Pete Carroll told Nate Robinson to focus on playing on offense

Former University of Washington defensive back and NBA player Nate Robinson tried out for the Seattle Seahawks last month. As you would expect, Robinson worked out as a cornerback in hopes that he could turn his workout into a roster spot for training camp and jumpstart an NFL career just as his basketball one appeared to be coming to an end. Robinson's tryout seemed to end in a "We have your resume on file" send-off, but it appears that Pete Carroll wanted him to get some additional off-the-job training in order to have the best shot to be of some use to the Seahawks.

As a wide receiver.

As reported by ESPN's Sheil Kapadia on Friday, Robinson just had a three-day workout with Dwayne Frampton, a trainer who has worked with Odell Beckham Jr. and DeSean Jackson, among others. Per "Framp," Carroll had told Robinson that he should focus on playing on offense if he was going to have the best opportunity to succeed as a football player again. Included in the link is a video displaying Robinson making some impressive catches and working on his route running.

The smart thing about Robinson trying out as a receiver is that it would seem to be an easier transition than playing cornerback would. At its most base level, being a receiver can be as simple as "Don't line up illegally, run to somewhere in the field (or don't even run to somewhere), catch the ball, and try to score a touchdown." Of course there is a lot more to it than that if you want to be a great receiver, but a few athletes have scored touchdowns by honestly not doing much more than that. Playing cornerback involves a lot more intricacies than that, usually.

The thing about trying to be a receiver that will work against Robinson though is that there are just a lot more people in America (or in the case of Moritz Boehringer, the world) who can do it. There are at least 100 good receivers in the NFL right now, maybe.

If Robinson could play corner, that would make him more valuable, but if he can play receiver, his transition to playing football again might be a lot easier.

Right now the Seahawks have a hotly-contested battle for the fifth receiver spot behind Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Tyler Lockett, and Paul Richardson. Of course, there's a chance that Richardson gets injured or doesn't make the team, opening up an additional spot. Seattle may also choose to carry six receivers. Among Robinson's competition (if he even gets into the competition) is Kenny Lawler, Kevin Smith, Kasen Williams, and Doug McNeil.

But cornerback might be even harder to crack with the Seahawks as guys like Brandon Browner, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Tye Smith, Tharold Simon, Marcus Burley, and George Farmer compete to fill out the secondary.

However, at the end of the day, as with most positions on this team, Robinson's absolute best shot would be to be a beast on special teams. If he can prove to be a competent receiver, an emergency corner, and a standout on kick and punt coverage, then Robinson would truly have the versatility that Carroll strives to find in his longshots who ultimately surprise everyone and make the final 53 man roster.