The Seattle Seahawks are expected to release four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman and Jeremy Lane on Friday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Richard Sherman not the only Seahawks’ CB being released today; Seattle also parting ways with CB Jeremy Lane, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2018
Sherman, 30, played in just nine games last season before sustaining a ruptured Achilles. Though he has regressed slightly, Sherman is still considered one of the elite cornerbacks in the NFL, and would be a perfect fit for Robert Saleh’s scheme. Saleh coached both Sherman and Lane during his time in Seattle as the defensive quality control coach from 2011-2013.
Acquiring a top-tier cornerback is arguably the 49ers top priority this offseason. It would be interesting to see how 49ers fans would react to the signing of Sherman, who played the role of heel impeccably during the Harbaugh era.
Lane, 27, is coming off his sixth NFL season, all of which were spent in Seattle after he was drafted in the sixth round in 2012. The advanced analytics were not kind to Lane in 2017. According to Pro Football Focus, Lane was ranked as the fifth worst cornerback in the NFL, out of 116 qualifying players. Incidentally, 49ers cornerback Dontae Johnson was one of the four cornerbacks rated lower than Lane last season. PFF also had Lane rated as one of the worst corners in the league in 2016.