The numbers for Rashid Shaheed from Week 10 through the Super Bowl last season? A meager 4.4 targets, 2.4 catches, 30 yards, and zero touchdowns. Let that sink in, 12s. Our guy, a potential explosive weapon for Sam Darnold and this Mike Macdonald offense, had his volume plummet when he joined the Hawks midseason, and honestly, I’d be stunned if we saw anything near that again as we head into the new season.
The Midseason Plunge: What Happened in the Emerald City?
That 4.4-2.4-30-0 receiving line from Week 10 through the Super Bowl isn’t just low, it’s alarming. Zero touchdowns? For a player with game-breaking speed? Thirty yards a game means he was barely registering on the stat sheet, making him practically invisible. Midseason adjustments are brutal, we all know that. Stepping into an already “humming” offense, as the experts put it, is no easy feat. But these numbers scream “learning curve” and “limited opportunities,” not the dynamic receiver we know Shaheed can be. It wasn’t the kind of production that gets Lumen Field roaring, and it certainly wasn’t what we expected from a player joining our ranks. This wasn’t just a slight dip, it was a drastic reduction in his role, something that absolutely has to change if our offense under coordinator Brian Fleury is going to truly take flight.
The Real Baseline: What Shaheed Really Brings
We need a better baseline, right? The real story of Rashid Shaheed is what he did with the Saints from 2024-2025. Over 15 games, playing alongside Chris Olave, and with injured Derek Carr and Spencer Rattler throwing him the rock, Shaheed was averaging a solid 7.1 targets, 4.3 receptions, 57 yards, and 0.3 touchdowns per game. Now *those* are numbers that get you excited! Compare that 57 yards a game to the paltry 30 he averaged with us, or his nearly twice-as-many targets. That put him at WR38 in yards on WR30 usage in half-PPR leagues, with “obvious spike weeks” for best ball specifically. That’s the kind of consistent, high-upside production we need to see from Shaheed alongside Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp. He proved he can be a legitimate threat even with less-than-ideal QB play, which means his talent isn’t in question, just how we utilized him.
As we head into this NFL season, every snap for Rashid Shaheed matters. With Sam Darnold under center, and Mike Macdonald bringing in a fresh coaching staff, we need to see that Saints production, not the end-of-last-year fade. Can Fleury unlock the real Shaheed? We’ll be watching every single play when our Hawks kick off the season, ready for him to show us what he’s truly capable of. Go Hawks!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply