Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor was voted one of the league's best players by his peers once again, cracking the NFL Network's Top 100 Players list for the fifth consecutive season.
Chancellor, 30, checked in at No. 75 on this year's list, a sign of his respect around the league considering that he missed almost half of the 2017 season due to a neck injury. Chancellor's status for the 2018 season remains unknown because of that injury—he is expected to undergo more tests this summer—but what is certain is what he has meant to the Seahawks since joining the team as a fifth-round pick in 2010.
"I admire the heck out of this guy," Carroll said last year after Chancellor signed a contract extension. "This is a great kid, he's a great leader, he's a tough guy, he's a heart-and-soul guy. He's a fifth-round draft pick who broke all the way through from that to become a great football player and leader in our program… He's such a great person and a great player and all of that."
In nine games last season, Chancellor recorded 49 tackles and a forced fumble, and for the third time in his career he was voted a team captain, sharing defensive honors in 2017 with linebacker Bobby Wagner. From his leadership to his big hits to his ability to make big plays in big games, Chancellor has long been one of the key pieces on Seattle's defense.
"First off, there's his physical nature on the football field, his physical presence," receiver Doug Baldwin once said of Chancellor. "He kind of brings a swagger to the defense, and to the whole team really. There aren't many people who can go up against Kam and win that battle, so he kind of brings the hammer for the whole team. Then obviously his leadership in the locker room, he's just one of those guys who is down to earth. He can talk to anybody, have a conversation with anybody, cares genuinely about everybody, and he brings everybody together."
Chancellor is the second Seahawks player on this year's Top 100, joining Baldwin, who checked in at No. 99 last week.
Here's the full list of players unveiled this week:
80. Kevin Byard – Tennessee Titans, S
79. Marcus Peters – Los Angeles Rams, CB
78. Taylor Lewan – Tennessee Titans, OT
77. Odell Beckham Jr. – New York Giants, WR
76. Melvin Ingram – Los Angeles Chargers, DE
75. Kam Chancellor – Seattle Seahawks, S
74. Cameron Wake – Miami Dolphins, DE
73. Thomas Davis – Carolina Panthers, LB
72. Delanie Walker – Tennessee Titans, TE
71. Zack Martin – Dallas Cowboys, OG
