Getty The Seahawks plan to meet with cornerback T.J. Carrie.
There is one more indication that the Seattle Seahawks have made it a great priority to improve their defense this offseason. The Seahawks will meet with former Browns cornerback T.J. Carrie just days before NFL free agency begins, per Sirus XM’s Adam Caplan.
“Former #Browns CB/S T.J. Carrie is expected to visit the #Seahawks this week, source said. Carrie started 14 games during his 2 seasons with the #Browns. Team is looking to boost their nickel position. They played mostly 3 LBs in nickel last season instead of an extra DB,” Caplan noted on Twitter.
The Seahawks’ secondary struggled with consistency and signing Carrie would likely be a potential solution to improve their nickel position. Carrie is not currently under contract so he is able to meet with the Seahawks prior to the official start of free agency. The corner had 40 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble in 16 games for the Browns last season. Carrie started in six of those 16 contests for Cleveland.
Seahawks GM John Schneider Admitted There Is a “Need to Get Better” at the Secondary Position
Ugo Amadi spent some time last season as the Seahawks nickel corner. Seahawks GM John Schneider praised Amadi’s performance but admitted the team needs to strengthen the position.
“Ugo [Amadi] did a nice job when he got out there,” Schneider noted at the NFL Combine, per USA Today. “We didn’t play a ton of nickel last year. You’ve got to look at the nickel position like a starter, right? Detroit got [Justin] Coleman, gave him a nice contract, he did a great job for them again. But we need to keep preparing along the way.”
Schneider also addressed the secondary as a whole noting that there is a “need to get better.”
“I think just like every position, you’re constantly looking to tweak it and figure out how you get better,” Schneider explained, per USA Today. “Whether it’s a strong safety, free safety—obviously we want to get better. If I told you we were satisfied with the performance, I’d be lying. We all need to get better.”
The unit did see improvement after the Seahawks acquired safety Quandre Diggs via a trade with the Lions. It would be surprise if the Seahawks did not address the position in both free agency and the NFL draft.
Pete Carroll Called the Nickel Corner Spot Ugo Amadi’s to Lose Heading Into Next Season
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll also praised Amadi’s play but did not rule out bringing in another player. Carroll described the nickel corner spot as “Ugo’s to lose right now” during his NFL combine press conference.
“…We’ll continue to make that spot competitive with different styles of guys to see what they offer us,” Carroll said, per Seahawks.com. “Wait and see what we’re thinking there, but I like to have different styles of guys…So we’re OK if we don’t add a guy, but we’ll keep looking though, because nobody really owns the spot yet. It’s really Ugo’s to lose right now. If we were going back, that’s where we would begin, but he’s going to be under siege now, he’s going to have to really work hard to keep it, which is what the competition is all about.”
