Why Seahawks' Gamble at Cornerback Should Eventually Pay Off

After losing Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar to free agency, the Seahawks haven't unloaded a significant amount of resources to find a replacement. It's quite the gamble to take in a league dominated by pass-happy offenses, but one that should pay off in 2022, if not as early as this season.

Heading into the latter stages of an offseason that saw the Seahawks heavily invest in its defense, cornerback remains a question mark. Amidst the departure of their two Week 1 starters from a year ago, they reacted and addressed their newfound need in a timely manner. But it didn't come in the form of a household name.

Not yet, at least.

Seattle is still very much in contention for the services of cornerback Richard Sherman. If the highly anticipated reunion with the multi-time All-Pro comes to fruition, the position is virtually solidified as far as starters go. It would essentially put an end to the conversation about who starts opposite 2020 revelation D.J. Reed.

As of now, that spot is currently up for grabs between a few players. There's Tre Flowers, who's started 37 games for the Seahawks in three years, albeit with an inconsistent level of play. They signed former 49ers corner Ahkello Witherspoon, but injuries and Flowers-esque inconsistency make him far from a sure thing. 

Tre Brown was the second of their league-low three picks in the 2021 NFL Draft and will get a chance to start on the outside despite his 5'9" frame, but it remains to be seen if Seattle is comfortable starting two "undersized" corners like him and Reed in a division that features the likes of DeAndre Hopkins. And with the return of the preseason expected to go off without a hitch, players such as Damarious Randall, Pierre Desir, and Saivion Smith could also factor into the equation.

The point is: the Seahawks have options, but with that comes a great deal of uncertainty. 

To be fair, there weren't many opportunities for them to fare better than they have this offseason. They reportedly made a strong push all the way up to the finish line on Shaquill Griffin's market before he landed a three-year, $40 million contract with the Jaguars. While it's easy to say that was well out of their price range given their unfavorable salary cap situation, there's reason to believe they could have gotten something done if they were motivated enough.

The Seahawks proved willing to break trend and push money out to future years through the use of voidable years on new contracts as the offseason progressed. But it ultimately would have been too constricting on their ability to execute some of the moves they ended up making. And frankly, Griffin - nor any cornerback on the market - was appealing enough to sacrifice that level of freedom for. 

It wasn't just the freedom to address the 2021 roster, however. The Seahawks, like all competent organizations, have to consider the future as well. And on the horizon is a salary cap increase that OverTheCap.com projects to go north of $200 million, with Seattle expected to have $44.6 million in available funds. 

This, of course, doesn't factor in potential extensions for safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, as well as veteran tackle Duane Brown. But even taking some of that into account, the Seahawks will have plenty of financial flexibility to work with, allowing them to target whomever they wish in free agency.

As it so happens, the unrestricted free agent market for cornerbacks is set to be rich with talent. Here are the 10 best names on the list using Pro Football Reference's approximate value statistic for the 2019 and 2020 seasons combined. 

Some other notable corners who will be out there as well: Tampa Bay's Carlton Davis, Los Angeles' Darious Williams, and Denver's Bryce Callahan.

Evidently, the Seahawks aren't short of options there either, but they'll also have some housecleaning to do of their own. Reed, Witherspoon, Flowers, Desir, and Randall will all be joining the aforementioned group of unrestricted free agents in less than a year's time. Depending on the development of Brown, they could be heading for a complete cornerback overhaul following the 2021 season. That could be the case whether they find a tandem that works or not this fall. 

If so, they'll be in a much more comfortable position to take that on than they were this year. Pair their top-11 cap projection with a healthy slew of draft picks and general manager John Schneider and head coach/defensive backs guru Pete Carroll should be in prime position to retool their secondary if necessary.

While missing out on retaining Griffin and Dunbar - who signed for a meager $987,500 with the Lions - is a gamble, it's what made the most sense for the Seahawks in the near and fairly distant future. Looking at what they have now and what they can still do (a la Sherman), they have a decent shot at putting forth a respectable or better unit. And if not, they'll be more than capable of rectifying that next offseason.