Wyman: Why Seahawks’ most intriguing roster battle is at CB
Jun 24, 2023, 9:45 AM
Mike Jackson of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates an interception against the Jets on Jan. 1, 2023. (Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images)
(Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images)
After a few years of getting torched in the passing game, the Seattle Seahawks finished 14th against the pass, and the secondary, naturally, was a big reason why.
The Seattle Seahawks position group Wyman is most confident in
Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs did his thing on the back end, but the Hawks surprisingly got elite play out of fifth-round rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen, who started every game for Seattle and wound up tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with six.
After that great year, Woolen is penned in as a starter. But what about how the rest of the cornerback room will look?
Former NFL linebacker Dave Wyman, now a Seattle Sports host of Wyman and Bob as well as a Seahawks radio analyst, said that’s the most intriguing roster battle the team will have come training camp.
“Believe it or not, corner. Just because they have so much talent there,” Wyman told Mike Lefko during Friday’s Brock and Salk. “It’s so hard to get a good corner in the league.”
The Seahawks have Woolen back, and they also used the No. 5 overall pick on All-American cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Seattle also returns 2022 starting nickel corner Coby Bryant, a fourth-round pick a year ago, as well as 2021 fourth-rounder Tre Brown, who was a promising starter as a rookie before getting hurt.
But the man who started opposite Woolen in 2022 is a big reason why the Seahawks’ cornerback room is so intriguing heading into training camp, Wyman said.
“I wouldn’t have said that without what Michael Jackson did during camp, during the mini camps,” Wyman said.
Jackson, like Woolen, started all 17 games at outside cornerback for the Seahawks in 2022. He was third on the team in tackles and recorded an interception and 12 pass breakups. And by all accounts, Jackson was the star of Seattle’s minicamp practices, which is especially impressive as those are tailored towards offenses standing out.
“I mean, they’ve thrown everything at that guy. He’s had battles with Darius Slay in Detroit, who is a Pro Bowler, (former NFL Defensive Player of the Year) Stephon Gilmore in New England. And now he comes here, he battles back and finally gets to be a starter, and then they take (a cornerback with) the No. 5 pick,” Wyman said. “A lot of players would tuck their tail or mope around, and he just is attacking it.
“So what are you going to do there? I mean, you know Devon Witherspoon is going to start. Coby Bryant, let’s not forget about him. He was a really good nickel guy last year. And where does Michael Jackson fit in? It’s almost like you just have … an embarrassment of riches at corner and it’s really hard to get that in the NFL.”
Listen to the full second hour of Friday’s Brock and Salk at this link or in the player below.
