Can Seahawks CB Shaquill Griffin Achieve Elite Status in 2020?
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the upcoming 2020 season is still slated to begin on schedule, at least for now. Heading into his fourth year, Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin is facing a pivotal campaign, as the 25-year old is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next March.
Considering his impending free agency, Griffin will be looking to take another giant leap forward with his development and hopefully earn shutdown corner status during his fourth season in the Pacific Northwest. While accomplishing this feat won’t come easy, the UCF standout has displayed multiple times that he hasn’t reached his ceiling just yet.
Heading into the 2018 campaign, the 6-foot cornerback camo to training camp too heavy and failed to play up to his expectations in his second season with the Seahawks. Following the disappointing sophomore campaign, the former third-round selection made a conscious effort to improve his stamina and strength during the 2019 offseason.
As a result of these adjustments, Griffin was able to shed 12 pounds during his time off, allowing him to play quicker and stronger through all four quarters last season. Additionally, the emerging star displayed an increased level of maturity and improved his leadership traits on and off the field.
On the field, the former Knight started in 14 regular season games and produced 65 total tackles (career-high), 13 pass deflections (tied for eighth-most among all cornerbacks in the league), along with two tackles for loss, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com. In coverage, he lowered his completion percentage against by 9.2 percent, his yards per catch by a full yard, his passer rating against by 7.5 points, and allowed one fewer touchdown as well.
Despite these encouraging results, Griffin still has a few holes in his game that need to be corrected before being considered as one of the league’s most elite cornerbacks. While a pair of untimely penalties wiped out two interception opportunities in 2019, the Florida native still failed to record a single interception and must become more aggressive this season to help increase his turnover totals.
Along with needing to get his hands on the football more frequently, Griffin will also need to continue improving in coverage in 2020. Despite making positive strides in 2019, he still surrendered too many touchdowns (four) and a considerably high passer rating (97.3).
Entering his fourth season in the league, Griffin must also maintain his impressive tackling metrics in 2020 – he is one of just 12 cornerbacks who produced at least 180 total tackles and 150 solo tackles through their first three seasons in the league since 2010.
Without OTAs, minicamp, and any preseason games this summer, it’ll likely become much harder for any player to make improvements to their craft in 2020. With that said, Griffin has expressed his desire to become a superstar in previous seasons and he’s certainly aware of how this upcoming season could determine his potential future in Seattle.
If the speedy cornerback can make these adjustments and stay healthy this season, then he could earn another trip to the Pro Bowl and potentially set himself up for a lucrative contract next spring. Even though there’s a chance he could depart in 2021, an elite performance from Griffin would likely increase the Seahawks’ chances of returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015.
