Tag: Doug Baldwin

Jermaine Kearse believes Doug Baldwin belongs in the Ring of Honor

Ask Baldwin’s former teammate Jermaine Kearse and he’ll tell you that No. 89 belongs in the team’s Ring of Honor.

The finest tradition for these Seahawks is at wide receiver. The franchise’s greatest skill player of all time was Steve Largent, who put in 200 incredible games for Seattle in the 70s and 80s on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A lot of other good receivers have come along since. In our mind, the next-best is Doug Baldwin, who came into the league in 2011 undrafted out of Stanford. Baldwin steadily worked his way up the depth chart and become a full-time starter in 2014. He led the league in touchdown catches the next season (14) and continued balling out at a high level the rest of his career while competing with an intensity reminiscent of Steve Smith.

Ask Baldwin’s former teammate Jermaine Kearse and he’ll tell you that No. 89 belongs in the team’s Ring of Honor.

To be fair there are a lot of individuals from that era who deserve the honor, but Baldwin has to be included in the count. In the end, he finished with 493 catches, 6,563 yards and 49 touchdowns. Baldwin made two Pro Bowls and won one championship.

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Doug Baldwin: Will Smith was wrong, can’t escape accountability

Former Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin has never been wrong about anything.

Chris Rock told a tasteless joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair condition at the Oscar’s on Sunday night. However, Will Smith’s reaction was beyond over the top. He stormed the stage and slapped Rock, then returned to his seat and cursed at him in full view of a massive international audience.

Since then, just about everybody has offered an opinion on the slap heard ’round the world. Rock is not completely blameless but from where we’re sitting the only opinions that are really worth hearing are the ones condemning Smith for his actions. Former Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin has never been wrong about anything. Here’s what No. 89 had to say about it on Twitter.

Will Smith has since apologized but there’s speculation that he may be forced to give up the Best Actor award he won for his performance in King Richard just minutes after the incident took place.

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Seahawks: Who are the top 9 receiving leaders in franchise history?

Here are the top-nine receiving leaders in franchise history.

The Seattle Seahawks know their receivers as well as any team in the NFL. They currently have a couple of excellent wideouts on their roster and over the years they’ve had some of the greatest pass-catchers in the history of the game.

Here are the top-nine receiving leaders in franchise history.

Seahawks legend Doug Baldwin shares attributes of a winning culture

Baldwin recently shared an interesting post on Twitter which detailed his thoughts on a winning culture.

When these Seahawks were at their best, they had a lot of players with a chip on their shoulder, including several undrafted free agents who went on to become franchise legends. One of them was Doug Baldwin, who took up Steve Smith’s former title of the toughest receiver in the NFL pound for pound.

Getting back to the top of the mountain will require Seattle to find more diamonds in the rough like Baldwin who play key roles in pushing the whole team forward. Baldwin recently shared an interesting post on Twitter which detailed his thoughts on a winning culture.

Trouble is the Seahawks seem to be lacking that kind of element on their current roster.

Their core of six stars (Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf) are all worthy cornerstones. However, there are too few underrated gems further down the depth chart.

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Seahawks players pledge $500,000 in grants for policy reform

The Seahawks Players Equality & Justice for all Action Fund will donate $500,000 in grant money regarding law enforcement policy reform

In the wake of the untimely death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, as well as countless other deaths in the African-American community, many sports organizations have put out statements condemning the senseless acts of violence and offering their sympathy to the friends and family of the victims.

For many, that is the end of the statement.

However, the Seattle Seahawks are doing more than just offering thoughts and prayers. They are putting their money where their mouth is, and offering up $500,000 in grants from the Seahawks Players Equality & Justice for all Action Fund.

“We hope to advance conversations related to reformation in our nation’s current policies regarding hiring and training within law enforcement, judiciary protections and accountability, and for advanced education related to the history of race in America,” the statement read.

The Seahawks Players Equality & Justice for all Action Fund was started back in 2017 as a way for Seahawks players to help “create lasting change and build a more compassionate and inclusive society.”

Former Seahawk Doug Baldwin had a massive role in the initial creation of the fund, and he had a hand in this recent $500,000 grant as well, even though he is no longer with the team after medically retiring before the 2019 season.

