Seahawks Marquise Blair is going to be a star at nickelback

The answer to the Seahawks nickelback question in 2020 might be Marquise Blair.

Marquise Blair needs to be on the field and help the Seattle Seahawks win games. Originally, the Seahawks drafted Blair to be a safety. And likely, by 2022 he will be a starter. But Blair has talent beyond restrictions of the safety unit. This will probably be proven true in 2020 when he becomes the Seattle starter at cornerback.

There is no guarantee Blair will start at nickel, of course. But the Seahawks don’t really have any other proven option. Ugo Amadi was assumed to step in and be the starter this year. He got a bunch of snaps in the position in 2020 but looked a bit lost late in the season, especially in the playoffs against the Packers.

But Blair showed he might be a decent player long-term at safety. Sure, he blew a few assignments but he was also a rookie. Blair seems to embody what Pete Carroll likes in a secondary player, however. Blair is long and plays with a chip on his shoulder and can hit an opposing player with force.

Marquise Blair this offseason

This offseason Blair gained about 10 pounds of muscle. He was already in good shape but now appears chiseled and ready to inflict pain, Mr. T-via-Rocky III style. Remember when Blair hit a Broncos receiver in preseason so hard in 2019 that he completely laid out the receiver but Blair still had time to fix his gloves after the hit? Yeah, this will be Marquise Blair in 2020 but in real games.

Blair has shown in Seahawks training camp to be surprisingly quick nickelback. He also, and this is important, has shown a wilingness to do whatever the Seahawks need him to do. And do it well, so far. Reviews so far say Blair has been great at nickelback. And since the Seahawks traded for Jamal Adams this offseason and already have Quandre Diggs then Seattle should leave Blair at nickel until he is ready to be a starter at safety.

The Seahawks can be really good this year. But they need to have the right players, especially defensively, in the correct places. Marquise Blair as a nickelback would be a step in the right direction.