On Aug. 29, the Seattle Seahawks officially announced the signing of former Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold. Afterward, the NFL put Arnold on paid leave as he handles the eight felony charges stemming from an alleged kidnapping and armed robbery that happened earlier this year in Florida.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider spoke about the decision to sign Arnold and shared the character background check that the team ran before officially signing the player.
“There is a ton of different factors that went into it,” Schneider told reporters after the roster cutdown deadline on Aug. 30 (h/t Pro Football Talk). “Obviously, the legal stuff has to take care of itself, and we totally respect that. There are tons of different buckets to this situation. Just the advocates that we had, you know. We traded for Leon Washington the first year that we were here, and he’s basically like his father.
“Leon [Washington] will always be a legend here, and he has a great relationship with the organization. The character just didn’t really fit with the allegations and everybody we’ve talked to. But yes, there’s a long-term play. This isn’t a, ‘Let’s see how quickly we can get this done.‘ Let’s get him in the building and see how it goes.”
Last season with the Lions, Arnold played 312 total snaps on defense, leading to a 52.6 overall PFF defensive grade. Moreover, he recorded one interception, broke up four passes in coverage, and allowed an 88.6 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks.
Arnold also surrendered 23 receptions in coverage and contributed 28 solo tackles in run support.
Seahawks GM on CB Depth Ahead of the 2026 Season
Moreover, Schneider shared his thoughts on the cornerback depth after the team signed players like Arnold (and potentially Trevon Diggs to the practice squad) during training camp to bolster the position.
“Feel solid about it, but it’s like this, that position is like you can never have enough guys all the way through, and we’ve been in spots before where we’ve been stuck where we’re signing a guy to the practice squad, two weeks here, elevating,“ Schneider added.
“We want to be able to have guys that are in the system for a long time that the coaches feel comfortable about playing in games.”
Richard Sherman Gets Candid on Terrion Arnold Decision
Recently, former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman shared his thoughts on the decision to bring Arnold in despite the player’s off-the-field situation.
“I think the Seahawks are signing him because, as always, they’re chasing edges,“ Sherman said in an Aug. 14 video from “The Richard Sherman Podcast.“ “If you see a former first-round pick who’s played some good football, he’s had some up-and-down moments, but he’s played some good football for the Detroit Lions in a tough scheme where they kind of played him outside of his strengths…
“I think he’s a player that could fit in this scheme really well and could thrive in this scheme. He’s a veteran player. Obviously, they still feel good about the guys they have, but he’s a guy that can help them.”
Seahawks GM Delivers Candid Terrion Arnold Statement After Roster Cuts