Seattle Seahawks: 5 Most disappointing players from 2018

Shaquill Griffin

2018 wasn’t a bad year for Griffin, but he didn’t rise to meet the expectations that come with filling Richard Sherman‘s shoes. Obviously replacing one of the best corners of this generation was unrealistic, but even if he wasn’t being compared to Sherman, Griffin still didn’t put up the stats expected of him.

The Seahawks defense finished tied with four other teams for eighteenth most in the league with 12. For reference, the league lead was 27 interceptions. Griffin, as the team’s best cornerback, recorded only two interceptions, the third most on the team.

Safeties Bradley McDougald and Earl Thomas, who played in only four games, both led the team with three interceptions. Both of Griffin’s interceptions came in Week 2 against Mitchell Trubisky.

Griffin also recorded eight passes defensed, down from 15 in his rookie season. He recorded 59 combined tackles and three tackles for loss, both up one from last season. In 2017, Griffin played in 15 games and started 11 times. He started and played in all 16 games this season.

It’s not that 2018 was a bad season for Griffin, he showed a good amount of growth from his rookie season, but I was hoping from more production and game-changing plays. The front of the Seahawks defense was clearly the most talented part of the unit, and the secondary was looking for leaders on the field when Thomas went down. I just thought he could step up and do more in his second season.