The Seattle Seahawks signing of 12-year veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall Wednesday afternoon is pretty close to a High Schooll dance where the last song is being played and the only two people not dancing quickly nod at each other and head for the dance floor. The question regarding the signing of Marshall is how long will the music play?
The signing of Marshall makes sense for the Seahawks due to the limited risk involved in the move. Marshall signed a one year contract that could reach $2 million with incentives. Marshall is the big receiver the Seahawks covert in their offense to spread defenses and the 6-5 232 pounds Marshall looks to be a great fit on paper. The 34-year-old Marshall is a proven player who has made six Pro Bowl appearances and has eight 1,000 yard receiving yards in his 12 year NFL career with the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins Chicago Bears, New York Jets and most recently the New York Giants.
In addition to the productivity, Marshall has had a run-in with the law and the injury bug. In 2008 Marshall won an appeal with the NFL and saw a three-game suspension reduced to one game and $52,353 after being charged with drunk driving and a domestic violence arrest. Marshall has battled injuries throughout his career starting in 2006 when he was a rookie with the Denver Broncos and suffered a slight tear to his posterior cruciate ligament in a preseason game.
Marshall returned from the training table to participate in 15 games and finish the year with 20 reception and 309 yards. Marshall’s long history of injuries includes a nonfootball-related right forearm cut in 2008, hip surgery in 2009 and 2012, broken ribs in 2014 and an ankle injury in 2017 with the New York Giants the last NFL team Marshall played for.
Despite the injuries, Marshall is one of the most productive receivers in NFL history. He is one of six players in NF history to catch at least 200 passes in three consecutive seasons. Marshall was named MVP of the 2012 Pro Bowl
So with an illustrious career of accomplishments, injuries and some bad choices it was no wonder Marshall was humbled and honored to have a chance to get back on the field with the Seattle Seahawks.
TAKEAWAYS:
The dance between Marshall makes sense in that both sides can mutually benefit due to realistic expectations. After losing Red Zone magnate TE Jimmy Graham to free agency and wide receiver Paul Richardson the Seahawks were always on the lookout for help at the wide receiver position. The Seahawks elected not to draft a wide receiver and instead drafted TE Will Dissly a blocker with decent hands but no Jimmy Graham. If Marshall is healthy and able to catch about 40 to 50 passes and sic touchdowns then the dance will continue.
This will mean Marshall will have to quickly prove to the Seahawks coaching staff that he still has some push off the line especially inside the red zone and still has the desire to play without being the number one target when a pass play is called.
When asked how he would handle being a secondary receiver Marshall seemed to have no issues with a secondary role in the passing game.
“The cool thing about my career is that I’ve never really been in a system where they said, ‘you’re the No 1. guy.’ I’ve always prided myself on being the No. 1 tandem, the No. 1 receiving corps. When I made the switch from running back to receiver when I was young, my uncle pulled me to the side and said, ‘you’re only going to be as good as the receiver on the other side.’… I think the only way to have an effective offense that produces consistently is when everyone just plays their role and everyone’s unselfish. So whatever your role is on that play, you’ve got to execute.”
