Unlike Rae Sremmurd (remember them?), the Seattle Seahawks do have a type, especially in the secondary: athletic, long, and physically imposing. Ever since general manager John Schneider took the reins in 2010, think of the defensive backs that have worn the Action Green and Wolf Grey: Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner, Tariq Woolen, and the list goes on. So, when news broke that former Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold had a tryout with the defending Super Bowl champions, it wasn’t all that surprising. This is a championship contender who, while might not have a glaring need along the boundary, could stand to upgrade, in light of Woolen signing with the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year pact.
But what is surprising is that Coach Mike Macdonald and Schneider were willing, as seen on Hard Knocks, to add a player to the roster who was only available after being released in late June for allegedly being the “primary conspirator” of the kidnapping and beating of three men who prosecutors wrongly believe stole $100,000 in cash, luxury handbags and watches from the 2023 All-American. It’s puzzling that a team, predicated on accountability, character and strong culture, would ignore those values to expectantly sign a player who, after being placed on the commissioner-exempt list on Tuesday, may not play this year, or ever again. And even if he does play this year, there’s a strong possibility that he struggles, as he has for most of his admittedly short career. Coming off a Lombardi trophy last season, where their moves were questioned, like signing quarterback Sam Darnold, I think the organization took a heat check, but it may come up just short.
First, let’s talk about the football of it all. The Tallahassee, Florida, native was the 24th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft after recording 63 tackles, 5 picks, a sack, and a forced fumble while playing for the Crimson Tide. He was considered one of the top boundary corners of the class, just behind Toledo’s (now Philadelphia’s) Quinyon Mitchell. When the Lions took him, he was supposed to shore up a leaky secondary and eventually become a lockdown CB 1 because of his athletic traits and on-ball production. But you know what they say about best-laid plans.
He struggled with penalties his rookie year, drawing seven pass interference calls, mostly by getting too aggressive with receivers at the catch point and in the recovery phase. He also struggled with scheme fit– Arnold led the league in man-coverage snaps, with former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn putting the then-rookie through the gauntlet by matching him up with the likes of Justin Jefferson, Christian Watson and D.J. Moore with no safety help. Good luck with that.
While he didn’t drown, things weren’t going swimmingly–the divisive advanced metric website Pro Football Focus gave the self-proclaimed star a measly 50.2 coverage grade, in the bottom percentile of first -year corners with significant snaps. Year two didn’t fare much better with a 53.8 coverage grade, 92nd out of 114 qualified players. He went from a passer rating of 93.7 when targeted to a passer rating of 101.5 in eight games before a shoulder injury (that required surgery this spring) ended his season. But hey, he picked off embattled Minnesota signal-caller J.J. “Nine” McCarthy for the first turnover of his career. Congrats.
Using the tried-and-true method of the eye test, it did seem like he settled in as he got more playing time his first year, while his second was a wash. He obviously didn’t perform the way he wanted to, but neither did the Lions as a whole team. To be even more fair to him, corner must be the toughest position to transition from college to the pros. The receivers in this league are the best in the world, and if you’re not on your A game, they’ll take advantage every time. There’s obviously been corners that come in and are dominant from day one like Christian Gonzalez, Pat Surtain II, and Derek Stingley Jr., but for most, it takes some time to get acclimated. There could be a scenario where he does develop into “Arnold Island”, but it was looking like Detroit got it wrong there (especially because they traded up to get him). Mitchell only went two picks before, and he’s the better player.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room–Arnold is facing eight felony counts that could potentially mean life in prison. While there’s no trial date set, you can bet the NFL is already doing its own independent investigation. And while former lawyer-turned-Commissioner Roger Goodell will respect the legal process and let it play out, the NFL’s Player Conduct Policy may lead to suspension even if Arnold has yet to be convicted. Think back to Deflategate. No one was proven to have done anything wrong, but Tom Brady was still suspended for “destroying evidence.” I believe for “sullying” the shield, there’s a good chance that Arnold will miss time, if not now, soon, as in next season. Exhibit A: Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice and his legal troubles.
So why would the Seahawks want to sign him? This isn’t a player who’s shown a high level of play so far. Well, it’s not much of a financial commitment. Because he’s a former first-rounder, he has a guaranteed four-year contract totaling 14 million. After the news broke of the league’s office decision to place him on the Commissioner Exempt list (meaning he will be paid but cannot practice with the team or play in games), it was reported that Seattle was still interested in signing him, and that Arnold was willing to play on a league-minimum contract. For a player of his upside, that’s better than a bargain–it’s more like a steal.
Schematically, it’s a better fit than what he was asked to do in the Motor City. Moving from heavy press-man to more pattern-matching zone coverage, Arnold can tap into what made him so great in college, using his vision, football IQ, and quick twitch to attack and make plays. A sure tackler, he can hold the edge and cover run fits on the boundary, an important trait in Macdonald’s system. At some point in the future, he should be in the mix for the nickelback position, though no one knows when that will be.
Plus, there’s a familiarity with Arnold, the person, not only the player. He was teammates at Alabama with backup quarterback Jalen Milroe, who still considers him a good friend; his new defensive back coach, Karl Scott, recruited him to Tuscaloosa; and the organization itself did some pre-draft work on him in 2024.
“There’s serious allegations. If you separate that from the person that they talk about him being daily and their history with him, it’s been overwhelmingly positive,” Macdonald said when they signed him. While that’s a nice sentiment, being kidnapped, robbed, and pistol-whipped isn’t what I’d call minor offenses. And this is where the awkward part of watching the league comes in–you realize quickly that the professional in pro football is the only thing that matters. It’s a business and a hard one at that. Only around 1700 players make it onto a game-day roster. With that kind of scarcity in a job field, employers, i.e., teams, front offices, and coaching staffs, look the other way more times than not, and the Seahawks are no different, which is disappointing. But like former Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said, “If Hannibal Lecter ran a 4.3, we’d probably diagnose it as an eating disorder.”
It does seem like when the news broke Tuesday, Seattle was caught off guard. The Seahawks even admitted it themselves when they brought in former Cowboy Trevon Diggs for a workout a few hours after the announcement. So maybe the club figured that since Arnold won’t go to trial until at least 2027, they could keep him around to learn the playbook and refine his technique, but with his placement on the Exempt list, he’s at the mercy of the league to tell him when he can play again. And there’s a good chance that may be never. You don’t apologize for winning a championship, so if Seattle makes another deep run into February with Arnold defending the slot at a high level, I’ll eat my words. But right now, it’s a head-scratcher that’s all risk and no reward.
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