Even though there’s still about a month until the regular season begins, the Seattle Seahawks appear set at most starting positions on both offense and defense.
One of the few positions that remains open is at nickel cornerback, with four players all competing to win that starting job in camp.
The two veteran competitors are Jamar Taylor, who signed this offseason, and Akeem King, who played in all 16 games for the Seahawks last year, primarily as a special teamer.
Those two are competing with rookie Ugo Amadi and Kalan Reed, the latter of whom spent most of last season on the practice squad but has made quite an impression on coach Pete Carroll so far in camp.
“Kalan Reed has done a really nice overall job right now, pass coverage-wise,” Carroll said on Sunday. “He’s done all that stuff well enough that he can hold his spot going into the week, but it’s up for grabs, and those guys will be rotating evenly throughout.”
Reed was the final player selected in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Titans. He appeared in seven games with Tennessee over two seasons before Seattle snatched him up in October of last year and added him to their practice squad.
Carroll indicated the team could opt to use multiple players in a slot role this year, citing different styles of players and different things the team is trying to do at that position.
The four players appear locked in a fairly even battle. Reed has played well, King and Taylor have experience, and Amadi offers exceptional athleticism and versatility — which could allow him to play multiple roles for the Seahawks this season.
“It’s ongoing,” Carroll said. “Kalan Reed did a nice job in the game, Ugo Amadi did a nice job in the game too in the plays that he had, and we know that Jamar Taylor and Akeem King can play there. So, we’ve got four guys that it’s kind of hard to get their reps right, right now.”
As training camp winds down, expect the coaches to be dialed in to the nickelback position while they try to figure out which player — or players — are best suited for the job.
