Seattle Seahawks: 5 players who could be in final season with team

Bradley McDougald

McDougald has been a good player for the Seahawks, but not transcending and that is part of the problem. In Seattle’s best season in the 2010s, the defense had a great secondary led by two great safeties, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. McDougald is not of the ilk that Chancellor and Thomas are.

This isn’t McDougald’s fault. He just doesn’t have the same genetics. But he is still a very good NFL safety. The issue with McDougald is he needs a better player playing beside him. In 2019, McDougald was just OK before Seattle traded for Quandre Diggs and then once Diggs started playing McDougald started playing his best ball of the year for Seattle.

Luckily, Diggs will be starting the season for Seattle with McDougald beside him. The Seahawks safety tandem will be solid if not exactly Chancellor and Thomas-worthy. Not getting beat deep is a Seattle must and Diggs protects against that. But a safety playing the run, as Chancellor did, also is needed. McDougald doesn’t do that as well.

McDougald will make $5.4 million in 2020. He might not be worth that much, comparatively speaking. Plus, Seattle might already have his replacement on the roster in Marquise Blair. Blair likes to play the run and hits hard. In 2021, he might be a better fit with Seattle’s defense than McDougald.