Doug Baldwin sizzling as Seahawks' receiver

RENTON, Wash. -- Wide receiver Doug Baldwin is putting together one of the best seasons for a receiver in Seattle Seahawks franchise history.

Baldwin caught five passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings on Sunday. Over the last four games, Baldwin has caught 24 passes for 433 yards and six touchdowns. For the season he's caught 55 passes for 778 yards and eight touchdowns, which is already a career-high.

"He's always there to make the play and take advantage of the opportunities. He's playing great football and we love seeing it," head coach Pete Carroll said.

Baldwin is on pace for 1,037 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. He would become just the fifth receiver in franchise history to post a season with at least 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. Joey Galloway (1997, 1998) and Steve Largent (1983, 1984) are the only players to accomplish the feat in a Seattle uniform. He'd be the first receiver with 1,000 yards since Bobby Engram's 1,147 in 2007.

Given that Seattle is typically a run-first offense that doesn't chuck the football with frequency, Baldwin's accomplishment would be particularly noteworthy. He rarely drops the football and makes the most of the limited opportunities he gets in the passing game.

"He's always been a playmaker," Carroll said Monday. "... He's as clear as he's ever been about what it takes and what he's after and how he wants to go about it. It's kind of a natural progression of an athlete emerging and I think it's great we were able to take advantage of it."

-- After being benched against the San Francisco 49ers, Cary Williams' tenure with the Seattle Seahawks was expected to come to an end soon.

Williams was released on Monday after making 10 starts at right cornerback for the Seahawks this season. He signed a three-year, $18 million deal with Seattle this offseason with $7 million guaranteed.

"The return of Jeremy (Lane), he's had a couple games now with us, and the emergence of DeShawn Shead," Carroll said of the reasoning behind the decision. "(Shead's) play has really been good. There's always consideration for special teams and other things that go along with it, but Cary's a good football player and did some good stuff for us and all that, but our guys kind of came back to us and it gave us the opportunity to go to them."

Williams' struggles to pick up Seattle's cornerback technique and his tendency to give up deep passes eventually led the Seahawks to sour on him as a starter. A 36-yard pass allowed to tight end Vance McDonald of the 49ers was the final straw.

Williams followed tight end Garrett Celek up the inside seam while McDonald veered up the sideline behind linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis. Williams should have been the outside deep defender, leaving Celek to Earl Thomas. Instead, McDonald's catch was the biggest gain of the game for the 49ers.

Williams was yanked immediately and never regained his job. He was declared inactive for the last two games as Shead replaced him in the starting lineup.

"We feel more comfortable with the guys that have been with us," Carroll said.

Seattle doesn't save any money by releasing Williams. His 2015 season was fully guaranteed. It just further illustrates the degree of Seattle's feelings on Williams that the Seahawks would release a player they will still be paying for the final four weeks of the season.

They will have to eat $2.3 million in "dead money" in 2016, but the move will save them $3.8 million next season.

Williams had 46 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and four passes defended in his tenure with Seattle. The release of Williams leaves the team with an open spot on their 53-man roster.

--Wide receiver Paul Richardson (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve on Saturday. He missed the first nine games on the physically unable to perform list while recovering from a torn ACL from last January. He appeared in one game and caught one pass for 40 yards, but was injured on the play. His hamstring was not recovering sufficiently enough and the team ended his season on Saturday. "There was uncertainty in the recovery (time)," Carroll said.

--Running back Marshawn Lynch (abdomen) has left Philadelphia after surgery two weeks ago. Carroll said the reports he's received are that Lynch is doing very well, but they aren't in a hurry to rush Lynch back.

--Defensive end Demarcus Dobbs (concussion) did not play Sunday against the Vikings. Carroll said he didn't know if Dobbs would make it back for this week's game against the Baltimore Ravens.

--Defensive tackle Jordan Hill (toe) did not play Sunday against the Vikings. Carroll said he didn't know if Hill would make it back for this week's game against the Baltimore Ravens.