Seahawks 2021 Offseason Position Preview: Cornerback

Through the first half of the 2020 NFL season, the Seahawks were historically bad in pass coverage. Over that time, opponents averaged 362.1 passing yards per game against Seattle—by far the worst total in the league. Once they got healthier and were able to develop a more consistent pass-rush up front, however, no team passed for 300 or more yards in a game against them, including playoffs.

Vast improvement aside, that wave of momentum may hit a barrier this offseason. While the Seahawks have identified a future starter in D.J. Reed, two of their starting cornerbacks in 2020, Quinton Dunbar and Shaquill Griffin, will become unrestricted free agents in March. Whether it’s bringing their guys back, looking elsewhere in free agency, drafting and developing a young corner, or some combination of the three, cornerback is going to be one of the busier spots for Seattle to address over the coming months.

What We Know

With Reed all but a lock to start at a corner spot for the Seahawks in 2021, they only have one hole to fill at the position. They’re solid for depth with Tre Flowers, Ugo Amadi, and Linden Stephens officially under contract and also have Gavin Heslop and Jordan Miller signed to future deals. They should also have no issue retaining exclusive rights free agents Ryan Neal (who’s more of a safety, to be fair) and Jayson Stanley.

If Seattle isn’t able to do much at corner this offseason, they could do far worse than starting Flowers opposite Reed; however, it’s not the most ideal scenario as the former safety convert has been incredibly inconsistent through his first three seasons in the NFL. To avoid this, bringing Griffin back would seem to be the most obvious choice on paper.

While Griffin has been an average starting corner for most of his career, there’s expected to be a solid market for him next month. The Seahawks are going to have interest, but with their current salary cap limitations there may only be a certain dollar figure they’re willing to go to and it may ultimately fall well short of what Griffin sees elsewhere.

As a potentially cheaper retention option, Seattle could look to Dunbar. The University of Florida alum had a disappointing season after the Seahawks traded a fifth-round selection to Washington to acquire him, often appearing on the injury report with a knee issue before finally going on injured reserve in November. The fact that he was able to play at all in 2020 was a surprise, however, but not because of his knee. Arrested on suspicion of armed robbery along with then Giants cornerback Deandre Baker back in May, Dunbar wound up on the commissioner’s exempt list until early August, giving him a late start to camp.

While Dunbar was not charged, there’s still the question of how much his legal issues impacted his standing with the Seahawks. The team did not release him upon his arrest, nor after evidence tied to a bribery of the witnesses came to light.

In addition to Griffin and Dunbar, longtime special teams captain Neiko Thorpe is also heading to free agency. Thorpe, who just turned 31 on February 1, has spent three separate stints on injured reserve over the past two seasons.

What We Don’t Know

How serious are the Seahawks about their pursuit to retain Griffin? If the market plays out for him as expected, it’s hard to imagine Seattle taking up precious salary cap space to hold on to a player who’s flashed at times but is more middle-of-the-pack in the current cornerback hierarchy when they have several other pressing needs along their roster.

Has Seattle truly shifted its mindset in regards to evaluating cornerback talent? Head coach Pete Carroll has said that the rise of the 5-foot-9 Reed has made him rethink his stubbornness when it comes to corners that fall under 5-foot-10 with less than 32-inch arms. Anyone under those marks have virtually been disregarded by Carroll and general manager John Schneider over their decade-plus in Seattle, but that appears to be changing. If so, anything is on the table in free agency and April’s draft.

What to Expect

As alluded to, while it’s not entirely impossible, it feels unlikely the Seahawks reunite with Griffin this offseason. With Flowers and Reed both unrestricted free agents in 2022, drafting and developing a long-term option with one of their higher picks seems like the best play here.

Expect whoever starts opposite Reed in 2021 to be more in line with the prototypical corner Seahawks fans have grown accustomed to over the years. Even with their apparent shift in philosophy regarding corner measureables, starting two “undersized” players at the position is just too much of a drastic change to realistically wrap one’s head around. Perhaps this starter will be Dunbar, or even Griffin; maybe it’s someone like 49ers free agent Ahkello Witherspoon, whom the Seahawks are very familiar with.

No matter who it is though, there is going to be significant movement in the Seahawks’ cornerback group. But there is cause for concern that the potential loss of continuity could hurt the progress the unit made in the second half of 2020. How they replenish the position, if so, will be one of the more interesting storylines to follow this spring.