Cornerback now a major concern for Seattle Seahawks after Jeremy Lane news
By Keith Myers
Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider delivered some bad news this during his press conference week. It turns out that cornerback Jeremy Lane didn’t just break his arm after intercepting a Tom Brady pass in the Super Bowl. He also tore his ACL.
Schneider told reporters that CB Jeremy Lane, who broke his arm in the SB, also needs knee surgery. He may miss the start of the season.
— Terry Blount (@TBlountNews) February 19, 2015
Lane has yet to have surgery on his knee either. It’ll happen soon, but that means that he’s also yet to begin recovering from the procedure. Recovery takes about 9 months, which means that the earliest he’ll be back is mid-season.
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Complicating matters is that Byron Maxwell is expected to
in free agency. The Seahawks will be without two of their top three cornerbacks from this past season. It also means that 4 of the 5 cornerbacks from the 2013 Super Bowl championship team will be gone. Brandon Browner and Walter Thurmond both left a year ago.
Lane’s injury leaves Seattle very limited at cornerback entering the offseason. Richard Sherman is still amazing, but behind him there a definite concerns.
Tharold Simon showed promise early in the season, but was a major liability in the playoffs. Marcus Burley is the only other player on the roster with any real experience. He is best used in the slot as a nickel or dime cornerback.
That makes CB a major position of need for Seattle this offseason. They must add someone capable of starting across from Sherman in case Simon doesn’t rebound. They also must work to rebuild some of the depth thy had in the 2013 season.
That means either signing a mid-priced free agent or using a high draft pick on the position, or both. The Seahawks cannot afford to draft a late round CB like they usually do and wait for them to develop. There’s no waiting this year. They need someone who can play right now.
That might change the dynamic of the offseason. Seattle also needs wide receivers, a tight end and a left guard who can play right away, as well as more pass rushers.
The list of needs is getting long enough that it likely prices the Seahawks out of contention for top players Denver’s Julius Thomas. The Seahawks simply cannot afford use up all their cap space on one position right now.