Deon

Butler

Taking over as the No. 1 receiver with Sidney Rice out, Golden Tate easily led the way among Seattle wideouts with 51 snaps. Per Pro Football Focus, the rest of the snap counts are as follows: Big Mike Williams 27, Doug Baldwin 12, and Deon Butler 10. Tate is the only one worth carrying in standard-scoring leagues right now.

It’s Tate, not rookie Doug Baldwin (29 snaps), who is Seattle’s No. 1 receiver with Sidney Rice out. Ben Obomanu played 40 snaps while fourth receiver Deon Butler managed just 14. A tough matchup awaits in Week 16 against the 49ers defense.

Active for just the second time since coming off the PUP list on November 8, the grab was Butler’s first catch of the season. Under contract for only $565,000 in 2012, the former third-round pick should get a chance to earn a roster spot in camp.

Butler has been practicing for three weeks, and Tuesday is the deadline to activate players from the PUP list. Now 11 months removed from his gruesome leg injury, Butler will be no higher than fifth or six on the depth chart the rest of the way.

The injury isn’t considered serious. After Baldwin impressed with 788 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie, the slot job is still his. Deon Butler has been getting the first-team slot reps in the meantime.

Tate is practicing fully now after missing OTAs due to a broken hand. He says the light bulb has gone on as he enters his third season and he only has to beat out the likes of Ben Obomanu and Deon Butler for the starting job opposite Sidney Rice. Doug Baldwin is locked into the slot. Tate started the final five games of last season, catching 19 balls for 209 yards and a touchdown. Beat writers noted that Tate has begun “toying with” cornerbacks early in camp.

Beat writer Danny O’Neill believes Sidney Rice, Doug Baldwin and Golden Tate are the only sure things in Seattle’s receiver corps, and that Williams, Obomanu and Butler will be competing with the likes of 2011 fourth-round pick Kris Durham and Ricardo Lockette. Questionable for the beginning of camp as he recovers from his leg and ankle breaks, BMW’s roster spot is likely in grave danger.

The 2009 third-rounder entered the league as a situational deep threat, but he’s been running as the first-team slot receiver with Doug Baldwin (hamstring) sidelined. With Sidney Rice, Golden Tate, Braylon Edwards and Ben Obomanu likely locked in at receiver, Butler isn’t yet assured of a roster spot.

Butler was a third-round pick in 2009, but hasn’t been the same since suffering a compound leg fracture in 2010. Bradford was unable to make the transition from tailback. Portis was a favorite of coach Pete Carroll, but the team will go with only two quarterbacks.

It’s Butler’s first workout since he was cut loose by the Seahawks. A 2009 third-round pick, injury limited Butler to five games and six catches last season. He’d be a pure depth signing for the Saints. In addition to Butler, the Saints worked out Jason Hill, Preston Parker, Brian Robiskie and Rashied Davis.