Which Seahawks cornerback should start opposite of Shaquill Griffin?

Note: This post was published before Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday afternoon that cornerback Quinton Dunbar would undergo season-ending knee surgery. Click here for full details.

The Seahawks have just two games to go before they begin the playoffs, and as they prepare for a huge Week 16 game against the Rams, they are facing a predicament that tends to be referred to as a good problem to have.

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Quinton Dunbar and Tre Flowers, who have both started at cornerback this season for Seattle, could each return to play Sunday after recovering from injuries, while D.J. Reed has been a revelation at the position in their place. So which of the three players going forward should start opposite the Seahawks’ other starting corner, Shaquill Griffin?

The Seahawks will have to answer that question themselves soon, but 710 ESPN Seattle’s Jake and Stacy put the question into focus during their show Tuesday. Let’s look at what they had to say.

Jake Heaps

“My heart and everything that I’m seeing right now says D.J. Reed. I love D.J. Reed being out there. What he has shown us this season so far, I’ve been so incredibly impressed, and I just love the attitude that he plays with and the chip on his shoulder that he plays with. He is a smart, savvy player.

“But out of those three, who would I actually love to see? I’d love to see a healthy Quinton Dunbar. I would love to see a healthy, confident Quinton Dunbar, because if you got that guy back playing at his absolute best to what his talent is, that’s a scary, scary thought. But based off what we’ve seen so far this season, I don’t know if Dunbar can get there so I’ve been really, really pleased with what I’ve seen from D.J. Reed.

“And the thing is, Tre Flowers has played really good too before he got hurt. You’ve got a really good problem there.”

Stacy Rost

“Flowers was improving and it was kind of a bummer to see him get injured. I want 2019 Quinton Dunbar – four interceptions, eight passes defended in just 11 games with Washington, playing at a couple different corner spots there. It hasn’t been that case (with Seattle). He’s got five passes defended and one pick, which isn’t awful, but he’s just made some mistakes… He looked pretty good against New England earlier in the year so he’s had some better performances.

“I think Reed deserves (the chance) to lose the job. You never deserve to lose your job because of injury so Quinton Dunbar, get back in and fight for it, but I think Reed should be allowed to still compete for it. I think he has proven he can compete for it.”

You can hear the full discussion in the Three Questions segment of Jake and Stacy in the podcast at this link or in the player below.

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