The Seahawks added competition to their secondary Thursday, signing veteran cornerback Jamar Taylor. Seattle also signed veteran fullback Nick Bellore and guard Marcus Martin to add competition on offense.
Taylor, 28, was a second-round pick out of Boise State in 2013, and has spent time with Miami, Cleveland, Arizona and Denver over the past six seasons.
Taylor was a starter for two seasons in Cleveland from 2016-2017, starting 29 games while recording 119 tackles, three interceptions, 23 passes defensed, one forced fumble and half a sack.
Taylor, who is 5-foot-11, 192 pounds, split time between Arizona and Denver last season, appearing in 14 games with three starts. While Taylor has experience as an outside cornerback, he figures to also be in the competition for the nickel cornerback job that was held the past two years by Justin Coleman, who signed with Detroit in free agency earlier this offseason.
Earlier this offseason, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll mentioned Akeem King, Kalan Reed and Jeremy Boykins as players who could compete for the vacant nickel job. Rookie safety Ugo Amadi, a fourth-round pick out of Oregon, also saw some time in the nickel spot during rookie minicamp and could factor into that competition as well.Â
Bellore, 29, played linebacker at Central Michigan and continued at that position in the NFL after going undrafted in 2011. He started 10 games for the 49ers in 2016, recording 83 tackles, five passes defensed and an interception, but after signing with Detroit in 2017, he began making the switch to offense. The Seahawks did not previously have a true fullback on their roster.
Martin, 25, was a third-round pick out of USC in 2014. After being drafted by San Francisco, Martin also played for Cleveland and Dallas, though he spent all of last season on injured reserve. Martin has appeared in 26 games in his career, starting 24, including 14 games in 2015 with the 49ers.
