The Seahawks had a BIG need to improve their cornerback play. I don’t know if this will do the trick or not, but it’s a nice step in the right direction.
We traded a 5th rounder to the Redskins, which sounds like a steal according to reports. 2020 will be his sixth season in the league, which will see him making just over $3 million (the final year of his current deal). He’s 6’2 and coming off of the best season of his career (he was one of the higher-rated cornerbacks, depending on where you look).
But, of course, there’s a catch. With the type of production he had last year (4 picks and 8 passes defended in 11 games), he’s already demanded a trade or a raise from the Redskins, so presumably he won’t be happy playing for just under $3.5 million from ANY team. Also, not for nothing, but his last two seasons – really his only seasons as a starting cornerback – ended prematurely with leg/hamstring injuries. When you factor in the relatively small sample size, combined with what I’m expecting to be a pretty high demand for a contract extension, you can see why this might blow up in our faces.
Does he show up to play? Does he hold out into the regular season? Any pre-season holdouts will significantly hamper his value, as he’ll need that time to learn our system. Or, do we sign him to an early extension right away? That could be great! But, what if he doesn’t fit our system? What if injuries creep into play? And, what if recent Pro Bowler Shaquill Griffin – who, himself, is heading into his first opportunity to nab an early extension (he’s set to earn just over $2 million in 2020, the final year of his rookie deal) – ends up disgruntled that the Seahawks opted to reward a newcomer (arguably a less-accomplished newcomer, compared to Griffin, who has started all three years) before him?
There are just SO MANY WAYS this can go haywire!
Look, in a bubble, obviously it’s a great deal. Just like we did with Quandre Diggs in the middle of the 2019 season, we were able to flip a fifth round pick for a quality starter in our secondary. But, there are so many other things that can happen (and we still have to either sign Clowney or another elite defensive end to help round out our front seven), that it all feels a little daunting. I’m not saying I regret it happening; but I’m saying there’s still a lot to be done in just this situation alone to make being excited about the 2020 Seahawks defense more palatable.
In that aforementioned bubble, of course, is the fact that Dunbar probably takes over immediately for Tre Flowers. Dunbar also has experience playing the slot, if it comes to that. I’ll be honest, I don’t HATE Flowers, but I think he got thrown to the wolves a little bit as a rookie (converting from safety to corner for the first time in his career), and unfortunately I don’t think he quite made as much progress as we’d hoped for in Year 2. He had a particularly brutal run in the playoffs that had a lot of people calling for his head. I think those wishes have been granted, to an extent. But, I also don’t think we’ve seen the last of him. Shaquill Griffin had an up & down rookie season, then struggled mightily in his second year (flipping from the right side to the left side of the defense, with Richard Sherman leaving), but he made a big leap last year, his third season. Well, it wouldn’t shock me in the slightest if Tre Flowers did the same thing.
The only question I want to worry about with the Seahawks is who plays the right side, and who plays nickel? I’d like happy players, under reasonable contracts, to take all other concerns off my plate. Because, if we can get THERE (and, of course, if we can continue to improve our pass rush), then I’ll be willing to let my excitement level bubble over.