The Seattle Seahawks are facing the very real possibility they won’t have safeties Kam Chancellor or Earl Thomas roaming the secondary next season. Chancellor is having a neck scan performed sometime this month, and the results will paint a clearer picture about his future with the team. It seems unlikely he will play much – if at all – next season and the Seahawks may choose to cut him instead.
Thomas held himself out of minicamp as a way to dispute his contract situation. Many believe he may be traded away this offseason. If that were the case, the Seahawks would go into 2018 with Bradley McDougald and either Delano Hill or Tedric Thompson starting at safety.
Or . . . they could pursue the open market.
Here are three free agents who could fit the Seahawks needs, and their price range, heading into the 2018 season.
ERIC REID, STRONG SAFETY
Eric Reid was ranked as the No. 30 best safety while on the 49ers last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Reid has started 69 games in his five year NFL career, recording 264 tackles and 10 interceptions. He is starting safety material in the league but has yet to find a job this offseason.
Reid, along with Colin Kaepernick, has a collusion grievance against the NFL stating teams have not given him a fair opportunity because of his decision to kneel during the national anthem.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll spoke about Reid recently, saying he “could do a nice job” for the Seahawks. Carroll went on, saying Reid brings “consistency” and is a “hard-nosed, tough guy. Good speed, really good speed. He’s been a real physical player, for the most part. He’s been a good part of their team.”
Reid would give the Seahawks a veteran safety to help plug the gap while the younger players continue to develop.
TRE BOSTON, FREE SAFETY
Tre Boston burst onto the scene last year in Los Angeles, turning a one-year, $900,000 deal into a steal for the Chargers. He started 15 games, racking up 79 tackles, five interceptions and eight passes defended – all career highs.
What makes Boston more interesting, and perhaps more expensive, is his age. Boston is just 25-years-old, making him more of a future investment than the typical one-year rental that the Seahawks have been dishing out this offseason (see Brandon Marshall).
However, if Seattle can negotiate a deal with Boston, he could step right into a starting role which would slide McDougald over to his more natural strong safety spot. There remains a chance that Boston would take a one-year deal to try and prove that 2017 wasn’t a fluke and hit the open market again next season. If Seattle can make it happen, the ball-hawking Boston would fit in great in Ken Norton Jr.’s defensive system.
DA’NORRIS SEARCY, STRONG SAFETY
While not as accomplished as Reid or Boston, former Titans safety Da’Norris Searcy could offer the Seahawks a low-cost option at the strong safety spot. The 29-year-old Searcy has started 56 games in his career, including six last year with the Titans. He has 232 tackles and eight career interceptions. Although he lost his starting job last season, he still graded out as the No. 61 best safety in the league, with Pro Football Focus giving him a score of 72.2.
If Thomas and Chancellor are gone, Searcy would have a very good shot at competing alongside McDougald for a starting role. Hill and Thompson would both get a shot, however, and Searcy could find himself in a backup role. That would give Seattle a veteran bench presence, which would be incredibly valuable if both Thomas and Chancellor were unavailable.
Searcy is not going to bring as much talent to the team as either Reid or Boston, but he’d be a low-cost option who is capable of either starting or providing valuable depth as a bench piece.
