Kam

Chancellor

It is a procedural move, as 31-year-old Chancellor has not played since 2017 and announced last summer that he could not get cleared to return from his neck injury. An integral part of the Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” secondary, Chancellor was a hard-hitting, turnover-forcing machine who made four Pro Bowls.

Chancellor’s $5.2 million salary is fully guaranteed for 2019. He’s not healthy enough to pass a physical, so Seattle is stuck keeping him on its roster for now. Designating Chancellor a post-June cut would save $10.5 million and lower his dead money hit to $2.5 million. The Seahawks will likely wait until later in the offseason to make a decision on Chancellor.

Atari Bigby will make his first start for Seattle. Chancellor had begun the year in breakout fashion, racking up eight tackles per game with two turnovers caused in the first three weeks. Pro Football Focus has also graded Chancellor as a top-five safety in coverage. The Falcons get a nice matchup boost.

“We usually try not to move Pro Bowl players to different positions,” said Schneider. Although he’s a box safety, moving to linebacker in nickel packages, Chancellor held his own in coverage last year. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ fifth-rated safety in his first season as a starter.

We’re assuming it’s a concussion, which could make it as many as three (also potentially Doug Baldwin, Sidney Rice) Seahawks concussed in Week 10. Chancellor has been an enforcer at strong safety this season, and better than expected in coverage. His backup, Atari Bigby, was also injured Sunday.

As expected. With 55 tackles, three interceptions and a sack, Chancellor is in the middle of a big season. His backup Atari Bigby was also hurt on Sunday, so the Seahawks could be forced to go with Chris Maragos or Jeron Johnson at strong safety against the Rams.

The specifics aren’t in yet. Chancellor tweeted a picture of his foot in a cast, adding, “Surgery is finally over and I feel like crap.” It’s not clear if the injury occurred in the season-ending loss to Atlanta, or if Chancellor had been playing through pain. He led the Seahawks defense in snaps played this season.

Chancellor has appeared in 47 of a possible 48 games to start his career, and he’s known as a hard-hitting safety that isn’t afraid to lay a receiver out. 2011 was his best season, as he posted 97 tackles, 13 passes defensed, four interceptions, and two forced fumbles. Chancellor recently underwent surgery on his lower right leg, but he should be ready for training camp. Seattle could look to try and lock him up this offseason.

Chancellor just turned 25 and will be 30 when the deal expires, so he’ll have a real opportunity to see it through. An imposing 6-foot-3, 232-pound bonecrusher in Seattle’s backend, Chancellor amassed 101 tackles and a forced fumble last season while breaking up four passes as a “box” safety. Earl Thomas plays back deep. Chancellor graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 21 safety in 2012, ahead of Thomas (No. 35), receiving high marks in both coverage and run support. Chancellor was charted with just nine missed tackles, which is a strong statistic because he gets so many tackle chances playing close to the line of scrimmage.

Chancellor was held out of practice Wednesday with his hip issue, but practiced fully on both Thursday and Friday. The probable tag confirms he’ll be all systems go for Saturday’s game against the Saints.