“I think Doug did an amazing job with [the fund], he was in the loop building that,” Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner commented on a Zoom call with Seattle media on Monday. “I definitely feel like we are just trying to figure out a way to impact our community in a meaningful way. Do it in a way where the money that is being given is providing real change and helping people that are affected by things like this.”

The Seahawks have yet to determine the recipients of the grant money, but if you want to be involved you can donate to the Seahawks Players Equality & Justice for all Action Fund here.

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Why Washington’s Aaron Fuller could make Seahawks roster

The Seattle Seahawks love their undersized, UDFA receivers, and Aaron Fuller has a little Jermaine Kearse and a lot of Doug Baldwin in him.

The Seattle Seahawks brought in a whopping 17 undrafted free agents from the 2020 class to compete for spots on the active roster.

Most years, teams are lucky to get one UDFA to make the squad, as they are primarily brought in to give the team extra bodies during training camp.

However, the Seahawks have had plenty of luck in the past, going all the way back to Dave Krieg, and including Jermaine Kearse, Doug Baldwin and more recently, defensive tackle Poona Ford.

Speaking of Kearse, the Seahawks are hoping another undrafted receiver out of the University of Washington, Aaron Fuller, will do enough during training camp to earn a spot on the team’s roster in 2020.

While Kearse is the obvious comparison thanks to their alma mater, Fuller actually drew a lot of comparisons to Baldwin, Seattle’s other prominent undrafted free agent receiver.

Baldwin was an unassuming, undersized slot receiver out ot Stanford who Seattle signed in 2011. He went on to haul in 493 receptions for 6,563 yards and 49 touchdowns in eight seasons with the Seahawks, retiring after the 2018 season after suffering a shoulder injury the previous year.

Fuller has some big shoes to fill that role, but at five-foot-ten and 190 pounds, and with excellent production in college and some of the best route-running skills in the NCAA coming out of UW, there’s plenty of reason for optimism.

Seattle already has their own mini-Baldwin on the roster, however, after using a seventh round pick to select John Ursua in 2019.

Ursua and Fuller are two of a handful of receivers competing for one of the final spots on Seattle’s 53-man roster, a list that includes David Moore, Penny Hart, Cody Thompson, Freddie Swain, and Seth Dawkins.

With Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf and Phillip Dorsett all seemingly locked into the top three receiving roles, there’s little room for error if Fuller wants to make the roster.

However, Moore is a potential cap casualty, and no one else has proven anything in the NFL – so if Fuller makes a strong impression in camp, there’s reason to believe he will be wearing the green and blue next year, and still donning the No. 2 he wore while with the Huskies.

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Kam Chancellor, Duane Brown on PFF’s Top-101 players of the decade

Chancellor and Brown were joined by former Seattle Seahawks Brandon Marshall and Michael Bennett on PFF’s top-101 players of the decade.

Pro Football Focus has now released half of their top-101 players of the last decade, and six Seattle Seahawks have already found themselves represented.

Numbers 75-101 were released on Monday, with Doug Baldwin and Greg Olsen coming in at 77 and 81, respectively. Now, 50-74 have been released and four more Seahawks – Kam Chancellor, Duane Brown, Brandon Marshall and Michael Bennett – have been named to the list.

At No. 55, Chancellor is the first member of Seattle’s famed Legion of Boom to make the list, although Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas are certainly going to be on it as well. His career was cut short by injuries, but Bam Bam brought the boom as a hard-hitting strong safety, and was a four-time Pro Bowler.

The Seahawks pulled off a midseason trade in 2017 to acquire Brown from the Texans, and although he did most of his work in Houston he has been an excellent addition to Seattle’s offensive line as a veteran team leader and a stout run blocker at the left tackle spot, certainly helping to earn him his spot on this list at No. 58 overall.

Marshall spent a half season with the Seahawks in 2018 before getting released, but his leadership during training camp did not go unnoticed. A stellar career with the Bears and Broncos prior to that is what nets him a spot on this list at No. 61 overall.

Bennett comes in at No. 74 after a stellar career in Tampa Bay and Seattle and then a few scattered years with Dallas, Philadelphia and New England. Now a free agent, Bennett recorded 6.5 sacks last year and still has enough juice to help a team in need of some pass rush even in his age 35 season.

