Seahawks CBs Training Camp Preview: Bold Predictions, Projected Depth Chart
RENTON, Wash. - For more than half a decade, the Seahawks dominated in the NFC in large part due to the impact of the renowned "Legion of Boom" defense headlined by cornerback Richard Sherman and safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas.
Since Sherman's unceremonious departure after the 2017 season played a part in the rapid dismantling of the star-studded secondary, however, Seattle has played musical chairs on an annual basis at the cornerback position. Aside from Shaquill Griffin starting three straight years from 2018 to 2020, the team has rolled out everyone from fifth-round safety convert Tre Flowers to Sidney Jones to D.J. Reed to most recently Mike Jackson at the boundary spots while rotating several other players in the slot.
Given the general lack of continuity year-to-year, while Griffin made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and Reed shined in a brief stint as a starter before both signed massive deals to play elsewhere, the Seahawks unsurprisingly have ranked 27th or worse in passing defense three times since 2018. While other factors influenced personnel decisions, those struggles undoubtedly played a role in the constant churning at the position.
But luckily for coach Pete Carroll and company, Seattle's lengthy run of juggling cornerbacks appears to finally be over. In fact, while it would obviously be premature to make any comparisons to the Legion of Boom, there's plenty of reasons to believe that a group featuring rising star Riq Woolen, incoming top-five pick Devon Witherspoon, and high-upside reserves in Jackson, Tre Brown, and Coby Bryant could be on the precipice of earning their own special namesake in quick order.
Following several seasons where the team failed to find and develop long-term starters at cornerback both at the boundary as well as inside in the slot, Carroll lauded the talent and depth that the Seahawks have amassed at the position at the conclusion of the team's mandatory minicamp last month.
"It's going to be a real battle in camp, and I hope everybody stays healthy so they can put their best foot forward and all of that," Carroll said. "But this is as competitive as we've been in a long time, and we expect to call on those guys. They're going to be covering people, they're going to be working hard, they're going to be in matchups and doing all the press stuff that we work so hard at and all that. These guys, they're going to bring it, and we'll see how much we can utilize it. But it's an area that I'm really fired up about.”
Always enthusiastic, Carroll's unbridled optimism sometimes needs to be taken with a large grain of salt. But looking at Seattle's current stable of cornerbacks, it's not difficult to understand why the 71-year old coach is so darn giddy about the group's immense potential, starting with the ascendance of Woolen.
Drafted in the fifth round out of UTSA, Woolen joined the Seahawks viewed as a long-term project after only playing two seasons at cornerback for the Roadrunners. Despite having a rare blend of size and athleticism at 6-4 with 4.26 40-yard dash speed, his lack of experience after transitioning from receiver coupled with underwhelming college production led most draft pundits to believe he would begin his career carving out a role on special teams before being ready to play on defense.
But Woolen made a strong first impression on Carroll and his staff during Seattle's rookie minicamp and once Jones and veteran Artie Burns suffered soft tissue injuries during training camp last August, the Texas native seized his opportunity. Making several impressive interceptions and pass breakups throughout camp and the preseason, he earned the starting nod at right cornerback in Week 1 and didn't look back, tying for the NFL lead with six interceptions and registering nine pass breakups.
Though Woolen missed most of the Seahawks offseason program recovering from a minor knee surgery, the second-year defender is expected to be ready to roll for the start of camp. Assuming he will be in action from the outset and avoid the PUP list, he will have an exciting new running mate jockeying for immediate snaps across from him.
Even after Jackson played solid football in 17 starts for Seattle a year ago, with the team holding a rare top-five pick courtesy of the Russell Wilson trade with Denver, general manager John Schneider and Carroll couldn't pass up on the chance to draft an elite prospect in Witherspoon. The consensus All-American turned in one of the finest collegiate seasons by a cornerback in college football history, recording three interceptions while holding opposing quarterbacks to a 35.5 percent completion rate and a 24.6 passer rating.
On top of being stingy in coverage, Witherspoon channels Chancellor with a hard-hitting style rarely seen at cornerback. Though he only started playing football as a junior in high school, Carroll compared his defensive instincts to Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu shortly after the team drafted him in April, indicating he hadn't come "across a guy like this in a long time."
"He's a rare player," Carroll told reporters after the first round. "Since the years we've been here, we haven't seen a guy like this. We have not drafted corners high just because we haven't come across a guy of this makeup. It's his athletic ability, it's his speed, it's his playmaking, it's his mentality."
Like any incoming rookie, Witherspoon will have to earn a starting job and even as a top-five pick, the Seahawks have several worthy challengers on the roster ready to battle against him, starting with Jackson. The ex-Miami standout didn't sulk about the team's decision to draft his potential replacement and while the rookie was eased into action coming back from a hamstring injury, he stood out as one of the best players on the field during OTAs and minicamp.
Just 26 years old, Jackson has proven himself to be a capable tackler and racked up double-digit pass breakups a year ago. After bouncing around with multiple teams before earning a starting job in the Pacific Northwest, he won't hand over his job without putting up a fight and it would be misguided to believe Witherspoon has already won the competition before it has even started based on draft status.
