It was supposed to be a recreation of the early 2010s when new Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider began putting his mark on the franchise. Over the course of a couple of spectacular drafts, he built the Legion of Boom. Earl Thomas, Walter Thurmond, and Kam Chancellor all came in 2010. Richard Sherman and Byron Maxwell followed a year later. A legendary secondary was in place.
To begin the rebuild, in 2021, Schnieder took Tre Brown. He doubled up with Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen the following year and got his superstar Devon Witherspoon in 2023. To build proper depth, he went with Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James last year.
Things looked solid enough for Schneider to trade away a decent young prospect, Mike Jackson, before the 2024 season. Didn’t need him. A second coming of the Legion was in the offing.
Three relatively low-cost cornerback options for the Seattle Seahawks to consider
It hasn’t panned out. I don’t need to rehash the ugly details. Suffice it to say that Woolen has regressed somewhat, while few of the other youngsters – Brown, Pritchett, James – developed into reliable contributors. The one corner that Schneider re-signed for 2024, Artie Burns, got hurt.
Witherspoon remains solid, though he could clearly use some help. Bryant has also played well, but he has had to move full-time to safety. Perhaps that was always likely, but with the poor performance of free agents Rayshawn Jenkins and K’Von Wallace, the move was made essential. Josh Jobe, whose singing garnered very little attention last year, was also forced to take on a greater role in the secondary.
Heading into 2025, Jobe, Brown, Burns, and Wallace are all free agents. Brown and Wallace would appear to be gone. Burns, whose versatility makes him valuable, remains a question mark. He turns 30 in May and has played just 21 games for Seattle over the last three seasons.
Jobe is a restricted free agent, which means the team has some control over his availability. He seems likely to return. But even if he does, Seattle still needs to add more depth at a position they thought was secure.
We’ve been going through the roster, position by position, and identifying three free agents who might be on Schneider’s radar. So far, we’ve chosen a high-end, mid-tier, and bargain option. But since fellow 12th Man Rising writer Lee Vowell spoiled my day by offering a realistic assessment of just how little money Schneider will have to work with, I’m going to change things up today. Today, we’re going bargain-hunting.
Hence, the dream of pairing Byron Murphy II with Byron Murphy Jr. from the Vikings will have to wait. The Hawks cannot afford Murphy Jr. Nor will I allow myself to consider a promising youngster like Devnver’s Ja’Quan McMillian. He is an exclusive rights free agent, which means the Broncos have even greater control over his availability than the Hawks have with Jobe. They’d be crazy not to make a qualifying offer and lock him up for at least another year.
The Dolphins’ Kader Kohou is, like Jobe, an RFA. He might be available depending on how Miami designates him. But we’ll leave him out for now. We’ll just go with absolute UFAs – unrestricted free agents.
Nate Hobbs – Las Vegas Raiders
Hobbs was a fifth-round pick of the Raiders in 2021. As he reaches the end of his rookie deal, he has established himself as a tough, versatile corner who can play the run and can cover out of the slot. He actually reminds me a lot of Artie Burns. And therein lies the problem.
Hobbs has played in 35 of a possible 51 games over the last three seasons. When he is on the field, he has been a steady contributor, averaging almost six tackles per game over the course of his four years. The injury history makes him a gamble, but it also might keep his price tag down. Without much money to spend, taking a chance on Hobbs may be the best way for Schneider to get a good player at a low cost.
Myles Bryant – Houston Texans
Bryant could step in and help Seattle as a slot corner from day one. I think he plays a lot like Nate Hobbs without quite the same upside. He is not quite as big and not as fast, but he has been a productive player throughout his five seasons.
If that sounds like damning with faint praise, consider this. Bryant was signed by New England in 2020 as an UDFA. He made the roster and played with the Pats for four years. Last year, he signed a one-year deal with Houston. That means that both Bill Belichick and DeMeco Ryans thought enough of the 5’9”, 192-pound former Washington Husky to want him around. If those two coaches like a defensive player, it means he’s worth a look.
Brandon Stephens – Baltimore Ravens
Some analysts already have Stephens in College Navy and Action Green. There’s a lot of logic behind the move. Mike Macdonald coached Stephens as recently as 2023 with the Ravens. He is a big, rangy corner in the mold of Witherspoon and Woolen. He is durable and versatile and will still be only 27 when the 2025 season begins, despite having 65 games under his belt.
So what’s the problem, and why would a player like this even be in the Seahawks' price range? For all his pedigree (Stephens was a third-round pick in 2021), the corner has never developed into a consistent player on the outside. Both Macdonald – when he was with Baltimore – and current Ravens’ GM Eric Acosta have spoken highly of Stephens’ character and preparedness. Yet he still gets beaten on a few too many plays to be a reliable starter.
The Ravens have other young cornerbacks, and the veteran will probably be on the market this off-season. As a backup, he could be a very solid addition in support of Witherspoon and a hopefully rejuvenated Woolen on the outside. If he could do more than that, it would free up Witherspoon to do even more things.