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With the retirement of Doug Baldwin, it’s pretty obvious who this team’s #1 receiver is going to be. But, every good offense needs a quality #2, and that’s where I believe David Moore comes in.

There are certainly other candidates on this roster right now. Some people might point to the promising offseason Jaron Brown has had. With a year under his belt in this system, and a few strong performances last year, he’s certainly a candidate to make a big leap in 2019. But, he’s a veteran and there’s money to be saved on his contract if we cut him, so I can’t very well have a bubble player on my list of the most important Seahawks after Russell Wilson!

I know a lot of fans have their eyes squarely on D.K. Metcalf, and I don’t blame you one bit! I’ll be eagerly awaiting his debut in the pre-season as much as anyone. But, he’s a rookie. While rookies certainly have their roles in this Brave New NFL World, by and large most rookies fall short of expectations, especially when you’re talking about those taken after the first half of the first round. Every year, there are a small handful of star rookies, a bigger selection of starters who have to endure growing pains, and a vast majority of role players who make their hay on Special Teams, or in various sub packages on offense or defense. Since I don’t really see Metcalf as anything more than a #4 receiver who will get in on various offensive sub packages, he definitely falls under that Role Player category.

That leaves us with David Moore, a 7th round pick in 2017 who didn’t really play at all his rookie season. That made his play through November of last year all the more impressive, when he brought down 22 catches for 413 yards and all 5 of his touchdowns. What’s given a lot of fans pause is his December, when he caught 4 balls on 16 targets, for 32 yards across 5 games.

Was it a fluke? Did the league figure him out? Did he tire in his first full active season in the NFL? Is he not as good as we thought he’d be? Was he injured?

I don’t know if I have answers for any of those questions, but I believe his career is still on its upward trajectory, and his overall 2018 production is just a start. He ended up finishing third in receiving on this team with 445 yards, and it wouldn’t shock me in the slightest to see him approach 800-900 yards and 8-11 touchdowns. Lockett will still get the overwhelming majority of attention from Russell Wilson, but he’ll also see opposing teams’ best cornerbacks. That should leave some pretty cushy opportunities for Moore to step right in as another big play receiver on a team that likes to push the ball deep down field.

With Baldwin gone, there are a ton of targets up for grabs. In his third professional season, David Moore figures to be in a prime position to gobble them up.