The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl exactly as they wanted to when they rebuilt the team two years ago. General manager John Schneider hired new head coach Mike Macdonald to get the defense back to the level it was in the mid-2010s when the team was a perennial Super Bowl contender. Mission accomplished quicker than most assumed it would.
Now, the reality of offseason business begins. The first step is free agency, which will get underway in full midway through March. Unlike the last few seasons, the team doesn't have obvious cut candidates to release. Instead, Schneider needs to figure out who to re-sign in free agency without overspending.
The team is reportedly not going to franchise tag Super Bowl hero Kenneth Walker. Schneider is very unlikely to tag anyone. That means potentially losing one of two cornerbacks, Josh Jobe or Riq Woolen, or both. But who would replace them?
Seattle Seahawks matched with Arizona State's Keith Abney II to replace Riq Woolen
Cody Williams of FanSided recently projected cornerback Keith Abney II of Arizona State to the Seahawks at pick number 32. Abney is 6-feet tall and 190 pounds with the ability to play in either zone or man schemes. He is physical at the line and fast enough to cover efficiently deep.
He didn't allow a touchdown in 2025, but did have two interceptions and nine passes broken up. His quarterback rating allowed was a sensational 46.1. Only 44.4 percent of the passes thrown his way this season were completed. In 10 of his 12 games, he gave up no more than 32 yards receiving, and never allowed more than 54.
According to Williams, Abney is "better in zone than in man, but still effective overall," and he is a "plus run defender on the outside." That sounds exactly like a Mike Macdonald-type corner.
Sometimes his physicality does cause issues, though. He can get called for too many needless penalties while fighting with a receiver. If that was an issue in college, the problem will almost certainly be worse in the NFL.
Still, it is expected that the Seattle Seahawks are going to lose one of their top cornerbacks in free agency. Woolen will likely be the most expensive, but is also the most mercurial. If either he or Jobe does go elsewhere, finding their replacement in the draft, where the team would have a player under control for four seasons on an expensive contract, would be ideal. That player could be Keith Abney II.