Seahawks corner Justin Coleman is key to the universe

Justin Coleman may not be a shutdown corner. Or he may be. Who knows? But what Coleman is a key to the Seahawks defense in 2018. Without Coleman replicating his performance of 2017, Seattle’s season may be doomed.

Justin Coleman is a great human being. How do I know this? First, he plays for the Seattle Seahawks, Secondly, he is a VFL. Thirdly, he is a good football player.

Does this on the surface make him a wonderful member of the human race? Maybe not. But moments like the one below against the Dallas Cowboys in 2017 might help make my case.

Coleman is not Richard Sherman. He probably isn’t even Shaquill Griffin. (I say this because the Seahawks need Griffin to be great for year and years and I am hoping for the best.) But Coleman was a great nickel in 2017. And solidifies the secondary. He is an important player without question.

Seattle’s secondary for the first time in several seasons is a bit of a question mark in 2018. Gone is Richard Sherman and (probably) Kam Chancellor. Byron Maxwell returns as does Griffin. Both these players will play out wide.

But in today’s NFL, slot receivers catch a ton of passes, extending drives and eating clock. This is why corners like Coleman are so important. According to Pro Football Focus, Coleman was the second best corner on the Seahawks team among returning players. After Maxwell, Coleman and Griffin…there is just a bit of a drop off.

Coleman must play in 2018 like he did in 2017. Otherwise, Seattle will have two good corners and a wide open middle. For a team that wants to run the ball more in Seattle, the Seahawks need to get other teams off the field.

Related Story: A certain Seahawks receiver needs to step up too...

In order to do this, Coleman needs to be great. Again.