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Doug Baldwin No. 77 on PFF’s Top-101 players of the decade

Pro Football Focus is ranking the top 101 players from the last decade, and Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin is No. 77 overall.

Pro Football Focus decided to go above and beyond their recent all-decade team release, and is now ranking the top-101 players from the last decade.

Numbers 75-101 were released on Monday morning, and former Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin made the list at No. 77 overall.

Greg Olsen, who signed with the Seahawks back in February, is on the list ast well at No. 81.

Baldwin cracks the list just behind Dez Bryant and ahead of fellow wideouts Keenan Allen, Emmanuel Sanders and Odell Beckham, Jr.

Baldwin is perhaps the best undrafted free agent in franchise history, joining the team in 2011 and putting together an extremely stellar eight-year career that was unfortunately cut short after the 2019 season due to injuries.

Baldwin was a two-time Pro Bowler and led the league in touchdown receptions in 2015, cementing himself as one of the most reliable pass catchers in the game and challenging the prototype that No. 1 receivers couldn’t also be smaller, slot guys.

Baldwin will be the first of many Seahawks on the top-101 list, which will likely also include Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson, as well as each member of the Legion of Boom: Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.

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Will John Ursua get his chance for Seahawks in 2020?

The Seattle Seahawks traded back into the 2019 NFL draft to select John Ursua, but after a lost first season will he be a factor in 2020?

A seventh round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, receiver John Ursua caught the eye of many Seattle Seahawks fans last summer with a strong showing in training camp and in the preseason, leading many to label him (prematurely) as the next Doug Baldwin.

While Ursua does possess the craftiness that Baldwin showed, and his size and speed are similar, he still has a long ways to go to even come close to the accolades Baldwin earned in his career, and may have to fight very hard to even find himself on the game day roster in 2020.

It’s no secret that Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are the top two receiving options in Seattle, but the competition for the final few spots is plentiful: David Moore is back and he’s joined by free agent Phillip Dorsett, sixth round pick Freddie Swain and a pair of undrafted free agents in Aaron Fuller and Seth Dawkins.

Additionally, Seattle used two selections on tight ends, Colby Parkinson and Stephen Sullivan, and both could compete for roles in the slot as well.

So, where does that leave Ursua? After all, he only saw 11 snaps during the regular season last year, hauling in just one pass which fell a yard short of a touchdown against the 49ers in Week 17.

The report is that he struggled to learn the playbook, which is what kept him listed as a healthy inactive for the majority of the season. Now that he’s up to speed, coach Pete Carroll showed some optimism surrounding the NCAA’s leader in touchdowns from 2018.

“Johnny Ursua coming up, we’re excited to see where he fits into it,” Carroll told reporters at the NFL combine back in February. “He could definitely be a factor. He was the other end of the spectrum when we’re talking about young receivers. Johnny had a long way to go and had a lot to learn, and it took him longer to assimilate. But he’s getting there now and he finished out the season with us being active and all that, so there’s a lot of exciting parts to put together here.”

Of course, those quotes were before Seattle selected three pass-catchers during the draft, and before the Dorsett signing, so his path to playing time is considerably murkier.

Ursua not only has to prove he mastered the playbook, which will give him a big leg up over the rookies who could face a condensed training camp with less chances to work in front of coaches, he also needs to prove that, at age 26, he still has room to grow and develop.

His skills as a slot receiver are definitely there, but with Seattle loading up at that spot, it looks like it will be a tough sell for Ursua to find himself a part of the offense on a weekly basis in 2020.

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3 undrafted free agents who could make Seahawks roster

The Seattle Seahawks have 17 undrafted free agents vying for roster spots this summer. Here are three that could make it.

The Seattle Seahawks have now signed a whopping 17 undrafted free agents to the 90-man roster, after reportedly coming to terms with 12 more on Monday afternoon.

Add in the eight draft picks and the Seahawks have 25 first-year players vying for spots on the active roster this summer.

While most of the draft picks are expected to earn a spot, that is not the case for the undrafted guys. Seattle has had plenty of success with undrafted free agents in the past, including Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Poona Ford, but for the most part they are camp fodder who end up getting cut in early September.

Still, of the 17 newcomers, there are a handful who appear to have the tools, athleticism, and performance to make this squad out of camp.

Here are the three with the best chance, and why they could find themselves on the field in Week 1.

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