How the Seahawks secondary can be great in 2021
By Andy Excell
Seahawks safeties can be special
The paring of Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs looks set to continue as the starting safeties for the Seahawks in 2021. Ratings-wise Diggs rates 19th amongst free safeties and Adams at 22nd of the strong safeties.
So both are reliable, if below average options at their positions. As a pair, they rank 22nd of the 32 teams. Clearly, this is not where the Seahawks want to be as a playoff team seeking to contend for Super Bowls.
Referring back to the corners and Randall as the utility back, they rate as follows:
Flowers 31st at LCB, Witherspoon tenth at RCB and Randall 24th amongst utility backs (for want of a better phrase). And as a trio, they rank 27th of the 32 teams in the NFL. So whilst an upgrade at safety may be needed, the priority is at left corner.
As mentioned previously, addressing via the draft is one option. But at time of writing this, there are still plenty of free agent corners on the market. And in a close season where teams do not have a great deal of salary cap space, one of these may be acquirable at a discount rate. The closer to the end of the offseason we get, these players will need to secure employment or not get paid.
Specifically a left corner worth monitoring from a Seahawks point of view would be Steven Nelson who was recently released by the Steelers. And you may get a bargain due to the circumstances that led to his release by Pittsburgh making teams reluctant to take him. but I believe he has the ability to be a good addition to this secondary.
If salary cap space could be found to bring Nelson on board that would be a much needed boost for the ailing secondary. A similar situation could arise with free-agent safeties, the likes of Justin Simmons, Tashaun Gipson and Malik Hooker have yet to find a team.