Seattle Seahawks: After Surviving Roster Cuts, WR Braylon Edwards Poised to Bring Big-Play Ability to Seahawks Offense

By Kris Knox
Senior Writer

Like the other 31 NFL teams, the Seattle Seahawks released 22 players on Friday, on their way to meeting the mandatory 53-man roster limit.

Wide receiver Braylon Edwards was not among the players released.

When the Seahawks decided to take a chance on the free agent receiver a little over a month ago, Edwards appeared to be a long shot to make the regular season roster.

Edwards battled through injuries last season with the San Francisco 49ers, his third NFL team in the last three years, and was released from the team prior to the postseason.

Before that Edwards struggled with inconsistencies (his lone 1,000-yard receiving season came in 2007 with the Browns) and attitude issues, resulting in the former No. 3 overall draft pick drawing little interest on the open market.

However, it appears that Seattle’s gamble is going to net them a starting wideout and legitimate deep threat for rookie quarterback Russell Wilson.

Edwards was not Seattle’s most consistent receiver during preseason, but his big-play ability was on full display as the eight-year veteran totaled 83 yards and a touchdown on just three receptions for an impressive 27.7 yards per catch average. Apparently, the Seahawks saw enough, as Edwards beat out wide receivers Terrell Owens, Ricardo Lockette, Kris Durham and Deon Butler to find a home on the 53-man roster.

Edwards is a safe bet to see significant playing time in Seattle’s season opener on Sept. 9 against the Arizona Cardinals. While he is currently listed behind Golden Tate on the team’s depth chart, Edwards’ ability to stretch the defense may land him a starting role at kickoff.

Seattle’s other receivers–including Tate, Sydney Rice and an injured Doug Baldwin–simply do not create the matchup problems that Edwards can. At 6’3″ and 214 pounds, Edwards has the size to win most one-on-one matchups and the straight-line speed to blow past safety coverage.

If Edwards can find a way to corral his penchant for dropped passes and perform the part of team-player throughout the season, the Seahawks may very well have found a legitimate playmaker for their receiving corps.

Wilson appears more than capable of leading Seattle’s aerial assault and the Seahawks may field one of the NFC’s more underrated offenses in 2012.

With a dominant running game and productive defense already in place, Seattle’s new-look passing attack may be the final piece of the puzzle as the Seahawks push to challenge the 49ers for NFC West dominance.

Follow Kris on Twitter: @Kris_Knox

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