Can Seahawks CB Neiko Thorpe replace Justin Coleman in 2019?
Mar 25, 2019, 11:38 AM | Updated: 11:58 am
Cornerback and special team standout Neiko Thorpe has returned to the Seahawks. (Getty)
(Getty)
Is Seahawks special team co-captain Neiko Thorpe a contender to succeed Justin Coleman at slot cornerback? After news broke that Seattle re-signed Thorpe Saturday, 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock Huard was asked whether Thorpe’s role could expand in 2019.
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For Huard, the Seahawks’ decision to retain Thorpe speaks more to his value on special teams and as a veteran leader than it does to his potential to be a starting nickel corner.
“I don’t see him as a nickel guy, he’s just too big,” Huard said during his Blue 42 segment of Brock and Salk Monday. “At that position, you need elite short-area quickness. Neiko’s got elite special teams strength, feel, and still has enough speed to get down the field as a gunner. But as far as an inside nickel guy, no.”
“You made this move for one reason and one reason alone: you love him and you love what he brings as the captain of that special teams mindset. It’s valuable; if you’ve got an elite All-Pro punter who can kick the ball 75 yards, but at times maybe overkick his coverage, you better have somebody who can clean up a mistake or two. And that guy has been as dominant as anybody in the coverage phase even the return phase as well. This is also not a lock to make the team; it’s not like all the sudden Neiko Thorpe signed a mega deal. He signed a nice contract and he should make this team. You signed him back because you want him to be a part of it.”
Thorpe, 29, originally signed with the Seahawks as a free agent in September 2016. From Week 2 to Week 16, Thorpe appeared in 78 percent of all special teams snaps.
Huard also answered questions about whether the Seahawks should draft a wide receiver with an early pick, and was asked to break down linebacker Shaquem Griffin’s Pro Football Focus grade from 2018. You can hear the full segment in the audio clip embedded above. Listen to Huard answer three football questions every weekday morning for Blue 42 at 7:45 a.m on 710 ESPN Seattle.
