in coverage will make him an excellent security blanket for Smith at minimum.
With defenses set to dedicate a ton of attention to Metcalf and Smith-Njigba as well as potentially having to deal with tight end Noah Fant being a bigger piece of the passing game puzzle, Lockett could see a lot more single coverage than he has in recent years. While the number of targets he will receive likely will put a cap on receptions, it’s not out of the realm of possibility he could surpass his yardage and receiving touchdown totals from a year ago in an offense that should cater well to his remaining strengths at this stage of his career, and he should be one of the best No. 3 wideouts in the sport in 2024.
Buddha Jones | Devin Richardson | Rason Williams II | Nathan Pickering | Dee Williams | Devere Levelston | Kobe Lewis | Sunny Anderson | Mike Novitsky | Max Pircher | Easton Gibbs | Hayden Hatten | Garret Greenfield | Carlton Johnson | Matt Gotel |George Holani | Cody White | Ty Okada | Drake Thomas | McClendon Curtis | Easop Winston Jr. |Nelson Ceaser | Jonathan Sutherland | Lance Boykin | Joshua Onujiogu | Patrick O’Connell |Jack Westover | Raiqwon O’Neal | Tyler Mabry | Dareke Young | Tremayne Anchrum | DJ James | Artie Burns | Kenny McIntosh | Myles Adams | Dee Eskridge | Stone Forsythe | Tyrice Knight |Jerrick Reed II | Mike Morris | Coby Bryant | Jake Bobo | Jon Rhattigan | Nick Harris | Johnathan Hankins | Derick Hall | Laviska Shenault | PJ Walker | K’Von Wallace | Sam Howell |Sataoa Laumea | Pharaoh Brown | Michael Dickson | Tre Brown | A.J. Barner | Darrell Taylor | Mike Jackson | Zach Charbonnet | Rayshawn Jenkins | Anthony Bradford | Jerome Baker | Laken Tomlinson | Jarran Reed | Ricky Person Jr. | Jason Myers | Olu Oluwatimi | Christian Haynes | Abraham Lucas | Dre’Mont Jones | Tyrel Dodson | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Boye Mafe | Noah Fant | Julian Love | Ken Walker III | Byron Murphy II | Charles Cross | Riq Woolen
The Seattle Mariners have been staring down a difficult decision for weeks now and it’s only getting closer as Bryce Miller nears the end of his rehab assignment.
Two factors Hyphen sees in Bryan Woo’s recent struggles
When Miller makes his return to the big league club, which is now less than two weeks away barring a setback, the Mariners will have six capable starters but only five rotation spots.
The assumption when Miller started the season on the injured list was that he would replace Emerson Hancock when he returned, but Hancock has been Seattle’s best starter thus far, posting a 2.59 ERA over seven starts while striking out batters at a career-best 28.9% clip.
Now it looks as if veteran Luis Castillo could be the top candidate to taken out of the rotation. In seven starts this season, the right-hander has produced a 6.29 ERA and minus-0.8 bWAR.
ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan weighed in on the possibility of Castillo being taken out of the starting rotation when he joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Tuesday.
“I think it all depends on where Luis Castillo’s frame of mind is,” Passan said. “If Luis Castillo is open to going to the bullpen, you consider that. And if he is not, then you take a look and see what his willingness to go on the injured list is. And if that’s not the case, then maybe you do consider a six-man rotation. I think there are just lots of different possibilities here.”
For Passan, what Castillo has done for the organization, which includes helping the team reach the playoffs twice, is also an important part of the equation.
“I think what also factors in is Luis Castillo has done this for a really long time at a really high level and been a really important part of the success that you’ve had organizationally, and I don’t take that lightly,” Passan said. “I think the way that you treat people who have done right by you and helped you get into the position (you’re in), they’re not disposable. So you can’t just say to Luis Castillo, you’re not performing right now, you’re going to the pen.
“Well, you could. I just don’t know how well that goes over and I don’t know what sort of precedent that sets for treatment of players going forward.”
Passan added that moving Castillo to the bullpen is the type of “cold” decision a contender has to make sometimes, but that having a productive Castillo is also key for the team.
“Having a productive Luis Castillo makes them much likelier to be a World Series team,” Passan said. “You can get rid of your manager and survive that. But knowing that Castillo has to be around still, you just need to be mindful of the way – not even the way that you’re treating him, because the way that you’re treating him is through your perspective. The question is, how does he feel like he’s being treated? That is imperative here, and if you can thread the needle and figure out a way to solve your problem while still keeping Luis Castillo content, then that’s the ideal (situation). That’s the goal, that is the aim of this whole thing. And it’s a very delicate and difficult subject.”
Castillo in line for positive regression?
While it has been a struggle for Castillo early on, Passan sees some reason to believe his numbers will level out with more starts. He pointed to Castillo’s 4.25 FIP, which is nearly identical to Bryan Woo’s and better than Logan Gilbert’s. However, he is concerned with Castillo’s career-low groundball rate.
“Ever since he’s come to Seattle, he’s been much more of a flyball pitcher. But he’s down to a 33% ground ball rate this year. Not good,” Passan said. “I will say this, the positive regression is going to come in the form of runners being stranded. He’s got a strand rate right now of only 58.8%, league average is somewhere in the 70-plus range.”
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
Seattle Mariners coverage
• Seattle Mariners place Gabe Speier on IL, add two lefty relievers
• The latest on Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh’s injury
• Seattle Mariners showing some concerning signs on defense
• Mariners prospect Felnin Celesten on a tear for High-A Everett
• What Mariners’ Emerson Hancock says has been key to his breakout
The West Seattle Junction space formerly occupied by Willow, preceded by Fleurt, will not be empty for long. A familiar Junction fashion entrepreneur is moving into 4536 California SW – here’s the announcement:
Well-known West Seattle staple Carmilia’s announced today that it will open a new store in the Alaska Junction, offering everything from skincare products to fashion accessories. The new store, located at 4536 California Ave SW, formerly home to Fleurt and Willow, will do a soft opening on Art Walk Night, May 14, 2026. Carmilia’s owner, Linda Walsh, is at the helm of the project.
The store will be filled with all of Walsh’s favorite things: shoes, accessories, and gifts, at a variety of price points. It’s the perfect place to find unique and playful items for your next celebration or shopping spree. The store’s scheduled hours are Wednesday-Saturday 11 am-6 pm, and Sunday 10 am-4 pm.
Walsh told us she hasn’t yet settled on a name, so if you pass the future shop’s windows you will probably see “Watch This Space” as a placeholder!
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