Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primer: Ugo Amadi

Making a nice improvement in his sophomore season, Amadi suddenly finds himself in a crowded defensive backs group. Can he break through to stay on the field? Or will he fall towards the back end of the roster?

With the calendar flipping to July and offseason programs recently wrapping up, NFL training camps will begin around the league in less than a month. To celebrate the new incoming season, we will be breaking down the Seahawks' 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2021 campaign.

Ugo Amadi, Defensive Back

Height/Weight: 5-foot-9, 201 pounds

2020 Stats: 54 combined tackles, four tackles for loss, seven pass deflections, zero interceptions, 94.2 opponent passer rating, one forced fumble

As the Seahawks' 2019 season came to a disappointing end at Lambeau Field, a rookie Amadi couldn't help but feel like he was partially to blame. With Russell Wilson cooking in the second half of their divisional round matchup against the Packers, the Seahawks needed a defensive stop to put the ball back in their superstar quarterback's hands. Unfortunately, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense proved too dangerous to keep in check, and Amadi—like many—fell victim to the tremendous talent of receiver Davante Adams on a key third down. Stewing over that play for the entire offseason that followed, Amadi came into the 2020 season with more than enough motivation to right those wrongs. Getting an opportunity to fill in at the nickel corner spot following Marquise Blair's season-ending ACL injury, the Oregon alum took a legitimate step forward as a pass defender and open-field tackler. But he may be relegated back to an inconsistent role with Blair expected to return this fall, though his 2020 proved the Seahawks can call on him if need be. 

Best Case Scenario: Amadi gets on the field to line up against shorter, speedier receivers and continues to show growth in his development while making an impact on special teams. 

Worst Case Scenario: Amadi takes an unexpected step back, losing playing time to the likes of Damarious Randall and potentially giving the Seahawks a reason to consider cutting him. 

What to Expect in 2021: Despite the depth the Seahawks have accumulated in their secondary and Blair's anticipated return, Amadi should still be able to etch out something of a role for himself with a good showing in camp and the preseason. As long as he keeps the momentum he built in 2020 going, Seattle isn't going to let him waste away as an exclusive special-teamer. Though he's proven to be one of the team's best assets in the third phase of the game, his particular defensive skillset should be of use in certain situations.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primers

Alex McGough | Darvin Kidsy | Greg Eiland | Joshua Moon | Cam Sutton | Walter Palmore | Jared Hocker | Brad Lundblade | Aashari Crosswell | Myles Adams | Jon Rhattigan | Aaron Fuller | Bryan Mills I Jake Curhan | Jarrod Hewitt | Connor Wedington | Nate Evans | Danny Etling | John Ursua | Gavin Heslop | Pier-Oliver Lestage | Tamorrion Terry | Tommy Champion | Cody Thompson | Josh Johnson | Saivion Smith | Jordan Miller | Aaron Donkor | Robert Nkemdiche | Alex Collins | Tyler Mabry | Damarious Randall | Cade Johnson | Cedrick Lattimore | Phil Haynes | Geno Smith | Kyle Fuller | Travis Homer | Tyler Ott | Rasheem Green | Ben Burr-Kirven | Penny Hart | Jamarco Jones | Aldon Smith | DeeJay Dallas | Nick Bellore | Stone Forsythe | Colby Parkinson | Al Woods | Cedric Ogbuehi | Alton Robinson | Jordan Simmons | Pierre Desir | Ryan Neal | Tre Flowers | Michael Dickson | Jason Myers | Freddie Swain | Cody Barton | Bryan Mone | Benson Mayowa