How Will Percy Harvin Factor Into Seattle Seahawks Offense?

The buzz is building. It’s starting slow and the story won’t be written until Sunday afternoon, but heading into the weekend, the headline has already been penned:

Percy Harvin is returning.

The wild wide out was taken off the Seattle Seahawks’ Physically Unable to Perform list Monday. Harvin, on the shelf since August after undergoing hip surgery to repair a torn labrum, is looking to make his Seahawks debut against his old team, the Minnesota Vikings. In doing so, Percy Harvin is also facing the team that traded him in the off-season, a result of a rumored rift with Minnesota quarterback Christian Ponder. While Harvin sat out, Ponder has struggled and the Vikings’ season has become a lost cause. While both players have downplayed any talk of past problems, everyone loves a little schadenfreude. And for Harvin to come back against his Minnesota, for Percy, it might get personal.

The real question is where Percy Harvin will fit into Seattle’s game plan where the ground game is king. The Seahawks offense boasts the second-most productive running back in the league in Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch, who’s on pace for the fifth 1,000-yard season of his career. And dual-threat quarterback Russell Wilson comes in second on Seattle’s roster and among NFL QBs with 395 yards on the year. So what need does a 9-1 division-leading offense that runs the ball the second-most in the league have for Percy Harvin?

Plenty.

Seattle may drive down the field with the run game and Lynch’s seven rushing touchdowns make him the team’s leading scorer, but twice as many of the Seahawks’ offensive touchdowns come in the air as the do on the ground. Percy Harvin’s speed, hands and elusiveness will make him a welcome addition to this read-option offense and look for him to make immediate contributions. Sure, Harvin’s return will likely be measured and coach Pete Carroll won’t risk running the wheels off of him as he looks to shake off the rust, but believe this: Percy Harvin will have an impact on Sunday’s match-up against the Vikings.

What kind of impact will Percy Harvin have the rest of the season?