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Should the Seattle Seahawks Pursue Roderick Hood?

Without knowing too much about Hood's character, he certainly has a whiff of Tim Ruskell about him. A former walk on at Auburn, Hood played his way into starting, didn't get drafted, and then played his way onto the Philadelphia Eagles. He played for the Arizona Cardinals, started for them through the first three rounds of the playoffs, did not record an official start in the Super Bowl, but played the majority of minutes at left cornerback. Roderick Hood is an SEC overachiever and NFL winner.

He's not a great corner. Hood has spent his career as a flashy backup that wins the hearts of fans with his ball skills, and frustrates coaches with his lack of discipline. The Eagles got good value out of him. He was an inexpensive nickelback that could sub in a crunch. Their attacking system and Brian Dawkins compensated for his weaknesses and created opportunities for him to show his ball skills.

That's what Jim Mora and Gus Bradley want to accomplish in Seattle. Much has been made about the Seahawks new attacking style, its emphasis on defensive backs playing the ball, and its zone heavy secondary. Hood could thrive in a reduced role. He's a better open field tackler than Kelly Jennings, better at playing the ball than Jennings, and probably a better fit for this system than Jennings, too. Hood is 27, nearing 28. Cut so late into the preseason, he will most likely have to accept a veteran minimum contact and hope he reestablishes himself. If Seattle is concerned about their depth or thinks it can upgrade its dime packages, Hood could be the player to do that.