Ravens help the Seahawks get Pete Carroll an early birthday present
Pete Carroll turns 72 next month and the Seahawks, knowing there are few things he likes more than working with talented young defensive backs, got him an excellent early present on Wednesday. The Seahawks set their 53-man roster on Tuesday, but it was quickly amended a day later as Seattle claimed cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly […]
Pete Carroll turns 72 next month and the Seahawks, knowing there are few things he likes more than working with talented young defensive backs, got him an excellent early present on Wednesday.
The Seahawks set their 53-man roster on Tuesday, but it was quickly amended a day later as Seattle claimed cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly off waivers.
Kelly was a fifth-round pick of the Ravens in this year's draft out of Stanford but failed to make Baltimore's 53-man roster.
He joins a stacked Seattle cornerback group that is arguably the strength of the team and would appear to have a tough path to regular snaps on defense.
But at 6ft and 190 pounds with 32-inch arms that put him in the 70th percentile for cornerbacks, Kelly has measurables with which Carroll can certainly work.
The knock on Kelly is a lack of speed, which makes it tough for him to recover separation.
However, Seattle has a good history with former Stanford corners who are long but can't run fast. While it is way too early to expect Kelly to turn into Richard Sherman, the Seahawks are obviously hopeful they can harness the performance levels that saw him record 11 pass breakups and two interceptions in his penultimate college season.
To make room for Kelly, the Seahawks released corner Artie Burns, though he has since been signed to the practice squad.
Carroll and his staff worked their magic with a rookie last season, quickly turning fourth-round pick Tariq Woolen into a Defensive Rookie of the Year contender.
This season, they will look to do the same with first-rounder Devon Witherspoon while also hoping to get further strides from the likes of Michael Jackson and Tre Brown.
Kelly gives Carroll an athlete who represents the archetype for what the Seahawks looked for at corner during the height of the 'Legion of Boom' era.
With him on the roster and Burns sticking around as a reclamation project, Carroll is not short of players who can help him embellish his resume as one of the NFL's great defensive back talent developers.
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Featured Image Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
