Defensive back Justin Coleman was acquired by the Seattle Seahawks from the New England Patriots on the brink of the 2017 season and many fans barely noticed. On Monday against the Minnesota Vikings, Coleman gave fans reason to take notice yet again.
TOUCHDOWN Justin Coleman!! #Seahawks
— Samuel Gold (@SamuelRGold) December 11, 2018
Jacob Martin speed rushes around the edge and uses his motor to finish Kirk Cousins for the strip-sack. Justin Coleman returns it for six.pic.twitter.com/QRsbNP4uiG
And Monday was not the first time Coleman has made his way to the end zone for the Hawks.
: Vaqueros de Dallas está eliminado de la postemporada, al perder ante Halcones Marinos por 21 puntos a 12. Justin Coleman interceptó un pase a Dak Prescott, el cual regresó para touchdown y le dio la ventaja definitiva a Seattle. pic.twitter.com/mk921JICSl
— José Juan Vázquez (@josejuangel1) December 25, 2017
And that wasn’t even the first time in 2017 that Coleman intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, having done the same thing against the Indianapolis Colts earlier in the season.
So, if you’re beginning to wonder where that puts Coleman in terms of touchdowns scored by members of the Legion of Boom like I was, the answer is it puts him in a tie with Earl Thomas for the most touchdowns by a defensive player in the Pete Carroll era in Seattle. Here’s the list of touchdowns by members of the LOB.
Touchdowns scored by the members of the Legion of Boom
Player | Interception return TD | Fumble return TD | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Player | Interception return TD | Fumble return TD | Total |
Earl Thomas | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Justin Coleman | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Richard Sherman | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Kam Chancellor | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Cary Williams | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Jeremy Lane | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Byron Maxwell | 0 | 0 | 0 |
DeShawn Shead | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tharold Simon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
So while Coleman has played phenomenally for the Hawks during his nearly two seasons with the team, with just three regular season games left before he hits free agency, it’s possible that Coleman’s knack for finding the end zone may lead some GM to overpay for his services as he is a free agent in 2019.
The team retained him this year on a second round RFA tender. It will be interesting to see how his market develops as a nickel/slot cornerback as opposed to an outside guy, while Seattle must feel comfortable with the developments of Shaquill Griffin and Tre Flowers. Who, though, would they tab to replace Coleman in the slot if they’re unable to retain him long term? For what it’s worth, Chris Harris of the Denver Broncos, arguably the best slot corner in the league, makes $8.5 million per season. That’s above and beyond Coleman’s market, but is $4-6 million per season in his range?
In the meantime, Seahawks fans have at least three more games, and likely more, during which they get to enjoy