If you trust Richard Sherman as a talent evaluator, then one of the best up-and-coming cornerbacks in all of football just hit the open market. The Seahawks, however, apparently didn't agree with Sherman's evaluation.
On Tuesday, the Seahawks announced they cut cornerback Tharold Simon, the same player Sherman predicted would be better than him in the years to come.
"He's an incredible athlete," Sherman said in August, per the Seahawks' website. "He's going to be a great ballplayer. I continue to stand by what I've always said -- he's going to be better than me by the time it's all said and done. The kid's a player, he just needs to put it all together and hopefully he can stay healthy and it'll be a fantastic year for him."
Unfortunately for Simon, injuries got in his way. He missed the entire 2013 season and most of last season with a toe injury. He also didn't play in the Seahawks' season opener on Sunday due to a knee injury. Ahead of that game, he sent out this message on Twitter.
Feel like I dnt belong
— Tharold simon (@lasnoop24) September 7, 2016
In all, he appeared in only 11 games in his Seahawks career. He will be best remembered for replacing an injured Jeremy Lane in the Super Bowl against the Patriots and then getting toasted by Julian Edelman on the game-winning touchdown.
As a result, Brady was 5 of 9 for 67 yards and 2 TDs when targeting Tharold Simon. That was obviously the desired CB matchup.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) February 6, 2015
Still, there's a reason why Sherman made his remarks. At 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds, Simon has the potential to develop into a physical corner like Sherman. In his career, he has been on the field for only 301 defensive snaps, which makes evaluating him difficult.
Sherman, though, has seen Simon play more than most scouts.
"He can keep up with anybody, he can jump with anybody, he can stop with anybody, he can move with anybody," Sherman said. "At 6-3 and some change, 200 pounds, to move as fluid as he does, there are very few people in the league who can move as smooth as him. I'd say Patrick Peterson is the only person who kind of comes to mind with the fluidity with which he moves."
Given his potential -- he's still only 25 years old -- another team will likely take a chance on him. Two obvious landing spots come to mind: The Jaguars, who are coached by ex-Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, and the Falcons, who are coached by another ex-Seahawks defensive coordinator in Dan Quinn.
