The Buffalo Bills aren’t done adding to their secondary, as they’ll host free-agent cornerback DeShawn Shead, according to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com.
Shead has spent his entire five-year NFL career with the Seahawks after going undrafted out of Portland State in 2012.
The soon-to-be 28-year-old defensive back had become an underrated, versatile piece of Seattle’s tremendous secondary but was not tendered as a restricted free agent after tearing his ACL and meniscus in his left knee during the divisional round of the playoffs.
He has played outside cornerback, safety, and even spent time covering slot receivers while with the Seahawks. In 2016, he started 15 games opposite Richard Sherman, had 14 pass breakups, and made 80 tackles. He also snagged one interception and forced a fumble. Shead was also Seattle’s special-teams captain a season ago.
He had knee surgery on January 27, according to USA Today. On March 1, Kapadia tweeted this regarding the defensive back’s recovery timeline:
“John Schneider said he doesn't think DeShawn Shead (knee) will be ready to start the season.”
At 6’2” and 212 pounds, Shead has impressive size for either the corner or safety spot. In Sean McDermott’s Cover 3 based defense, which is the same base the Seahawks run, length is a priority for corners. Shead’s vast experience playing as a Cover 3 zone cornerback along with his size and production are likely the reasons Buffalo is interested.