Seahawks should sign this player to replace Quinton Dunbar

The Seattle Seahawks lost cornerback Quinton Dunbar to the Detroit Lions, but they can find a suitable replacement in free agency.

The Seattle Seahawks were expected to see some turnover entering the 2021 league year, especially with the limited amount of cap space they had available to them. One of their largest cap casualties came in the form of top cornerback Shaquill Griffin, who signed a massive contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. That was not the only player they lost in the secondary.

On Monday, the Seahawks watched as the Detroit Lions signed defensive back Quinton Dunbar to a one-year contract.

The Seahawks are competing in what is expected to be an extremely tough NFC West division next year. They need to fill the voids left in the defensive backfield. Luckily for them, former Pittsburgh Steelers corner Steven Nelson is still a free agent.

Seahawks should replace Quinton Dunbar with Steven Nelson

In the past two seasons, Nelson was a starting outside corner for the Steelers. 2019 was a stellar campaign for Nelson, as he surrendered 37 catches for 491 yards and zero touchdowns on 74 targets through 15 games. As for 2020, Nelson did allow a 58.2 completion percentage against opposing quarterbacks, but he surrendered 732 yards and seven touchdowns. All in all, Nelson tallied 17 pass breakups and three interceptions through his two campaigns in the Steel City.

While Nelson was stellar in Pittsburgh, the team apparently did not view him as an every-game starter. That was evident after the team chose to release him from his contract (after failing to find a trade partner) to free up over $8 million in cap space and kept Joe Haden, who would have freed up $7 million if released. Additionally, Cameron Sutton revealed that coaches told him during exit interviews that they would give him opportunities as an outside corner for the 2021 season.

Nelson’s release occurred two weeks ago, and him remaining on the open market could mean he has not received an offer he deems acceptable. A shrinking market would work in the favor of the Seahawks, as they have to contend with the likes of Kyler Murray, Matthew Stafford and whoever starts for the San Francisco 49ers twice each.

Signing Nelson to replace Dunbar would be a solid move by Seahawks general manager John Schneider.