The Seattle Seahawks set themselves up to have a cornerback room featuring Shaquill Griffin, Quinton Dunbar and Ugo Amadi as the starters on the outside and at nickel, respectively, with former starter Tre Flowers joining Neiko Thorpe as depth options across the secondary in 2020.
The best laid plans don’t always come together, however, and now, four months before the season is set to begin, the Seahawks are already facing a big wrinkle with the recent arrest of Dunbar, who is facing four counts of felony armed robbery.
It’s far, far too early to know how Dunbar’s situation is going to play out, especially with his defense lawyer disputing the facts of the original warrant. The legal proceedings could easily take the entire summer, and regardless of if he is convicted of a crime or not the NFL can, and will, do their own investigation, which could lead to a suspension.
So while that will be an unresolved matter of interest for the next few months, the Seahawks will be forced to evaluate their depth at cornerback, in case Dunbar is not available when the regular season rolls around.
The most likely scenario, if that ends up being the case, is to plug Flowers back into a starting role at right corner, a role he held in both 2018 and 2019.
Should that happen, a role as a backup corner (and likely special teams contributor) would open up on the active roster – and you know how much coach Pete Carroll loves hosting an open competition.
The contenders currently on the roster include Linden Stephens, Brian Allen, Jayson Stanley, Debione Renfro, Gavin Heslop and Kemah Siverand.
Stephens spent most of 2019 on Seattle’s practice squad before he was claimed by the Dolphins, appearing in three games and making three combined tackles. Stephens made it back to Seattle in April and is in contention to play some nickel this season, if he plays well in camp.
Allen played in 16 games for the Steelers between 2017-2018, exclusively on special teams, racking up three combined tackles. He’s the biggest of the group however, standing six-foot-three, and his size and NFL experience make him a strong candidate to take the final roster spot in the secondary.
Stanley was claimed just after the draft, and he has the size profile (six-foot-two, 209 pounds) that the Seahawks target, as well as experience as a former wide receiver in college.
Renfro, Heslop and Siverand were all signed as undrafted free agents. Renfro starred at Texas A&M in college, and his scouting profile points to someone who should excel as a special teamer, which will give him a nice advantage when looking for a roster spot.
Heslop is six-foot-one and was a big-time playmaker while at Stony Brook, able to play any spot in the secondary and contribute on the special teams.
Lastly, Siverand played wide receiver A&M before transferring to Oklahoma State, where he racked up 11 tackles as a defensive back. His stats aren’t very telling, but he also possesses the size and versatility to potentially contribute on the special teams.
The Seahawks also have a handful of options they could pursue on the open market, including Logan Ryan and Trumaine Johnson, but don’t be surprised if the team decides to hold a competition with the players they already have on the roster.
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