Through two preseason games, it has become clear the Seattle Seahawks have a rather interesting potential weapon on their roster. In April, the Seahawks brought wide receiver/return specialist Laviska Shenault Jr. on board when they signed him to a one-year deal.
During the preseason, Shenault has found his way onto the field far more often than I had anticipated. Against the Chargers and Titans, he has caught five balls thrown his way for 58 yards. In both games, Shenault has rushed the ball once for five yards as well. During the preseason debut in Los Angeles, Shenault memorably took a kick return 44 yards.
All this activity has led Shenault to dubbing himself a new nickname:
“The YAC Man.”
New #Seahawks WR/KR Laviska Shenault says he chose to sign with Seattle this offseason after Washington wanted to make him a running back.
Says he will only do that when it’s his time, when he decides to.
Says his role in Ryan Grubb’s new offense is “YAC man.” @thenewstribune pic.twitter.com/71UNz7faKx
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) August 20, 2024
For those who may not be familiar with the term, YAC stands for “yards after catch.” Seattle has used Shenault primarily on hand offs and bubble screens, giving Shenailt an opportunity to get the ball quickly and cut him loose.
Given the depth at wide reciever with DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Jake Bobo, having a unique player like Shenault to take on a more unusual role could help give this offense another dynamic edge.
The Seahawks have one final preseason game, this Saturday at 7:00 pm Pacific at Lumen Field. Given how much playing time Shenault has seen so far, I think it is safe to assume we’ll see the YAC Man once more on Saturday.
(Side note, the only way I read “YAC Man” is in the same way as Scatman John claiming he’s the Scatman)
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