The Seattle Seahawks' decision to sign Noah Igbinoghene drew mixed reviews. He was a former first-round pick, still young, and was coming off a somewhat decent season, but he's also been a journeyman who hasn't lived up to the hype.
Fast forward to today, and it looks like the former Washington Commanders slot specialist is making a strong push for the Seahawks' 53-man roster. More than that, he might even be in line to be their starting nickel.
According to Seahawks insider Gregg Bell, Igbinoghene has stacked up strong days at training camp, making the most of Julian Neal's absence and making plays left and right. Finally, he may live up to the standards.
The Seattle Seahawks can bring out the best in Noah Igbinoghene
Not to take anything away from him, but this isn't much of a surprise. If someone could maximize his skills, that was definitely Mike Macdonald. He and defensive coordinator Aden Durde have orchestrated a finely-tuned defense, especially the secondary.
Of course, that also means the former No. 30 pick was facing an uphill battle to make the roster, but he may have finally found his home after disappointing tenures with the Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, and Commanders.
Igbinoghene is coming off making 15 appearances for Dan Quinn's team last season, logging 35 tackles, five pass breakups, and one sack. All in all, he's played in 69 games, making 17 starts and playing the bulk of his snaps in the slot.
That's not necessarily impressive for a former SEC standout whose fifth-year contract wasn't even picked up after entering the league with high praise. Some guys need more time to figure things out, and, to be fair, he was also a part of some pretty bad defenses; it's not entirely on him.
As things stand now, the Seahawks are locked in to start Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe in the boundary, with Nick Emmanwori also playing heavy snaps there and in three-safety sets. Even so, there should be enough playing time for Igbinoghene if he makes the roster, given how much the Seahawks love to shake things up and show different looks.
Igbinoghene can continue to make the most of Emmanwori's and Julian Neal's absence to endear himself to the coaching staff. This team's dime-heavy defense can never have too many defensive backs, and while the production hasn't always been there, the talent never went away.
Great teams can afford to make these low-risk/high-reward pickups because they're already stacked. They didn't need Igbinoghene to pan out, but if he does, it will pretty much be overkill. If not, they can just cut him and move on.
Late bloomers take the league by storm every year. The Seahawks already found one in Josh Jobe, and they may have stumbled upon another one with this reclamation project. It's early, but the first returns are encouraging.
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