It would be a surprise if the Seattle Seahawks do not address the cornerback position this offseason, and fans can expect the team to be linked to multiple players as the offseason nears.
Pro Football Focus views the Seahawks as one of the top contenders (along with the Jets, Cardinals and 49ers) for Tampa Bay Buccaneers corner Carlton Davis in free agency.
At 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, Davis fits the mold of the big, physical corners that Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll tends to covet.
“Carlton Davis has the size and physical profile of a cornerback who excels at man coverage, but he actually has pretty stark splits between man and zone in the NFL, with significantly worse production when playing man coverage,” Pro Football Focus detailed, putting Davis as its No. 7 ranked free agent. “Davis has great physicality and the ability to break on the ball, and teams with weaknesses at corner should be all over him, putting the likes of the Cardinals, Seahawks, Jets and 49ers firmly in the mix.”
“…Davis is a talented No. 1 corner in pretty much any scheme. He has the profile of a corner that should excel in man coverage, but he has actually been better in zone shells throughout his NFL career. He would be a fit for most cornerback needy teams.”
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Arians on Davis: ‘I Think 1 of the Top Corners in the League’
FANTASTIC play from Carlton Davis 😤
Davis notched 68 tackles, 18 pass deflections and four interceptions during the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl run in 2020. Earlier this season, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians labeled Davis as, “one of the top corners in the league.”
“There’s no doubt about it, Carlton’s I think one of the top corners in the league, and he does give you a lot of flexibility,” Arians noted during a September 17 press conference. “Defensively, as far as being able to follow a guy from inside to outside and both sides, some guys only do it from one side to the other on the outside. He’ll follow his guy around, and it gives [defensive coordinator Todd Bowles] a tremendous amount of flexibility.”
Bucs Could Keep Davis in Tampa via the Franchise Tag
Carlton Davis said GIMME THAT 😳 @Carlton_Lowkey
Davis is due for a sizable raise from his four-year, $4.3 million contract which concludes after the 2021 season. Pro Football Focus believes there is a good chance the Bucs use the franchise tag on Davis for 2022. Yet, given the number of key free agents the Buccaneers will once again have this offseason, the team could also opt to let some players walk in free agency.
“Carlton Davis is one of very few good, young cornerbacks set to hit the free agent market and among an even shorter list of cornerbacks with the ability to play man coverage and battle head-to-head with an opposing team’s No. 1 wide receiver,” Pro Football Focus explained. “This more rare skill set always has a higher earning potential on the open market, but a franchise tag here for around $17 million-$17.5 million might be the most likely outcome.”
As for the Seahawks, the team has two promising young corners in D.J. Reed and Tre Brown, but Seattle is still looking for a legit lockdown corner since losing Shaquill Griffin to the Jaguars during the 2021 free agency.
The Seahawks will be among the top-10 NFL teams with the most projected cap space this offseason with more than $53 million, per Spotrac. Seattle will have plenty of money to make a run at a top corner like Davis if they choose to do so in 2022.
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Seahawks a Top Contender for Bucs Star in 2022, Says Analyst