Why Seahawks Trade for Quinton Dunbar Doesn't Spell Doom for Tre Flowers

Though Dunbar’s arrival may cost Tre Flowers his starting job in Seattle’s secondary, there’s a good chance Flowers will remain on the field in some capacity next season and he remains in the team's plans moving forward.

Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Pulling off his latest trade heist, Seahawks general manager John Schneider shipped a fifth-round pick to the Redskins on Monday to acquire cornerback Quinton Dunbar, executing the team’s first splash move off the offseason.

By bringing the 27-year old Dunbar into the fold, the consensus has been that Tre Flowers has already lost his starting job in Seattle and some fans have went as far as saying he should be shopped to other teams. Considering how well Dunbar played a year ago in 11 starts for Washington, that logic is understandable.

However, while all signs point to Dunbar taking over as a starter following this trade, that doesn’t mean Flowers isn’t still a part of the team’s plans in 2020 and beyond.

As one of the main reasons the Seahawks were able to get a talented corner like Dunbar at such a cheap price in the first place, he arrives in the Pacific Northwest with just one year left on his current contract and carries a cap hit of $3.4 million. Shaquill Griffin also has only one season remaining on his rookie contract heading into a new season and will be seeking a lucrative extension after making the Pro Bowl in 2019.

Dunbar also brings with him to Seattle a lengthy injury history, having missed 14 combined games and landing on injured reserve each of the past two seasons. Even Griffin himself missed two games with a hamstring injury last year, so depth at the position should be a premium.

Most importantly, from a football standpoint, the trio of Griffin, Dunbar, and Flowers should be able to coexist together in Seattle. Providing increased flexibility for coach Pete Carroll and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr., it wouldn’t be a surprise to see all three players together on the field quite a bit next season.

The Seahawks used their base 4-3 defense on 53 percent of their defensive snaps last year, easily the most among NFL teams in 2019. Carroll and Norton struggled to find a reliable replacement for Justin Coleman at slot cornerback, starting the year with Ugo Amadi “winning” the job, only for the rookie to lose it after one week to veteran Jamar Taylor.

Speaking with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine last month, Carroll indicated the nickel role would be Amadi’s “to lose,” but in theory, the acquisition of Dunbar could negatively impact how much he sees the field.

When running nickel packages with a fifth defensive back on the field next year, the Seahawks will have the ability to slide Dunbar into the slot, a role he played occasionally with the Redskins over the past few years. Flowers would check in as the right outside cornerback opposite of Griffin, giving the team three physical, athletic corners with extensive starting experience on the field at the same time.

Considering his former safety background at Oklahoma State, Flowers could be deployed as a slot defender in “big” nickel packages to cover tight ends. In recent years, cornerback Akeem King fulfilled that role with great success and at 6-foot-3, Flowers has the build and length to also excel at such a task.

With both Dunbar and Flowers on the field, Griffin may also get his wish to roam with No. 1 receivers occasionally, especially if they reduce into the slot. Simply put, having all three in the lineup together opens up the playbook from a schematic standpoint.

Considering both Dunbar and Griffin are slated to be free agents one year from now as well as Dunbar’s injury history, it would be a foolish, ill-conceived choice for the Seahawks to move on from Flowers right now. He still has two years left on his rookie deal with a cap number below $1 million and has 33 NFL starts under his belt, so why get rid of him?

As always, Carroll won’t give Dunbar the starting gig right away and he’ll have to earn it, something that hasn’t always been easy for veteran cornerbacks coming into the system. Flowers won’t back down without a fight either, which will make the competition one of the fiercest at Seattle’s training camp next summer.

Once the dust settles, regardless of who wins the battle, look for the Seahawks to find creative ways to incorporate all three players on the field at the same time for what should be a vastly improved secondary unit.