Seattle Seahawks: Who Will Be the Number One Receiver Moving Forward?

A lot of fans thought this question was answered last off-season when we signed Sydney Rice to a lucrative contract.

Unfortunately, Rice didn't live up to expectations with an injury-riddled 2011 campaign.

Mike Williams had a career year a couple seasons ago, but he looked lost out there last year.  He started in ten games, playing in 12, but ended up with a measly 18 receptions.

The Seahawks have a lot of depth and weapons at receiver.  Golden Tate, Ben Obanamu, Doug Baldwin, Deon Butler, and Rice all offer something to the table.

However none is a standout, none is a bona fide No. 1 receiver like a Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, or Andre Johnson.

True, not every team has an elite receiver like that.  But the Seahawks don't even have an "average" No. 1 receiver like a Steve Smith or Mike Wallace, something every team should have.

Tarvaris Jackson doesn't have chemistry with one single receiver.  Which is OK if you're a running football team like Seattle is.

Seattle likes to spread the ball around and have a good rotation going, instead of putting all the weight on one receiver's shoulders like Detroit or Arizona does. 

The Seahawks receivers are very young and probably couldn't handle the responsibility of being a number one receiver, nor do they have the pure natural ability to do so.

Out of all the receivers on the roster, Sydney Rice looks like he has the most potential to be a number one option, and he will have a chance to earn that role during camp.

A decent No. 1 option will distract a defense which will open up the running game for Marshawn Lynch.

This is definitely not at the top of our to do list this off-season, and I'm not suggesting we trade up for a Justin Blackmon type receiver in this year's 2012 NFL draft.

But going forward, it isn't something Seattle should take lightly, because very few elite teams don't have at least one top-tier receiver.