Three Landing Spots For Richard Sherman

Richard Sherman played in five games in 2020 for the San Francisco 49ers. He started in Week 1 before hitting the IR with a calf strain that knocked him out of the lineup until November. At that point, it was too late for a snake-bitten Niners team and Sherman finished out the year for the 6-10 squad before he was released in February.

Sherman has remained a free agent to this point because of an arrest that occurred during the offseason. He is still being investigated by the NFL for the incident and was charged with five misdemeanors but, according to the latest reports, expects to be available at some point during the 2021 season.

To whit, Tom Pelissero reported the New Orleans Saints have inquired after the cornerback's services, which makes sense after Marshon Lattimore's surgery and C.J. Gardner-Johnson's knee issues flaring up. Sherman is no longer the shutdown corner he once was but can play a solid supporting role as a veteran corner whose been around the block a few times.

Here are a few teams who could use Sherman's services.

New Orleans Saints

The team mentioned in Pelissero's initial report, the Saints need reinforcements in the secondary due to the aforementioned injuries to Lattimore and Gardner-Johnson, two pillars of the defense. The unit looked excellent in Week 1 during an absolute beatdown of Aaron Rodgers, but attrition is a real problem. Take that and combine it with the fact that Sherman will be very cheap on the cap sheet, and the Saints seem like a leader in the clubhouse for Sherman's services.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Aside from the easy "super team" fodder for jokes galore, the Bucs do actually need some help in the secondary after Sean Murphy-Bunting dislocated his elbow in the team's opening game against the Dallas Cowboys. Cornerback was easily the weakest link on that defense before he got hurt and is even more so now. With a dominant defensive line, elite linebacker core, and a quality safety pairing, all the cornerbacks need to do in Tampa is hold their own. Sherman can do that and the Bucs represent his best chance to get another ring. They'll be in the running.

Seattle Seahawks

Pelissero reports the Seahawks are interested in a potential reunion with the former All-Pro/founding member of the Legion of Boom, and it would make sense beyond the nostalgic reasons. Seattle's secondary is built around Jamal Adams but was not very good at all in 2020. Pete Carroll is banking on internal improvement (again) to turn the pass defense around this season, but adding Sherman would be a big help both on and off the field. This version of Sherman is not the same guy who led Seattle to a ring, but he'd be a smart addition.