Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider was asked Wednesday whether cornerback DeShawn Shead will be healthy for the start of the 2017 season.
"For the start of the season? I wouldn’t think so," Schneider said.
Shead suffered a knee injury in the Seahawks' divisional round loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He tore his ACL, but coach Pete Carroll said after the season that it was a "really significant" injury, indicating there was additional damage.
Shead, a restricted free agent, started all but one game at right cornerback last season and played well. He was in line to start opposite Richard Sherman once again in 2017 before suffering the injury.
Now, suddenly, cornerback is a glaring need for the Seahawks.
"It pushes it up," Schneider admitted, later adding, "Everybody’s like, 'We're not going to draft for need.' Well, in this day and age, you kind of have to."
The Seahawks have some relatively unknown young cornerback options such as DeAndre Elliott, Pierre Desir and pending free agent Neiko Thorpe. They've done a great job with player development at this position in the past. Shead worked his way up from a practice squad player to become a starter. Sherman was originally a fifth-round pick. And Byron Maxwell was a sixth-round selection.
But Seattle will look to add more options in the weeks ahead.
Free agency has been unkind to them in the past with Cary Williams failing to make it through the whole season in 2015. Seahawks coaches have said that free agents often have difficulty picking up their particular step-kick technique. Carroll hinted strongly after Williams was released that he prefers to build cornerback through the draft with young players who have not played in other NFL systems.
This year's class is loaded with options who fit what the Seahawks are looking for. Under Carroll and Schneider, they have never drafted a corner before the fourth round, but this could be a year where they buck that trend.
Meanwhile, at left corner, Sherman is coming off a tumultuous season in which he was involved in sideline shouting matches with defensive coordinator Kris Richard and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell on separate occasions. Schneider, however, said that the organization's view of Sherman has not changed.
"No, he’s an elite player," Schneider said. "I think everybody has bad days. Congratulations if you don’t. But we love him. He’s an elite player."
At safety, Kam Chancellor, who had an ankle cleanup procedure, is entering the final year of his deal and will be looking for a contract extension.
And Earl Thomas is recovering from a broken leg he suffered in Week 3.
As long as Carroll is the coach, the secondary will be a focus. But the Seahawks have questions to answer and moves to make this offseason to ensure that the pass defense is positioned for success in 2017.
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