Hours after the Bengals announced that they traded defensive tackle Clinton McDonald to the Seattle Seahawks for cornerback Kelly Jennings, SB Nation's Field Gulls favored us with a quick review of what the Bengals were getting. From our immediate perspective Jennings will be competition for Morgan Trent as the nickel and fourth-string cornerbacks. And from our prognosticator machine called "The Awesom-O", Jennings will fill the role of fourth-string cornerback, until Adam Jones is ready to return midway through the season, while Trent earns himself the spot at nickel (a spot I believe he's earned) -- though Marvin Lewis may have already scratched Jennings in as a nickel.
“If he is what we expect, he has a chance to play 500-600 snaps, if not more,” said head coach Marvin Lewis after Monday’s practice. “It gives us more depth at a vital, vital spot in the NFL. It’s a point where a guy (McDonald) may or may not have been on the (game day active list) to a guy (Jennings) that probably will be.”
Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times argues that while Jennings was a serviceable cornerback, the Seahawks just didn't have enough room the former 2006 first-round pick. Though O'Neil points out that Seattle viewed him favorably enough to initially sign him to a one-year deal worth $1.8 million.
And for all the criticism leveled at Jennings in his five seasons in Seattle, he was a serviceable cornerback. He possessed above-average speed even by cornerback standards, started 44 games in his five seasons, and when the Seahawks shipped out one of their undersized cornerbacks a year ago, it was Josh Wilson — and not Jennings — whom they traded to Baltimore.
So why trade Jennings now?
The Seahawks said there wasn't room for a security blanket in the secondary.
Christian Caple of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer writes that it was a...
...mild surprise that the Seahawks re-signed Jennings in free agency. He drew the ire of many Seahawks fans by blowing man-coverage on numerous plays that resulted in long completions, and he was likely going to be relegated to a backup role this season behind Walter Thurmond. Rookie Brandon Browner has also made a strong case for playing time and inclusion on the final roster.
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