12th Man Rising
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Seahawks cut Jamar Taylor, opening door for the rookies

By Todd Vandenberg

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 27: Ugo Amadi #28 of the Seattle Seahawks heads back to the bench after making a tackle on a punt return during the second half of a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 27: Ugo Amadi #28 of the Seattle Seahawks heads back to the bench after making a tackle on a punt return during the second half of a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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The Seahawks activated Ed Dickson yesterday. By cutting Jamar Taylor to add him, they showed they have a lot of confidence in their rookie defensive backs.

The Seahawks made a roster move yesterday that has been anticipated for several weeks, if not the entire season. They activated veteran tight end Ed Dickson from injured reserve to help fill that depleted position. The move they made to accommodate Dickson wasn’t quite as expected, although it makes perfect sense. The release of cornerback Jamar Taylor shows that the Hawks have a lot of faith in their rookie defensive backs.

I’ll address Dickson another time. For me, the intriguing part of this roster move is the release of Taylor. The acquisition of Quandre Diggs already moved Tedric Thompson to injured reserve. Diggs’ play against the 49ers earned him the starting spot at safety with Bradley McDougald. Considering the very different levels at which Diggs and Taylor performed in that game, I really shouldn’t be too surprised at the move. What it tells me is that the Seahawks are ready to put a lot more faith into a pair of rookie defensive backs.

Marquise Blair looked fearless in the few starts he’s had this season. If it weren’t for the terrific play of receiver DK Metcalf, Blair would have the most impact on the team of all the rookies. As it is, he’s certainly one of the best on the team. Diggs brings the Hawks more experience, more savvy, if you will. Blair will get back on the field, I have no doubt of that. I don’t believe we’ll see him take Taylor’s role as the slot corner, though. What is possible is that the Hawks could play Diggs there, and move Blair to safety in certain packages.

It’s more likely that we’ll see more of Ugo Amadi playing nickel. He’s already made several big plays on special teams this year. As Gregg Bell reported in the News-Tribune, Pete Carroll confirmed that Amadi will see time covering the slot receiver this weekend against the Eagles. Carroll also stated that he really liked the pairing of McDougal and Diggs at safety:

"“I REALLY liked the play of the safeties,” Carroll said. “We hit guys well. Knocked a couple balls loose. Had a pick. Had nice fills and fits in the running game.“I thought the guys played the best we’ve played. So, we’ll go to this week, we think, with the same guys going out there.”"

Frankly, I expected to see Amadi much more by this point of the season. However, I wouldn’t expect to see a lot of Amadi or Blair in the Philadelphia game. The Eagles top two wide receivers,  Nelson Agholor and Alshon Jeffery, have been targeted 118 times this season. Their tight ends, Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, have seen 124 targets coming their way. Both Agholor and Jeffery have been limited in practice this week. Add in that the wideout with the third-highest number of targets only has 22, and it looks like the Hawks won’t be facing too many three-receiver sets.

I think this is the perfect game for Seattle to bring in Amadi in the slot, and possibly move Diggs up to slide Blair in for a few plays as well. Carson Wentz is a good quarterback, true. But let’s face it. The rooks have faced much better talent every day in practice. With six games left, it’s time to see what the new kids can do.

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