Trevone Boykin, A Risky Proposition

It appears the Seahawks are prepared to go with undrafted rookie Trevone Boykin as their backup QB. Could they be jeopardizing their season by doing so?

Imagine this future story lede…….

(Seattle, WA) The Seattle Seahawks will start undrafted rookie Trevone Boykin at quarterback this week as they travel to take on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday Night Football. Boykin will start in place of Russell Wilson, who was placed on season-ending IR after suffering a broken ankle in Sunday’s 34-13 win over Atlanta. This will be no soft landing for Boykin, as the Seahawks and Cardinals are both undefeated heading into this pivotal NFC West showdown. 

Far fetched? Perhaps. But at this point the Seahawk appear to be setting themselves up for such a possibility. Long-time backup Tarvaris Jackson remains unsigned, apparently awaiting other opportunities that could provide a better chance for playing time.

Seattle signed TCU’s Boykin after he went undrafted in April, paying him at the top end of UDFA signing bonuses ($15,000).

On many levels, going with a young QB prospect behind Pro Bowler Wilson makes sense. It saves the salary-cap-challenged team money, and Wilson has been so durable it’s reasonable to believe he will get through the season unscathed.

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But what if?

After all, this is a Super Bowl contender we’re talking about. Could the Seahawks continue to win with Boykin if Wilson had to miss a couple games, or an entire season as outlined in the nightmare scenario above?

There’s a lot to like about Boykin as a prospect. He was wildly productive in college, surpassing 10,000 yards passing and another 2,000 rushing while accounting for a combined 114 TD’s. He has a strong arm and is a dynamic athlete, often putting together the type of scramble plays that reminds one of Wilson himself.

But Wilson played in a pro-style offense in college. The transition to the NFL was much easier for him. Boykin did the opposite, thriving in the read-option spread offense that requires much less in the way of complicated reads. It’s much less complex, and receivers are usually wide open on every play. It’s a college QB’s dream.

Coming out of TCU, most NFL teams told Boykin he would have to consider a position switch if he were to make it to the next level. Clearly the Seahawks disagree. GM John Schneider says he thinks Boykin would have been drafted had it not been for an off-field incident before the Horned Frogs bowl game, and head coach Pete Carroll had some high praise for him after rookie camp:

“He’s got a big arm. He’s a very creative athlete. He’s got great instincts and great vision. His ability to run and make people miss and get out of trouble is very similar to what Russell does. I thought that the opportunity to have both those guys in the same offense, it gives us a chance — if it works out, and we’ve got a long way to go — if it works out, to maintain continuity with one of the backups.” Carroll said.

Key words there; “if it works out…….”

Before we panic at images of an untested rookie trying to keep the Seahawks in a playoff race, let’s consider this; this all may be an experiment at this point. As Jackson sits at home, just about every possible QB opportunity has been filled around the league. Barring an unforeseen injury, where is his market? If he hasn’t signed by now, chances are his options have dried up.

Meanwhile, if the Seahawks brought Jackson in now, he would surely eat up any extra reps that could go a long way towards helping Boykin make the transition to the pro game. Carroll and Schneider know exactly what they have in Jackson, while Boykin is the ultimate mystery.

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They may be hedging their bets here. If Boykin shows a quick mastery of the offense and they’re confident in his ability to lead the offense if needed, they could go with him as Wilson’s only backup. If he struggles mightily, Jackson could always be brought back, even after the team gets deep into the preseason. In this case it’s a near certainty they would be able to get him through waivers and onto the practice squad.

It’ll be one of the more intriguing story lines to monitor over the next two months.