Seahawks.com on CB competition

The Seahawks want to be competitive at every spot on the roster, so no starting job is set in stone, but for the sake of this question, we’ll assume that it is at least likely that Shaquill Griffin will hang onto a starting job after an outstanding rookie season. Justin Coleman also had a great first year with the Seahawks as Seattle’s nickel corner, so he is the frontrunner to hold down that spot, so if those two do indeed emerge as starters—in today’s NFL, a nickel corner is more or less a starter even if it’s not a position in base defense—then we’re talking about several interesting options to start opposite Griffin.

The Seahawks re-signed veteran corner Byron Maxwell Tuesday, a player who finished last season as a starter after Richard Sherman was lost to a season-ending injury. Maxwell is by far the most experienced cornerback on the roster, and the 2011 Seahawks draft pick played very well in his return to Seattle after two-plus seasons away, but that doesn’t guarantee that he’ll win the job. Also competing for playing time there will be former 49ers starter Dontae Johnson; a pair of college safeties turned cornerback in Mike Tyson, a 2017 draft choice, and Tre Flowers, who was picked in the fifth-round of this year’s draft; DeAndre Elliott, who missed all of last season with an ankle injury; special teams standout Neiko Thorpe; and Akeem King, who spent last season on the practice squad.

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RCB Shaquill Griffin
NCB Justin Coleman
LCB Bryon Maxwell

Assuming these returning starters are all healthy, the three depth corners that intrigue me the most are DeAndre Elliott, Dontae Johnson, and Tre Flowers.

Elliott is the most variable because he's coming off season-ending ankle surgery. But he's also the most versatile, with the quickness & agility to play in the nickel and the length & aggressiveness to play on the boundary. Akeem King offers similar high-ceiling potential, but I'm not as familiar with game. He last saw playing time in 2015 with Atlanta and has dealt with a number of injuries since then.

Flowers is the most inexperienced of the group, but I like his potential as a conversion project to corner better than Tyson's. Tyson has much less length (31 3/4" arms) and looks a little stiffer in the hips than Flowers. Flowers' nearly-34'' arms are something to behold. Not sure he will be ready for meaningful playing time at boundary corner in Year 1, but he would certainly be an asset on special teams with his combination of size and speed. Tyson would be an obvious practice squad candidate if he continues to demonstrate improvement during training camp and preseason.

That leaves a potential competition between veteran corners/special teamers Dontae Johnson and Neiko Thorpe. Both have been better special teamers than pure corners. Johnson has more past starting experience and is less expensive, so that could give him an edge. Thorpe has a $2,118,750 cap hit with just $300k in dead money if traded or released.

This is a very intriguing group IMO.

I'm interested to see what Tyson and Flowers do this year. The betting man would say that Maxwell and Johnson have the edge with starting experience. But Flowers is so unique with his long arms and size.

In my wildest dreams Flowers would win the job giving us 2 young corners -- rebirthing the legion of Boom. Perhaps in year 2 that can be a reality. I would think Flowers would need a year of learning before he can really challenge for the starting job.

But I can always dream. My hope is that Flowers, Tyson, and some of these other young players do enough to earn some valuable playing time even in a backup/reserve role. They can certainly help on special teams.