After an inexplicable 10-year lapse, the Seattle Seahawks suddenly remembered how to draft in 2022, and appear to be headed in the right direction again as a franchise. However, there are still a few lingering pieces of dead weight that will likely be out of the picture in 2025, which is when fans should expect Mike Macdonald's influence to really take over.
Perhaps the strangest holdover from the Pete Carroll era is wide receiver/kick returner Dee Eskridge, who was a second-round pick by Seattle in the 2021 NFL draft. Eskridge showed potential during his time at Western Michigan but as of yet it has not translated to the next level. From the very beginning injuries have slowed his development and the rare times he's been on the field he has seemingly been out of sync with his teammates.
All together, Eskridge has missed 27 games due to injury and only appeared in 24. He's totaled 17 receptions at a 50% catch rate, 122 receiving yards and one touchdown. His success rate is just 29.4%. So, Macdonald did Eskridge a real solid by giving him another chance on his 2024 squad, retaining him under a restructured deal (paycut) rather than cutting him. Now Eskridge is going into make-or-break season for his career, and it might be his last chance to secure himself a future in this league.
As you might expect, Eskridge is working hard ahead of training camp. Here's a short clip of his routine.
Here we go! It is a #Seahawks D’Wayne Eskridge training short video:
— HawkMania (@hawkmania4) July 16, 2024
[🎥: D’Wayne Eskridge / IG story] pic.twitter.com/3rA79hCcTj
Given how deep Seattle's wide receiver room is, Eskridge is probably not going to see significant playing time on offese this year. Instead, he will have to make an impact on special teams. Eskridge was a strong kickoff returner his last year in college. If he can do that again under the NFL's new kickoff rules, he may yet have a place at the table.
