The departure of safety Earl Thomas this offseason has left a notable void in the Seattle Seahawks' secondary. Enter Marquise Blair. Head coach Pete Carroll will be relying on him and other young players to fill the void.

Among the notable standouts has been safety Marquise Blair. According to Patrick Olde Loohuis of the Seahawks Wire, Carroll shared some high praise for Blair's performance through training camp and the preseason thus far:

“He has shown good man-to-man stuff, his matchup stuff is good,” Carroll told reporters. “The plays that he made in the game last week demonstrated really good range, timing and breaking on the ball and all that, the hits that he made on both of his down the field throws, that shows you that he’s got good sense and awareness. He had a great play today, on the final play of the day to make a pick for the defense which shows you again. I don’t have any reservation in saying that he can do all of the things that we need him to do.”

The Seahawks put an emphasis on addressing their issues in the secondary by taking Blair in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Aside from his versatility in coverage, his hard-hitting tendencies have provided some nostalgia of the Legion of Boom days. His early promise could help him etch out an immediate role on defense.

Of course, Carroll has indicated that Blair still has plenty of work to do before he can earn his trust. Regardless, he has undoubtedly become one of the most exciting young players to watch for the Seahawks over the final two preseason games.