The Seattle Seahawks, for the first time since the 2015 season, may finally have a player regularly returning kicks that isn’t named Tyler Lockett.
Lockett has not returned in either of the last two games, although a lingering leg injury and a bout with the flu are certainly two big factors.
However – the Seahawks strongly indicated during the offseason that they’d like to take Lockett away from his special teams duties, allowing him to focus on being the team’s number one receiver while also preventing him from getting hurt.
His two weeks off may have finally given Seattle that chance, as rookie Travis Homer stepped up in a big way as a kick returner.
Coach Pete Carroll raved about Homer’s performance as a return-man the past few weeks, and specifically cited his style of running as the reason they wanted to put him back there.
“He is such an attack runner,” Carroll said on Wednesday. “It’s a really big factor when you return kickoffs that you get out and get going right away. He’s a burst runner just as you guys saw him. He has a real style about him in that regard. He’s really tough. He’s a guy that we have trusted so much. He’s the personal protector for the punt team as a rookie because he’s so diligent about his work and it means so much to him. We just figured that he would have the right make up to do a good, solid job back there. He’s been really sharp, really consistent the first few shots he’s had.”
Lockett is expected to be fully healed and recovered from the flu in time for Seattle’s Sunday night matchup with the Rams in Los Angeles, but as of now it is not clear if he will return to his normal kick return duties – especially after Homer’s recent successes.
