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.

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