Of course if I change it they will take Gonzales after all. I guess I just don't see Michael Jackson, who was a bum off the street before last season as being "set". He played ok but I could see regression happening this season.
By Bob Condotta
Seattle Times staff reporter
After what has seemed like a revolving door at cornerback in the post-Richard Sherman era, the Seahawks appeared last season to finally find a new crew that could fill those spots for the long term.
Two were rookies — Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant — taken in the fifth and fourth rounds, respectively, in the 2022 NFL draft. They won jobs as the right corner and nickel, looking as if they could hold them for much of the rest of the decade.
The other was a recent waiver-wire claim, Michael Jackson, who made one of the more surprising breakthroughs on the team to emerge as the starting left cornerback.
Those three played 2,972 of the team’s 3,114 cornerback snaps in 2022, via Pro Football Reference — Woolen 1,134, Jackson 1,082 and Bryant 756.
And all remain under bargain contracts for this season, with Woolen and Bryant in just the second of their four-year rookie deals and Jackson an exclusive-rights free agent (he signed this week).
Seattle is spending just over $5 million at cornerback for 2023, the second lowest in the NFL according to OvertheCap.com.
And as one of the backups, Seattle has Tre Brown, a 2021 fourth-round pick who won a starting job at midseason as a rookie before suffering a knee injury that lingered into last season.
The Seahawks, though, considered him a candidate as a long-term starter and are optimistic he can live up to those expectations.
“I think coming back off of this first year of seeing Tariq and Michael play together, we feel pretty good about that, and knowing that Tre didn’t have a chance to really contribute much. Coby’s addition, as well, we’re in pretty good shape right there,” coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday. “They’re going to get way better. They’re going to improve a great deal, and they played pretty good this past year in their first really go-round. I feel pretty good about that spot.”
Carroll added: “We’re always looking to add, but at least we know what we’ve got coming back.”
And therein lies the question as the NFL draft approaches: Would the Seahawks take a cornerback despite the position looking pretty strong and their history in the Carroll era? Under Carroll they haven’t drafted a cornerback earlier than the third round (Shaquill Griffin at 90th in 2017).
As we continue our draft preview series, let’s look at cornerback.
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Cornerback
Projected starters: Left cornerback Michael Jackson, right cornerback Tariq Woolen, nickel cornerback Coby Bryant.
Backups: Tre Brown, Isaiah Dunn.
Key offseason losses: Justin Coleman (free agent, remains unsigned), Artie Burns (free agent, remains unsigned).
Overview
Seattle enters 2023 with a set starting trio and Brown, who started in 2021.
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Also on the roster is Isaiah Dunn, a waiver-wire pickup during the preseason a year ago from the Jets who played in five games on special teams before suffering a hamstring injury and going on injured reserve.
Seattle, though, is thought to be high on the potential of Dunn, an Oregon State grad who played in 12 games with one start with the Jets as a rookie in 2021.
Also worth noting is that free-agent safety signee Julian Love has played nickel — 154 snaps in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus.
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The Seahawks haven’t said Love could compete with Bryant for that spot, and he may be needed to be the starting strong safety if Jamal Adams isn’t ready.
But Love’s flexibility gives Seattle options.
With Woolen appearing a future star, Bryant showing promise and Jackson spending all season as a starter, Seattle might seem set at cornerback.
But as Carroll noted, the Seahawks are always looking. And intriguingly, Seattle brought in some of the top players at that position for pre-draft visits to the VMAC, notably Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon and Georgia’s Kelee Ringo.
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Potential draft fits
Witherspoon and Ringo are generally considered among the top five of what appears to be a decent crop of cornerbacks — as many as nine have been touted as potential first-rounders.
Considering everything, the Seahawks spending one of their first-round picks, or maybe even any of their first four over the first two rounds, wouldn’t seem the odds-on favorite.
And that’s what it’d take to get a Witherspoon or Ringo.
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But because the Seahawks are always looking, here are four players who could pique their interest.
Kelee Ringo, Georgia: The 6-foot-2, 207-pound Ringo checks a lot of boxes, having run a 4.36 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. He also has local ties — he grew up in Tacoma and attended Bellarmine Prep as a freshman, where he broke a school record in the 100-meter dash before moving to Arizona to be with his mother. He also has been mentored by Sherman in the run-up to the draft. Ringo becoming a Seahawk would if nothing else make for a fun story.
Devon Witherspoon, Illinois: The 5-11, 181-pounder doesn’t wow with his tangibles. But he might be the best prospect based on his play in college. Wrote Pro Football Focus in its assessment: “Witherspoon had one of the best seasons we’ve ever graded from a college cornerback. He was targeted 63 times in 2022 and allowed only 22 catches for 206 yards with three picks and 14 pass breakups. That comes out to 3.3 yards per target. He’s one of the feistiest cornerbacks in the class.”
Christian Gonzalez, Oregon: Gonzalez, who began his career at Colorado before spending last season with the Ducks, may be the most well-rounded corner in terms of size (6-1, 197) and production.
Julius Brents, Kansas State: Brents said at the combine he had met with the Seahawks and added that he patterns his game after Sherman. He looks the Sherman part, standing 6-3, 198 — Sherman was measured at 6-3, 195 at the 2011 combine. Brents is usually considered more of a late Day 2 pick, which might be more where Seattle would want to consider a corner.
Of course if I change it they will take Gonzales after all. I guess I just don't see Michael Jackson, who was a bum off the street before last season as being "set". He played ok but I could see regression happening this season. 