Is Robey-Coleman Answer to Seahawks' Nickell Problem?
Bucking league-wide trends, the Seahawks played more base defense with four defensive linemen and three linebackers on the field than any other team in the NFL in 2019.
Largely due to personnel with a linebacker trio featuring perennial All-Pro Bobby Wagner, criminally underrated veteran K.J. Wright, and the versatile Mychal Kendricks, Seattle stayed in its base 4-3 defense 53 percent of defensive snaps. No other team eclipsed 30 percent last season.
Wagner and Wright will both be back in 2020 and the Seahawks remain high on second-year linebacker Cody Barton, but coach Pete Carroll indicated the team will use a "wait and see" approach when it comes to defensive schematics for next year.
"I did this in San Francisco in like 1997 or something like that, after the ‘96 Super Bowl," Carroll said in January. "We played a ton of base versus 11 that year. We played great defense that year. The next year we adjusted a little bit, and it was okay the next year too. Just trying to stay ahead of them and work things out."
More than likely, given the ongoing rise of aerial attacks in the modern NFL, Seattle will want to revert back to playing more nickel defense next season with a fifth defensive back on the field. While Carroll has expressed confidence in second-year cornerback Ugo Amadi and stated publicly the slot cornerback role is "his to lose," they also made it clear they would be seeking competition for him.
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Amadi may ultimately be the answer, but the Seahawks won't just give him the job and would be wise to make a play for a former division rival in Nickell Robey-Coleman, who was recently released by the Rams as part of a roster purge that also included jettisoning running back Todd Gurley and linebacker Clay Matthews.
Though he's unfairly best known for his controversial non-call against the Saints in the 2018 NFC Championship game and remains one of the most despised people in New Orleans, Robey-Coleman quietly emerged as an underrated slot cornerback in Wade Phillips' defense over the past three years.
After being released by the Bills in March 2017, Robey-Coleman latched on with the Rams and produced a career-high 49 tackles, two interceptions, and nine passes defensed. Impressed by his performance the team awarded him with a three-year, $15 million extension.
During their run to a Super Bowl berth in 2018, Robey-Coleman limited opposing receivers to 295 yards and under eight yards per reception on 58 targets. For a second straight season, he earned a grade of 80-plus from Pro Football Focus and he played well in the postseason with three pass deflections.
Robey-Coleman remained a key contributor for the underachieving Rams last season, swatting away seven passes and forcing two fumbles. Even without an interception to his name, he remained effective in coverage out of the slot, but the cap-crunched organization still decided to cut ties with him to create much needed financial relief.
Examining his potential fit in Seattle, the 5-foot-8, 180-pound Robey-Coleman lacks the size or length to play on the outside in Pete Carroll's scheme. He's also not a great tackler, as illustrated by the fact he missed nearly 20 percent of his tackle attempts last season per Pro Football Reference.
However, the Seahawks have been far more flexible with signing and trading for smaller cornerbacks with shorter arms to play the nickel role. After struggling to find a competent replacement for Justin Coleman last year, Robey-Coleman has a lengthy track record of excelling in coverage and would be a clear upgrade in that department.
As with all roster choices made this time of year, money will determine whether or not Robey-Coleman becomes a viable option for Seattle. The front office is still in a holding pattern awaiting Jadeveon Clowney's final decision and currently has less than $18 million in cap space to work with, which has limited the team's ability to be aggressive looking into other players.
But even with Amadi expected to make a leap this year, if Robey-Coleman can be signed for $3-4 million per year or less, he wouldn't cost a potential compensatory pick, he would significantly improve the Seahawks secondary in short-term, and his presence would open the door for Carroll to be more comfortable deploying a nickel defense moving forward.
