Chris

Matthews

We don’t post every futures signing, but this one caught our eye because Seattle gave Matthews a $10,000 signing bonus. Few futures players get guaranteed money. Matthews, 24, earned the CFL’s Rookie of the Year award in 2012, posting an 81-1,192-7 line for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He missed most of last season with back and turf-toe injuries. Matthews played college ball at Kentucky and ran a 4.57 forty at 6'5/218 at the Wildcats’ 2011 Pro Day.

He was an exclusive rights free agent. Matthews spent all of last season on injured reserve. The Ravens need bodies at receiver after losing Steve Smith Sr. (retirement) and Kamar Aiken (signed with Indianapolis), but Matthews won’t be a difference-maker.

Despite his Super Bowl heroics, Matthews is still clearly behind Jimmy Graham, Jermaine Kearse and Doug Baldwin on the target totem pole, and he could find himself behind rookie Tyler Lockett as well. At 6-foot-5, Matthews could be a good fit for the outside receiver role occupied by Kearse, but he will need a very strong training camp to earn a significant role early in the season.

He was behind Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Tyler Lockett, and Ricardo Lockette in the pecking order. Matthews’ role should eventually grow, but he may need an injury to Baldwin, Kearse, or Lockett to have a shot at significant week-to-week targets. Matthews missed much of camp with a shoulder injury.

He seems to be mixing into three-receiver sets with Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse. Matthews, of course, came out of almost-literally nowhere to star in Seattle’s Super Bowl loss to New England, catching four balls for 109 yards and a touchdown on just 17 offensive snaps. In an ideal world, 25-year-old Matthews would unseat Kearse as the Seahawks’ starting Z receiver.

Matthews’ Super Bowl outburst was a high, but it sounds like he’s had plenty of lows as well. “I just want to see him show up every day,” Bevell said. “And that’s what I talk to him about every day. We don’t want to have a situation where we come out here and he has one good day and then he disappears for two or three and then, ‘Oh, there he is again, he’s out here.’” Matthews looks like the No. 4 wide receiver right now, behind Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Tyler Lockett.

Matthews was running as Seattle’s No. 3 wideout before spraining an AC joint in the preseason opener. His absence amounted to more first-team offensive reps for impressive rookie Tyler Lockett. It’s now unclear whether Matthews will have a role on offense when the regular season begins.

The grade of the sprain is unknown, but coach Pete Carroll speculated it could sideline Matthews 10-14 days. He should be ready to go by Week 1. Matthews mixed in the first-team offense before going down.

The Super Bowl star mixed in with the first-team offense to open the game. Matthews got hurt working as a gunner on the punt team with all of the backups in. Matthews was down for a minute or two, then was assisted off the field by trainers. He appeared frustrated making his way to the locker room.

Matthews came out of nowhere to post a 4/109/1 in last February’s Super Bowl, but managed only four grabs through Seattle’s first nine games. That’s despite being active for all nine games. Although Matthews has an imposing 6-foot-5, 218-pound frame, he’s now a fifth-year UDFA with four career regular season grabs. He’s just about out of the league.