Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson called Doug Baldwin “one of a kind” after the veteran retired this offseason and head coach Pete Carroll seems to agree with that assessment.
Carroll said the Seahawks “won’t ever replace” Baldwin, but they are getting ready for another season and Baldwin’s retirement means others will have to step up at receiver. The team is looking to Tyler Lockett as their new No. 1 wideout, which Carroll said is a role “you kind of grow into” over time.
The coach said he’s seen signs that Lockett is making that growth and the wideout said lessons he learned from Baldwin are helping him with that process.
“The biggest thing that I learned when it comes to Doug is you have to be yourself,” Lockett said, via the team’s website. “I have to be able to understand who I am as a leader and what I bring to the team as a leader. The things that he brought, I was able to learn from that and I was able to see that. But he also taught me how to be myself, because if I can’t be myself, everybody else won’t be able to accept the message that I’m trying to allow them to be able to receive. So I have to be able to speak from a willing heart.”
Lockett led the team with 57 catches, 965 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, so the on-field transition may not wind up being as big as the one he’s being asked to make in the locker room.