Seahawks 90-Man Roster Rundown: Marquise Blair

For the second consecutive year, Blair missed most of the season with a knee injury. Entering the final year of his contract, he will need to show that he’s healthy to get on the field as a nickel cornerback or third safety.

Ted Zahn | Jul 14, 2022

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to July and offseason programs wrapped up across the country, NFL training camps will begin around the NFL in less than a month's time. To celebrate the new incoming season, the All Seahawks staff 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 2022 campaign.

Marquise Blair, Safety/Nickel Cornerback

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 196 pounds

2021 Stats: Nine tackles, two passes defensed

One year after tearing his ACL in Week 2 on a friendly-fire hit from then-teammate KJ Wright, Blair once again suffered a season ending knee injury – this time a fractured patella in Week 7. He played both safety positions in college and was impressive during his rookie training camp and preseason with some bone-jarring hits. However, when the season began, he found himself mostly on the bench behind Bradley McDougald and Tedric Thompson. The Seahawks then traded for Quandre Diggs midway through the year to shore up the free safety position. Going into 2020, Blair was seen as the probable starting strong safety next to Diggs – until the Seahawks traded for Jamal Adams. Blair was then thrown into the nickel cornerback competition and, by many reports, was one of the most impressive players in training camp. Unfortunately, two straight seasons cut short by knee injuries have cast doubt on his ability to stay healthy and contribute.

Best Case Scenario: After a long rehab process, Blair gets on the field during training camp and – more importantly – stays healthy throughout preseason. He inserts himself into the nickel cornerback competition and plays that position as well as an extra safety in sub packages. Blair’s talent shines through as he forces two fumbles and has an interception in 2022, creating an interesting decision for the front office approaching free agency.

Worst Case Scenario: Two straight season-ending knee injuries take their toll on Blair’s athleticism as it becomes clear during training camp that he just doesn’t have the explosiveness he used to. Blair makes the team but is mostly relegated to special teams and is not re-signed after 2022.

What to Expect in 2022: There may not be a bigger wild card on the 2022 Seahawks roster than Blair. He’s extremely talented and will only be 25 years old this season. When healthy during the last two training camps, Blair has shown a propensity for being involved in big plays as evidenced when he caught the ball off a Cody Barton strip sack in the 2021 preseason finale and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown in his first game post ACL tear. The problem is that Blair has missed too many games to rely on him. Given that he is still rehabbing his patella fracture surgery, it’s still unclear when he will see the field and starting the season on the PUP list can’t be ruled out at this point. Back-to-back knee injuries also run the risk of sapping some of Blair’s athleticism, so his performance when he can return to play will be scrutinized. Another wrinkle is the fact that Blair doesn’t have a set position. Diggs and Adams are the obvious starters at safety and Ryan Neal has been a productive backup. Blair could step in if there are injuries or maybe compete with Neal as a third safety in sub packages. He will also likely be part of the nickel cornerback competition which might feature different players depending on matchups. If he can stay off the injury report, he’s too talented to be kept off the field and could end up being an X-factor for the Seahawks defense this season.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Roster Profiles

Published Jul 14, 2022

TED ZAHN