Shaquem Griffin, who had his left hand amputated at age four, instantly became one of the NFL's most heartwarming stories when he was selected in the fifth round of last year's NFL Draft. Even so, the Seattle Seahawks linebacker wasn't satisfied after a rookie season in which he barely played on defense, seeing most of his time on the field on special teams. Coming into 2019, though, all indications suggest Griffin will be ready to make a much bigger impact.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll confirmed that the 23 year old will start at strongside linebacker this season after a “very, very good offseason” that included adding a substantial amount of weight and strength to accommodate his move from weakside linebacker.
“[I]t’s been really a good deal for him,” Carroll said of Griffin's offseason, per Pro Football Talk's Curtis Crabtree. “He’s just more comfortable out there. . . . [H]e’s had a very, very good offseason with us.
“We want him to be really fit and make sure that his speed is his greatest asset,” he continued. “Don’t want to try to get him big. . . . I’d rather see him at the fastest weight — the fastest strongest weight — than just numbers and pounds.”
Griffin didn’t play much as a rookie despite flashing in the preseason.
He started the season-opener at weakside linebacker due to an injury to K.J. Wright, but was relegated almost solely to special teams duty from that point forward after struggling with the speed of the game in his NFL debut. Griffin went on to play 225 special-team snaps for Seattle, seventh-most on the team, while finishing his rookie campaign with 11 total tackles.
Follow Us
Subscribe