Ted’s Talk: Why I still like the idea of ​​Seahawks safety Marquise Blair

I’ve always had a soft spot for security. Don’t ask me to explain why, because I can’t quite put my finger on it. Michael Boulware is one of my favorite Seattle Seahawks ever. I loved the combination of Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas.

And it’s not just the Seahawks’ safeties. Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, Steve Atwater, Brian Dawkins, I could go on and on. Perhaps it’s their skills and ability to make an impact in multiple facets of the game. Safeties can come flying in from the back end and lay the wood. They can also scream across the field and pick a pass. It’s a position that allows for different body types, playing styles and unique qualities that can lead to success.

All that preamble is just to say that I was already predisposed to be excited about Marquise Blair when he was drafted by the Seahawks at No. 47 overall in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. There was a clear opening in the back end of the defense, as Chancellor would never be able to play again after his neck injury from 2017, and Thomas had just flown to the Baltimore Ravens in free agency. I was hoping Blair would bring some much needed toughness back to Seattle’s defense.

The safety group during 2019 training camp was essentially Bradley McDougald, Tedric Thompson, Lano Hill, Ryan Neal and Blair. The seemed as the perfect opportunity for a rookie to step in and win a starting spot. Blair showed glimpses of his talent (and penchant for big hits) during his first preseason.

After that, he was mostly relegated to special teams when the regular season started and was inactive for two of the first five games. Seattle looked to the trade market and brought in Quandre Diggs — a big trade in retrospect — to bolster their safety room. Blair ended up starting three games in the middle of the season for an injured McDougald, but went back to his reserve role after that. Apparently it was because of his lack of experience.

In 2020, he was moved to nickel after the Jamal Adams trade and was considered by many to be one of the stars of the preseason.

He had seven tackles and one FF in the season-opening win against the Atlanta Falcons, and it looked like he was on his way to fulfilling the promise of his potential.

Until the next game. Filling in at free safety for Quandre Diggs, who was thrown out for an illegal hit, Blair was hit by friendly fire and tore his ACL.

This would be the start of an unfortunate trend for Blair. He recovered in time to play in the 2021 preseason and even contributed a defensive TD in the final preseason game.

Blair was a non-starter in 2021, playing between 15% and 41% on defense in six of the seven games in which he appeared, while also participating on special teams units. Unfortunately, he broke his patella in Week 7 and missed the rest of the season.

He came back again in 2022, but was released by Seattle in the finals. Blair then bounced around between the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles practice squads for most of the rest of that year. His tough injury luck continued in the 2023 offseason when he tore his Achilles in April and missed the entire season.

John Schneider brought Blair back to the Seahawks during training camp this year, feeling he still has enough left in the tank to contribute. After Pete Carroll was traded in the 2024 offseason, disconnections between the scouting and coaching staffs regarding playing time for younger guys rumbled. Believe Blair was one of those Schneider wished the coaches would have gotten on the field earlier or more often in 2019, which is part of the reason he was brought back.

Through two preseason games, Blair is proving he can still pack a punch.

He can also still research his hits such as penalty flag for tackling sliding Titans QB Mason Rudolph, who was picked off correctly.

By no means am I getting ahead of myself thinking that Blair is the savior for the Seahawks in 2024. Between Rayshawn Jenkins, Julian Love, K’Von Wallace, Coby Bryant and eventually Jerrick Reed, I think the safety room is pretty stacked. and Blair is probably an outsider looking in when it comes to a roster spot.

However, I also think he has shown enough in this round to be a low-risk addition to the practice squad. Surprisingly, Blair is only 27, which means he is only 8 months older than Julian Love and about a week older than K’Von Wallace. He still hits like a ton of bricks and brings an attitude to the defense that I’m sure Mike Macdonald appreciates. With my penchant for safety, I know I certainly do.