MVS will be Seattle Seahawks' explosive-play threat

Marquez Valdes-Scantling enters training camp as the No. 3 wide receiver on the Seattle Seahawks’ depth chart, behind the more productive Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp.

But when it comes to big plays down the field, the speedy, 6-foot-4 Valdes-Scantling figures to be Seattle’s go-to target.

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Since entering the NFL in 2018, Valdes-Scantling has five touchdown receptions of 70-plus yards – which is third-most in the league over that span, according to Stathead. The only receivers with more are superstars Tyreek Hill and Ja’Marr Chase, who each have six.

Valdes-Scantling also has 11 career touchdown catches of at least 40 yards, which is tied for fifth-most in the league since 2018.

Buoyed by his slew of long scoring plays, Valdes-Scantling has averaged a gaudy 17.4 yards per reception over his seven-year career with the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints. That’s the highest such average among all active receivers with at least 200 receptions over that span.

“I think the bigger plays in the pass game this year are going to be made by MVS,” former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus said during the Four Down Territory segment on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. “He’s gonna be the sniper in this whole deal – the big-play guy.”

.@AaronRodgers12 lets it fly to Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 78-yard @packers touchdown! @MVS__11 #GoPackGo

📺: #JAXvsGB on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/6yCTrUNGY8 pic.twitter.com/9Tb7gTNcKl

— NFL (@NFL) November 15, 2020

Valdes-Scantling’s most productive seasons were a 690-yard campaign with the Packers in 2020 and a 687-yard campaign with the Chiefs in 2022. He was clocked at a blazing 22.09 mph during one particular reception in 2022, which was the second-fastest speed of any ball carrier that season, according to Next Gen Stats.

Over the first half of last season, Valdes-Scantling struggled to find his footing with the Bills, recording just two catches in six games before he was released.

But after signing with the Saints in October, Valdes-Scantling experienced one of the most explosive stretches in his career. He had 17 catches for 385 yards and four touchdowns in eight games with New Orleans, while averaging a career-high 21.6 yards per catch.

And that second-half surge came under then-Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who is now Seattle’s OC.

From watching the Seahawks’ first few training camp practices, Bumpus likes what he’s seen from the 30-year-old Valdes-Scantling.

“He’s still fast,” Bumpus said. “… He looks good out there. So yes, I think that Cooper Kupp might be better when it comes to yards after the catch. I think that’s more of his game. (Kupp’s) bigger plays, those are all yards after the catch.

“But I’m talking about bombs – throwing that thing deep over the top. I think MVS will, and should, be the leader when it comes to that.”

Listen to the full Four Down Territory segment at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune into Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

MVS will be Seattle Seahawks’ explosive-play threat

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