12th Man Rising
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Looking at the worst case: is this the end of the Legion of Boom?

By Todd Vandenberg

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 08: Kam Chancellor #31 celebrates a broken pass play with Earl Thomas #29 of the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 8, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 08: Kam Chancellor #31 celebrates a broken pass play with Earl Thomas #29 of the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 8, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Between injuries, contract issues and free agency, the Legion of Boom could be (almost) all new. What are the odds of that, and what would it look like?

No one wants to think this could happen, but there certainly could be an all new Legion of Boom in Seattle for 2018. Earl Thomas Jr. has said he may hold out. Kam Chancellor posted a somewhat cryptic pic on Instagram that seemed to hint at retirement. Richard Sherman is recovering from not one, but two surgeries. Maybe you didn’t hear this before, but he was the subject of trade rumors last year, too.

And that’s just the headliners. The Seahawks were expected to roll over 2016 starter DeShawn Shead’s contract for 2018. He missed virtually the entire 2017 season, of course. But according to Shead, he’s a free agent. Byron Maxwell was a slick pickup for Seattle. Initially signed to add depth to the backfield, he wound up taking Richard Sherman’s role, and played quite well. Yeah, guess who’s a free agent? Yep, and so is Bradley McDougald, who filled in well for Chancellor. He also played some free safety, even played took snaps at corner.

Justin Coleman made far more than one spectacular play, but it sure was pretty.

https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/945075156627603456

If that was all he had done, he’d deserve to be re-signed for a starting nod. As it is, he graded just below Richard Sherman. Along with Shaquill Griffin, Coleman pushed Jeremy Lane out of a job. No, he isn’t Richard Sherman, but he’s made plenty of big plays and would be another big loss.

I would mention Jeremy Lane’s future, but he clearly has none with Seattle. Bad enough he played himself out of a job on the field. Getting hit with a DUI charge doesn’t help anyone, especially not a guy the Seahawks already traded once. Considering he often put himself above the team, Mr. Lane wouldn’t be a great loss, unlike everyone else already mentioned.

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Legion of Boom would still have a few holdovers

Wow, so who would be left? It all starts with Shaquill Griffin, who played by far the most snaps of any Seattle cornerback. Pro Football Focus graded him at 77.2 overall, which was 59th in the league. That being said, he was just a rookie, and showed great improvement throughout the season.

Neiko Thorpe has played well on special teams, but at this point, he’s only shown that he’s a decent backup. Pro Football Focus rated him nearly ten points behind Coleman, for example. Then again, he’s rated more than 30 points higher than Jeremy Lane.

The Seahawks rookie safety tandem, Delano Hill and Tedric Thompson, got very little playing time other than on special teams. In fact, they combined for just 40 snaps as part of the Legion of Boom. As rookies, it’s hard to say how they’ll look next year. It’s clear that neither one came through like Griffin, though.

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