Seattle Seahawks fans’ worst fears were realized over the weekend when free safety Earl Thomas said he intends to hold out from minicamp and all other team-related activities until his contract situation is resolved. While both sides have indicated a willingness to get a deal done, this situation does increase the likelihood that Thomas gets traded before the start of the season.
With Kam Chancellor’s status still up in the air, the Seahawks have a lot of question marks at safety. The team re-signed Bradley McDougald, who started nine games last year and could easily come in and start.
However, the possibility that the team will be without both Thomas and Chancellor looms large. If that is the case, there are still quite a few veteran free agent safeties available that Seattle could acquire.
No doubt the most controversial of the free agent options, former 49ers safety Eric Reid remains without a job despite being ranked by NFL.com as the 27th-best free agent on the market.
Reid, like McDougald, has experience at both safety positions. He has started 69 games in his five year NFL career, recording 264 tackles and 10 interceptions. He was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the 30th-best safety in the league last year, so he should be able to find a job as a starter in the NFL.
Of course, the primary reason he has yet to do so is his collusion grievance against the NFL. Reid, alongside former teammate Colin Kaepernick, chose to kneel during the national anthem beginning in 2016. Reid feels that teams are not giving him a fair shake because of that decision.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll spoke about Reid after OTAs on Thursday, 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.”
It remains to be seen whether the Seahawks will show any real interest in the 26-year-old Reid. He could immediately slot into a starting role alongside McDougald if both Chancellor and Thomas are gone. If they are both back, the Seahawks will have an incredibly deep secondary once again.
While Reid played on a $5.6 million dollar salary last season, it seems likely he’d have to take a pay cut this year. Similar to Brandon Marshall, Reid may be signable on a cheap one-year deal with incentives.
Reid is not the only free agent defensive back the Seahawks could pursue. Kenny Vaccaro, Tre Boston, Darius Butler and Da’Norris Searcy are all on the market as well.
