Kam Chancellor Returns to the Seahawks: What the Safety Brings Back to the Team

He’s back.

Kam Chancellor ended his holdout and reported to the Seahawks Wednesday.

The Seattle Seahawks were evidently missing one of their leaders, especially on the field where the team allowed over 700 yards of offense (713) and 61 points (!) during the first two games of the NFL season.

So just what does Chancellor (re) add to the team upon his return?

First and foremost is his role as the “muscle,” for-lack-of-a-better-term, of the secondary. Chancellor is very much the enforcer to Earl Thomas’ centerfielder/last line of defense. DeShawn Shead and Dion Bailey (Chancellor’s temporary replacements) show promise, but neither of them can deliver a hit the way Kam Chancellor can.

Here’s Exhibit A:

And Exhibit B:

…And Exhibit C:

Also Exhibit D:

You can see why his nickname is “Bam Bam” (and not just because it rhymes with this first name).

Chancellor’s physical style of play not only meshes with everything the Seahawks do, it also helps the team in terms of intimidating opposing offenses. In a recent story by Michael Silver that ran on NFL.com, defensive end Cliff Avril said the follow about Chancellor, “’His presence, by itself, it puts a lot of fear in the receivers, and even the running backs.’”

It’s one thing to start a player who can make tackles and perform at a high level, it’s a completely different thing when a player actually inspires fear in opposing players. With that kind of a reputation, Chancellor could have a major impact on the game without making a single tackle. In other words, opposing players are fearful of going near Chancellor, they may avoid him for large chunks of the game. Not a bad card to have up your sleeve if you’re running a defense that strives to minimalize the number of big plays.

On top of all that, Chancellor is one of the leaders of the defense, not mention the team in general. Remember, during the Hawks’ offseason trip to Hawaii, it was largely thanks to Chancellor that some of the defensive players went in the first place.

Having all of those qualities in one player, and to have that player back is huge for the Seahawks. Chancellor will likely play on Sunday against the Bears, though how much remains to be seen. Regardless of his snap count on Sunday, expect him to play more, if not the whole game in Week Four.

Did I mention he can also do this?

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