Seahawks Offseason Profile: Marquise Blair
After Seattle acquired a pair of picks (No. 47 and No. 77) from Carolina in exchange for the 37th overall selection during the 2019 NFL Draft, the team selected Utah’s Marquise Blair with their first of two picks in the second round.
While Blair was limited to a special teams role throughout the majority of this past season, the 6-foot-1 safety performed well when he was given a chance to start in the secondary replacing an injured Bradley McDougald.
Let’s revisit some of the good and the bad from Blair’s rookie campaign, along with a prediction of how next season may play out for him as he enters his sophomore season.
What Went Right
Even though Blair didn’t receive a defensive snap until Week 3, he remained patient while waiting for his opportunity to showcase his talents off to Seattle’s coaching staff.
Luckily, the 22-year old finally earned his chance to start in a game when McDougald was forced to take a back seat while he recovered from back spasms. While the eight-year pro only sat out two games, the Seahawks were very impressed with the young safety’s performance in his stead during Weeks 7 and 8.
In total, Blair started at strong safety in both games and produced 17 total tackles, 12 solo tackles, one pass deflection, and induced one forced fumble as well.
Following this impressive performance, Seattle awarded the former second-round pick with an opportunity to start at the free safety position during the team’s Week 9 matchup against Tampa Bay. Despite struggling in pass coverage at times, the youngster was able to add four more tackles to his resume.
Once safety Quandre Diggs took over the starting role in Week 10, Blair returned to Seattle’s special teams unit during the second half of the season. However, the former Utah product was involved in a key play during the Week 17 NFC West title game against San Francisco.
Despite receiving just five defensive snaps, Blair prevented the 49ers from scoring their second touchdown of the first half, forcing them to settle for a field goal and extending their lead to 13-0.
With receiver Deebo Samuel completing a 10-yard reception on third down, he headed towards the end zone but was tackled just short of the yard marker by the Seahawks’ safety. In addition, Blair also created a fumble with his explosive hit, nearly allowing teammate Tre Flowers to recover the loose ball for a turnover.
What Went Wrong
While Blair was able to dish out a few spectacular hits in limited playing time - 230 defensive snaps to be exact - his struggles in pass coverage will likely prevented him from seeing further action during his rookie season.
Blair, an Ohio native, was targeted just 17 times but still allowed 11 receptions (64.7 percent completion percentage) for 128 yards, two touchdowns, and a 126.6 passer rating. This undoubtedly made it tougher for him to receive additional defensive snaps.
Along with Blair’s woes in coverage, he also struggled with missed tackles when given the opportunity to play. As a result, the young safety racked up four missed tackles in 2019, sixth-most among all Seattle defensive backs, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.
While the rookie safety wasn’t plagued by penalties this past season, he did commit two false start infractions in Week 16 during the same quarter. Unfortunately, both these flags provided Arizona with quality starting field position and ultimately helped the Cardinals score 10 points in the second quarter.
With Blair’s first false start penalty, he pushed the Seahawks back to their own eight-yard line, preventing punter Michael Dickson from moving the ball past midfield. Following his second infraction, the Cardinals were able to return the football just a few yards short of the 50-yard line, leading to their 22-yard field goal before halftime.
2020 Outlook
Without a clear role on defense next season, Blair will undoubtedly be forced to compete for playing time once again as he attempts to find a spot within a fully stocked secondary.
Unless Diggs or McDougald suffer an injury in 2020, there’s a very good chance Blair will spend the majority of his sophomore season on Seattle’s special teams squad as he did last year. He will have an uphill battle to playing time with two established starters in front of him.
In comparison to Blair’s rookie season, there have been 15 other safeties that have produced at least 32 total tackles, 24 solo tackles, two forced fumbles, and one pass deflection during their first season in the league.
Among the names listed above, Budda Baker, Bryan Scott, Sean Taylor, Roy Williams, Ken Hamlin, Greg Wesley, Keanu Neal, and Nick Collins were all able to generate at least 50 total tackles, 40 solo tackles, and one forced fumble during their second seasons in the NFL.
Based on this sample size, if given more opportunities to contribute, Blair should have a good chance at improving his overall production next season.
With McDougald set to enter the free agent market next spring, Blair could take over as the starting strong safety by 2021 and it's not out of the question he could push for snaps this year. But before that happens, he’ll need to continue working towards taking the next step in his development and mastering the playbook to earn the trust of the Seahawks coaching staff.
