The Seattle Seahawks have the talent to go all the way this year, and Josh Gordon is the perfect addition to an offense led by MVP favorite Russell Wilson.
Although the Seattle Seahawks offense was primarily built on the running game in 2018, Russell Wilson was still one of the league’s most effective passers despite missing top target Doug Baldwin for most of the season. Seattle crawled into the playoffs last year, but they look like a stronger team across the board in 2019, especially after acquiring Jadeveon Clowney to bolster their defense this offseason.
Now, the Seahawks have made a key addition to their offense, claiming Josh Gordon on waivers after the New England Patriots cut ties with him.
The move was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Gordon is one of the NFL’s most dynamic playmakers, as he caught 40 of 69 targets for 720 yards in 2018, averaging a whopping 18 yards per reception in the Patriots offense. This season, Gordon has averaged just under 50 yards per game with over 14 yards per reception, and he could turn those into jaw-dropping numbers in the Seahawks offense.
There’s a case to be made that Wilson is playing better football than any other quarterback right now, and he’s right there with Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes when it comes to his downfield passing. Just look at Tyler Lockett, who is averaging nearly 80 receiving yards per game in 2019 after posting a Gordon-like 17 yards per reception in 2018.
Lockett, Gordon, and DK Metcalf could form one of the NFL’s scariest wide receiver trios, and certainly on paper, no triumvirate offers more playmaking upside. Gordon and Metcalf are both huge receivers with plenty of downfield speed to burn, while Lockett is smaller and shiftier but just as adept at making splash plays 40 yards down the field.
Like Lockett, Gordon is a polished route-runner who can make things happen with the ball in his hands, which means Wilson will be thrilled to feed him the ball. Defenses can’t focus on a singular threat in the Seahawks passing attack now that Gordon is on board, because either Lockett or Gordon is capable of taking over a game on their own. And Metcalf isn’t someone to sleep on either, given the promise he’s shown as a rookie.
None of that, of course, factors in Seattle’s deep stable of running backs, as Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny can do wonders for opening up a downfield passing attack. Now that Gordon is on board, the Seahawks offense looks unbeatable with Wilson at the helm, especially since the franchise quarterback can unlock all of Gordon’s potential. In terms of pure fit and surrounding talent, this looks like the best situation of Gordon’s career thus far.
For the Seahawks, the icing on the cake is that they don’t need to rely on Gordon. While he is the final piece on offense that can push the Seahawks to the level of the New Orleans Saints and undefeated San Francisco 49ers in the NFC, the team already sits at 6-2 without any contributions from Gordon. Anything he gives to the Seahawks is a bonus, and that bonus could be handsome enough to help Wilson win the second ring of his already illustrious NFL career.