Maurice Alexander joins the Seahawks defensive backfield
Maurice Alexander won’t make anyone forget Kenny Easley. If he starts referring to himself in the third person as Mo-Lex, that will be enough for me.
The Seahawks continued their low key free agent parade when they signed free agent safety Maurice Alexander. He started 14 games at free safety for the Rams in 2016, and began 2017 as their starting strong safety. Pro Football Focus graded him at 82.9 for 2016, which would have ranked him right between Barry Church and Devin McCourty in 2017.
Unfortunately for Alexander, that was 2016. Apparently the switch to strong safety wasn’t the best move for him, as he was benched after just four games. Pro Football Focus graded his four games at 42.5. That places him somewhere between Daniel Sorenson and Fabian Moreau. Hopefully the Seahawks get the 2016 version.
Contract details
For now, there are no contract details. That’s odd, as usually Spotrac has the numbers before the ink is dry. We’ll update as soon as we get some information. You can be sure it wasn’t a blockbuster deal.
National reaction
#Seahawks restocking their roster on a Friday night when no one is noticing... Maurice Alexander began last season as Rams' starting strong safety then LA waived him in Oct. He's 6-1, 220, 4-yr vet (Utah St.) Could be another Kam Chancellor insurance plan. https://t.co/NDMqMQB9Sf
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) March 17, 2018
As Gregg Bell states, this is the kind of move that no one notices. Insurance, with a chance to be more. Alexander is ten pounds heavier than Bradley McDougald. McDougald could slide to free safety while Alexander locks in on the strong side.
Some thoughts on the Seahawks appearing to have signed safety Maurice Alexander: https://t.co/oQm2DLHwy1
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) March 17, 2018
Bob’s thoughts in a nutshell – but seriously, read the article – are that while this could just be insurance for Kam Chancellor, it could also mean the Seahawks are more open than ever to trading Earl Thomas.
Seahawks continue to pick through the discard pile, sign former Rams safety https://t.co/3M5nvnTQZZ
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 17, 2018
We can’t confirm the Seahawks got Maurice Alexander for a bargain price; No contract details, remember? However, I think it’s fair to say that they did pluck him from the discard pile. Alexander visited the Seahawks back in October after the Rams released him. Obviously there was no deal then.
Related Story: Seahawks sign a wide receiver to replace Richardson. Or maybe Kearse.
Grade
The grade depends on two things. Is he the 2016 Maurice Alexander or the 2017 version? And just how much did the Seahawks shell out for him? I’ll hope for the 2015 version on an incentive-laden deal, and give this signing a C.