Seahawks 90-Man Roster Rundown: Ugo Amadi

A jack of all trades, Amadi will enter the final year of his contract battling for reps at slot cornerback while also serving as an insurance option at both safety positions for Seattle.

Corbin K. Smith | Jul 10, 2022

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.

Ugo Amadi, Safety/Cornerback

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

2021 Stats: 54 tackles, one interception, two pass breakups

Once again the primary benefactor of teammate Marquise Blair suffering a season-ending knee injury, Amadi started seven games and logged a career-high in defensive snaps (691) seeing extensive action out of the slot in 2021. Quarterbacks found a bit more success targeting him in coverage than the previous season, completing 56 out of 67 pass attempts for 577 yards and a touchdown for a 101.3 passer rating. He also struggled with penalties, drawing six on the season, including several critical defensive holding infractions. However, he only yielded one touchdown and remained a quality run defender and special teams contributor, posting 54 tackles and a forced fumble for the second straight season.

Best Case Scenario: Taking advantage of the experience gained in his prior two seasons, Amadi outperforms Justin Coleman and Blair to win the starting slot cornerback job. Shining in coordinator Clint Hurtt's aggressive defensive scheme, he sets a new career-high with three interceptions and sets himself up nicely for a decent contract in free agency.

Worst Case Scenario: With Blair back healthy and Coleman still playing at a high level, Amadi doesn't see much playing time on defense during the preseason and the Seahawks surprisingly release him during final roster cuts after failing to find a trade partner.

What to Expect in 2022: Under Pete Carroll, the Seahawks have always valued versatility and Amadi provides as much flexibility as any player on their roster with the ability to play slot cornerback as well as both safety positions and special teams. For that reason alone, it would be a stunner if he wasn't on the opening week roster. With that said, the return of Coleman in free agency and presence of a healthy Blair could make it tricky for him to see much field time on defense. Not carving out a role in sub-packages could put him squarely on the bubble with the depth in the secondary. Still, after two solid seasons playing the majority of Seattle's snaps in the slot, he should be in the heat of the competition in camp and the preseason and at worst, he will be a core special teams player on kick and punt coverage.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Roster Profiles

Published Jul 10, 2022

CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.