That was reflected in ESPN writer Bill Barnwell<\/a>\u2018s annual offensive playmaker rankings<\/a>, which tabbed the Seahawks\u2019 collective group of wide receivers, running backs and tight ends at No. 19 out of 32 teams.<\/p>\n During an appearance Tuesday on Seattle Sports\u2019 Bump and Stacy, Barnwell said that middle-of-the-pack ranking is indicative of a Seahawks skill-position group that features both upside and question marks.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hopeful, but also skeptical, which probably reflects about a 19th-place finish,\u201d Barnwell said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The Kupp question<\/p>\n That mix of hope and skepticism centers in large part on 32-year-old wide receiver Cooper Kupp<\/a>, who signed a three-year deal with the Seahawks in March after they traded away star wideout DK Metcalf.<\/p>\n Kupp racked up 7,776 receiving yards and 57 touchdown catches during his standout eight-year run with the Los Angeles Rams \u2013 including an astounding 1,947-yard season in 2021, when he finished with the second-most receiving yards in a single season in NFL history.<\/p>\n But since that historic 2021 campaign, injuries have limited Kupp to just 33 of 51 games over the past three seasons. And while Kupp averaged a spectacular 90.2 receiving yards per game in 2022, his per-game average plummeted to just 61.4 yards in 2023 and 59.2 in 2024 \u2013 which were two of the three lowest averages of his career.<\/p>\n \u201cCooper Kupp was a true No. 1, upper-echelon, elite-of-elite receiver as recently as two years ago,\u201d Barnwell said. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s not like he\u2019s that far removed from that point of his career. But he\u2019s been injured off and on, and I think it\u2019s hard to sort of gauge where he\u2019s at.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I\u2019m trying to project this, I\u2019m looking at talent, but I\u2019m also looking at the injuries and what are the chances that this guy\u2019s going to be healthy for 17 games.\u201d<\/p>\n What about K9?<\/p>\n Another big question for the Seahawks is whether running back Kenneth Walker III can bounce back<\/a> in new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak\u2019s wide-zone scheme.<\/p>\n Walker flashed dazzling talent over his first two seasons, rushing for 1,050 yards as a rookie in 2022 and 905 yards in 2023. But last fall, he struggled with injuries and ran for just 573 yards in 11 games behind Seattle\u2019s subpar offensive line. Walker\u2019s yards per carry also declined, falling from 4.6 and 4.1 over his first two seasons to just 3.7 last year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen Kenneth Walker do it for stretches,\u201d Barnwell said. \u201cHe obviously has incredible big-play ability. But he hasn\u2019t been consistent. I think you\u2019re looking at a guy who\u2019s sort of a boom-or-bust runner, which is fine, but you have to boom. And he hasn\u2019t boomed as much as I might like the past couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n Listen to the full conversation with Bill Barnwell at this link<\/a> or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.<\/p>\n Seattle Seahawks news and analysis<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Seattle Seahawks at center of fascinating NFL rookie contract situation<\/a>
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