Replacing Burleson

Well, the other shoe dropped today and the Seahawks will have to do without (another) one of their starting wide receivers and best punt returner, Nate Burleson, for the rest of the season. This is going to hurt most over the next two games, before either Engram or Branch return, as Hasselbeck will be without a single receiver that he really trusts to catch the ball. To get a sense for how bad the situation is, I would guess either Will Heller or Leonard Weaver is Hasselbeck's most trusted target. Ouch.

So, now the Seahawks have to find a replacement for Burleson which, unlike the fill-ins for Engram and Branch, will be permanent. Now the injury to Obomanu really hurts, because he would be probably have been the top candidate for Burleson's spot, and he has real game experience and some amount of rapport with Hasselbeck. But, we move on.

I don't know of any free agents available, other than Joe Horn (who I want no part of in a Seahawk uniform), so I'm just going to consider internal replacements. The Seahawks have four receivers between the 53-man roster and the practice squad. Their preseason stats are as follows: 4 receptions for 39 yards, 8 rec./82 yards, 8 rec./133 yards, 11 rec./128 yards. Which receivers had which stats? Taylor, Payne, Bumpus, and Kent, in that order. Stats don't reveal the full picture, but I can't help but point out how little Courtney Taylor, the one current starter, has done.

I was especially bothered by how little I saw Kent in Sunday's game (no catches, and I can't remember seeing him lined up as a receiver). I know it was the preseason, but Kent was an absolute stud, and showed way more than any other receiver. Why wasn't he used on Sunday? I haven't seen any reports of him being hurt. Does Holmgren not trust him? I can't imagine Hasselbeck has any less trust in him than any of the other young receivers.

When Engram went down, Kent wasn't mentioned as a possible replacement because he was being groomed to back up just one receiver position - Burleson's. In fact, there was talk of Burleson temporarily playing slot and Kent moving into Burleson's spot until Engram came back. Furthermore, no other young receiver was being groomed at Burleson's position (sorry, I always get flanker and split-end mixed up and I can't remember which one Burleson plays...). So, now that Burleson is down, that means Kent moves into his starting spot, right? Right?

I want to see Kent play. Unlike the coaches' darling Taylor, Kent looks like a gamer, and he noticeably improves with every game. Imagine where he could be towards the end of the season? This should be a no brainer.

Of course, with Burleson leaving the roster, a new receiver is going to have to be added. Furthermore, with Kent and Taylor filling the two outside spots what's needed is a slot receiver. Payne could fill that role, but I'd just as soon see Bumpus signed off the practice squad. I'll grant that Bumpus's production in the preseason should be treated with a bit more skepticism than, say, Kent's, but at least he had a full off season to learn the offense, which is more than can be said about any free agent that could be brought in. The only reason I could see for not bringing Bumpus up is if the Seahawks want to keep him 'hidden' for a year before giving him a real shot to make the roster next year.

I imagine Carlson or Putzier could play out of the slot as well, but that alone won't solve the numbers problem with receiver. My vote is in: Kent and Bumpus.