Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Michael Bumpus recently joined 710 ESPN Seattle to discuss the team’s strategies in free agency thus far.
“Honestly, I love what they’ve done so far,” Bumpus said. “They signed (Jarran) Reed on that line, they got Bruce Irvin who can also play linebacker, got a couple guys on the offensive line. They have addressed the two spots where they’re kind of shaky.”
However, he opined that the team needs to find a viable option at nickel cornerback to improve their defense.
“Now it’s the same old story – they need to find a nickel,” he said.
Ugo Amadi has been seen as a promising option in that regard, but he is not the clear-cut starter just yet. The 2019 Seahawks defense had multiple issues with mismatches that were often exploited by opposing offenses.
“They need to get themselves out of those mismatches,” Bumpus said. “They need to stop asking an outside linebacker to cover a slot receiver. Those are the situations that got them in trouble and exploited that defense.”
However, Bumpus feels that this free agency period has been solid for the Seahawks overall, with the team addressing just about every position of need despite the lack of a decision on Jadeveon Clowney at the moment.
“They’ve done a great job addressing other parts of this football team,” Bumpus said. “I feel like every other position is pretty solid … The corners, you can bring in someone to push those guys, push Tre Flowers, but you need to have that third corner that’s going to come off the bench and lock down a slot receiver and get out of those mismatch situations.
“If they can do that and stay healthy, I think they can make another run.”
The Seahawks will soon turn their attention to the 2020 NFL draft, which will be closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic.
[lawrence-related id=58050]