Seahawks Bring Back Veteran CB Pierre Desir

Adding another veteran with starting experience to the mix at cornerback, Desir will have a chance to resurrect his career in Seattle playing in a scheme catered well to his strengths.

Seeking additional depth at outside cornerback, the Seahawks will be bringing back a familiar face in veteran Pierre Desir.

According to Enter Sports Management, Desir's agency, the 30-year old defender has agreed to terms with Seattle on a one-year deal. Financial terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed.

Originally entering the league as a fourth-round pick for Cleveland in 2014 coming out of Division II Lindenwood College, Desir has bounced around with six teams in six NFL seasons. After brief stints with the Browns and Chargers, he performed well during training camp and the preseason with the Seahawks back in 2017, but the team surprisingly released him and he was claimed off waivers by the Colts.

The 6-foot-1, 198-pound Desir enjoyed his best seasons in Indianapolis, emerging as a starter midway through the 2017 campaign and producing seven passes defensed and an interception in seven games. The following season, he set a new career-high with 79 tackles and two forced fumbles while allowing only 54.2 percent of targets against him to be completed and earning a 77.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

But while Desir picked off three passes and produced 11 passes defensed for the Colts in 2019, his overall performance slipped in many aspects. Opposing quarterbacks posted a 100.2 passer rating and threw five touchdowns when targeting him in coverage and he missed eight tackles, leading to his release after the season to create more than $6 million in cap space.

Desir quickly found work with the Jets and unfortunately continued to struggle, allowing a pair of touchdown receptions in the season opener. He did produce three interceptions in just eight games, but once again allowed five touchdowns in coverage before being released in November. He appeared in one game for the Ravens later in the season.

Given his recent decline in performance, Desir hasn't had much of a market in free agency. But he offers the size and length Seattle prefers at the outside cornerback position and having already spent time with the organization in the past, he won't need to be taught coach Pete Carroll's kick-step technique from scratch.

Assuming he's able to hit the ground running, Desir presents yet another low-risk, potentially high-reward signing on a one-year "prove it" deal. If he's able to recapture how he performed from 2017 to 2018 in a scheme well-suited for his strengths, he could have a legitimate chance to compete for playing time against Ahkello Witherspoon, D.J. Reed, and Tre Flowers in training camp.