Analysis: Is There a Winning Combo in Seahawks' Cornerback Group?
Cornerback has been a hot topic for the Seahawks this offseason. It's a deep group in terms of numbers, but an uncertain one from a production and experience perspective. Such is the nature of losing both of your 2020 Week 1 starters in free agency, with Shaquill Griffin landing a nice payday with the Jaguars and Quinton Dunbar getting a prove-it deal from the Lions.
Seattle has 10 cornerbacks listed on its roster and another three defensive backs who can play the position (Ugo Amadi, Ryan Neal and Jordan Miller). Of the 10, six were either drafted or signed by the Seahawks this past offseason. And of the four carryovers, only two played meaningful snaps at corner in 2020 (D.J. Reed and Tre Flowers).
As the battle for spots on the 53-man roster play out over the summer, it'll be interesting to see if the Seahawks can mix and match a perfect pair in the starting lineup. Certainly, they're not short of options to find out.
After breaking out in the second half of the 2020 season, Reed appears to be all but a lock to start at one of the outside spots in Week 1. That leaves Ahkello Witherspoon, Tre Brown, Flowers, Pierre Desir and Damarious Randall with the best odds of starting opposite him, possibly in that order.
Though the Seahawks are very high on Brown, it remains to be seen just how relaxed their cornerback size preferences are now. Thanks to the revelation of Reed, they've taken a step back from their 32-inch arms, six-foot or taller mold on the outside, but would their change-of-heart extend to starting two 5-foot-9 players at once? Cue the L.A. Noire 'doubt' meme.
Length is something the Seahawks and—more specifically—coach Pete Carroll still want; that's not just going to go away. Are they more open-minded now? Sure, but shorter corners must play big in order for them to make the exception. Brown certainly did in college while covering some of the best receivers in the nation, but even going from that to the NFL is quite the shift and could take him time to get settled into.
So if length trumps all in this battle, you're looking at the trio of Witherspoon (6-foot-3, 33-inch arms), Flowers (6-foot-3, 33 7/8-inch arms) and Desir (6-foot-1, 33-inch arms) as the lead dogs. Flowers has been inconsistent but has started 37 games in his first three seasons and has something to prove heading into the final year of his rookie contract. Desir has the most starting experience out of the three with 44, though he's struggled in his last two seasons and has the most ground to gain. Witherspoon won't get the job by default, but he's got the longest leash after signing a one-year deal with Seattle shortly after Griffin inked his deal with Jacksonville. Health and consistency—or lack thereof—have been major issues in Witherspoon's first four years; however, he's shown an ability to hang with the best pass catchers in the game, most recently playing well against DK Metcalf as a member of the 49ers this past January.
Which one complements Reed and Seattle's Pro Bowl safety group the best? Perhaps it's Witherspoon, who's proven unafraid of being physical with receivers and trusting his safeties. Despite his woes up to this point, he arguably has the most upside out of the three and isn't any more or less controllable than Flowers; both are set to be free agents in 2022.
But it's likely the mix and matching goes well into the season. Many of the names in this group either present a track record with moderate to solid success or have a relatively high ceiling. Perhaps the Seahawks are unsure if they have a well-rounded corner in their midst right now, but believe there are one or two things each corner excels at. That should particularly ring true on the inside, with Amadi, Neal and Marquise Blair possibly rotating in and out of nickel and dime packages.
It's possible this is all leading up to the rookie Brown securing a starting role at some point in the year. But will the Seahawks truly break tradition? To be fair, there are no guarantees the 5-foot-9 Reed will still be the other outside starter at that point, so perhaps this question becomes irrelevant.
It's imperative the Seahawks connect the dots before it's too late, however. After all, as injuries struck and Seattle failed to generate consistent pressure against opposing quarterbacks in the first half of 2020, its defense struggled at a historic rate. But with a replenished group of pass rushers, some of that weight should be lifted off the secondary in 2021.
Nevertheless, in its current state, it's easy to envision a reality in which this group becomes the team's biggest weakness. There's a lot of potential in this group, but potential goes both ways. And while there are certainly positives to find in each player, the question remains: are there two corners here who can help take this team where it needs to go?
