The Seahawks haven’t gotten the kind of play they expected when they made Aaron Curry the fourth overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft so they are giving someone else a chance.
Curry has been demoted to the second team and rookie K.J. Wright will take his place as a starting outside linebacker. Curry has been a starter since arriving in Seattle after a decorated career at Wake Forest, but he has never been particularly impressive at the professional level. In 32 career games, Curry has recorded 123 tackles and 5.5 sacks. He had his only NFL interception in last season’s playoff loss to the Bears. Eric Williams of the Tacoma News-Tribune got Curry’s thoughts on the move.
“I don’t even know how to put it into words,” Curry said. “But it is what it is. … Everything happens for a reason. There’s a purpose behind everything, and I’ll find it and learn from it and take off running. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens on Sunday. All questions will be answered on Sunday really.”
Curry’s last game as a starter featured the kind of play that has been frustrating the Seahawks since his arrival. With the Seahawks down 7-0 in the second quarter, a Ben Roethlisberger pass hit him right in the hands but Curry couldn’t make the pick with nothing but open field between him and the end zone.
Other linebackers from the first round of the 2009 Draft have been huge contributors, but Curry, who was considered one of the safest picks in his draft class, hasn’t done anything to put himself in the same class with Clay Matthews, Brian Cushing or Brian Orakpo to this point. The Seahawks likely hope that the benching lights a fire under Curry and gets him to play with something closer to the level he was at during his collegiate days. Curry’s contract is not guaranteed for the 2012 season, the last on his rookie deal.
Wright was a fourth-round selection out of Mississippi State in April. He has been in on seven tackles in the first two weeks of the season and started the opener in place of injured middle linebacker David Hawthorne.