Away from Jackson, Brown will aim to re-establish himself as a potential starter after missing most of the 2022 season recovering from a patellar tendon injury. The former fourth-round pick impressed in five games as a rookie two years ago and coming off a normal offseason, he should be squarely in the competition on the outside and potentially in the slot against Bryant, who steadily improved in his rookie season at a new position and led the team with four forced fumbles.
Further solidifying the group, Seattle re-signed Burns in May and also signed several intriguing undrafted free agents, including Coastal Carolina's Lance Boykin and Cincinnati's Arquon Bush. From top to bottom on the depth chart, there shouldn't be a more competitive position group to watch on the entire roster in August.
As for just how good this unit can be, with Woolen coming off an injury and Witherspoon yet to play a snap in the league, expectations may need to be tempered, at least early in the schedule. For different reasons, it may take both players a while to get their footing early on, so nobody should be bracing for the Legion of Boom to be reincarnated in September.
But with four capable corners ready to go behind Woolen and Witherspoon if needed, an outstanding coaching staff anchored by the defensive back guru Carroll himself, and an experienced safety group to provide support, the group should be one of the Seahawks greatest strengths. If all goes according to plan and they help the defense dramatically improve from a 25th overall ranking a year ago, it will only be a matter of time until they earn a moniker of their own.
Projected Depth Chart
Competition to Watch
Witherspoon vs. Jackson: Going into camp, regardless of what Carroll says, Witherspoon will get every crack to win a starting job out of the gate, as failing to play significant snaps early would not be a good sign for a top-five pick. While some may question his lack of size at just 180 pounds, he plays far bigger as a run defender and plays physical coverage on the outside, which should serve him well right away battling for playing time. As long as he's able to hit the ground running and gets his hands on the football frequently in camp and preseason games, he will be the favorite to start opposite of Woolen.
With that being said, Jackson can't and shouldn't be written off completely just yet. He checks off most of the boxes Seattle has preferred at outside cornerback and plays his own physical brand of football, so if Witherspoon comes out of the gate slow and isn't able to distance himself in the competition, it wouldn't be impossible for the veteran to position himself to start again early in the season. It's also possible that with a strong camp, given Witherspoon's ability to play inside in a pinch, that the team could rotate him in during nickel and dime packages to give him defensive snaps even if he doesn't maintain a starting job.
Wild Card
Julian Love: The Seahawks signed Love, a former starter for the Giants, in part as quality insurance in case safety Jamal Adams isn't ready to play at the start of the season coming off a torn quad tendon. But Carroll hasn't been shy about reiterating his interest in playing three-safety sets and the ex-Notre Dame standout has more than 500 career NFL snaps under his belt in the slot, so the team may have plans for him to play extensive snaps at the position with Adams and Quandre Diggs also on the field.
The versatile Love's arrival creates a fascinating dynamic at the slot position, as Bryant made major strides as his rookie season progressed last year and didn't give up a touchdown in coverage in the second half of the 2022 season. Additionally, Witherspoon was lights out when he slid inside to the slot at Illinois and has the skills to thrive at any of the cornerback spots, so he may be in the discussion to play snaps there as well. With each bringing different strengths and skill sets, the three players could be in the mix to earn extensive playing time inside.
Bold Predictions
1. Woolen and Witherspoon will become the first pair of Seahawks corners to register at least four interceptions in the same season since 2013.
Interceptions can be difficult to come by in today's NFL where quarterbacks do a far better job of taking care of the football and many offenses are built around the quick strike passing game. Keeping that in mind, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Seattle hasn't had multiple cornerbacks pick off four or more passes in a decade when Sherman and Byron Maxwell achieved the feat for the eventual Super Bowl champions in 2013.
But if there's a time for that drought to end, the Seahawks have the right cast of characters to make it happen this year. Quarterbacks will want to play keep away from Woolen after registering half a dozen interceptions last year, but good luck avoiding him with another ball-hawking corner in Witherspoon opposite of him. It will truly be a pick-your-poison scenario for opponents, especially if the pass rush takes a step forward to generate more pressured throws, making this bold projection seem more than viable in 2023.
2. Love and Bryant will both play at least 200 snaps in the slot, including 100 snaps on the field together in dime sets.
Though it's possible Seattle could deploy one player for the vast majority of slot snaps in sub-packages, defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt likely will find a by-committee approach to be more beneficial. Against teams with top-tier tight ends and bigger slot receivers, Love should be a prime candidate to utilize in a big nickel role, while Bryant showed last season that he can handle quicker slots and excels as a blitzer from the position, creating a lot of play-calling flexibility.
Under the assumption a healthy Adams will see some snaps in the box as a linebacker in nickel and dime sets, the Seahawks could have Diggs and Love playing the safety spots and Bryant in the slot on the field at the same time. With six defensive backs on the field in dime, Love and Bryant could play interchangeable roles inside as well, opening up plenty of opportunities for each to see the field without significantly cutting into their respective workloads.
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