Earlier today, I wrote about Matt Bowen’s comments regarding running back Jerick McKinnon finding a perfect landing spot with the San Francisco 49ers. Bowen wrote about ten free agents who found a perfect landing spot, and the list also included cornerback Richard Sherman.
Bowen talked about how he can slot right into Robert Saleh’s defense, saying, “Sherman can step in and play that pattern-match technique outside of the numbers in the three-deep shell.” The big question is how he recovers from his torn Achilles. However, beyond just the physical presence, Bowen points to the importance of Sherman’s leadership.
More importantly, Sherman brings the leadership skill set necessary to create change on the defensive side of the ball. If teams want to build a winning culture, they have to add veteran players who set the bar with their practice habits, preparation and professional approach. Sherman brings that to Kyle Shanahan’s team, and it will resonate with the young players on an ascending team.
The leadership will be important, but we will still be looking for a player who at least somewhat resembles the dominant cornerback Sherman was in Seattle.
The high profile portion of free agency is behind us, and Bovada took the time to put together updated Super Bowl 53 odds, and also prop bets on performances for free agents changing teams. For Sherman, they set the over/under on 2018 interceptions at 3.5. Sherman had back-to-back seasons of eight interceptions in 2012 and 2013. In the four seasons since, he’s alternate between four and two interceptions each year.
Sherman has said he is on track to be ready for training camp. It is still possible he misses some time in his rehab, but even if he does play the full 16 game schedule, I’d lean toward the under on this wager. He could bounce back and have a monster year, but the safe bet seems to be the under.