Seahawks willing to take chances with Terrion Arnold signing

If there wasn't enough attention on the Seattle Seahawks this preseason, the defending Super Bowl champions put themselves even more in the NFL spotlight on Thursday.

According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Seahawks will sign cornerback Terrion Arnold to a one-year deal. The 2024 first-round pick of the Detroit Lions was released by the Lions after being arrested on felony charges in connection with a robbery and kidnapping in February. Since then, Arnold has also visited the Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints and New York Giants to find a new home.

Arnold will now join the Seahawks ... but there is still more drama that could unfold.

What comes next for Terrion Arnold, Seattle Seahawks

The signing comes in the wake of the 23-year-old Arnold facing eight felony counts with the February robbery and kidnapping charges. Arnold was arrested in Tampa, Florida, and subsequently released by the Lions in June.

With all of that swirling in the background, the NFL must now decide if Arnold will be placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. If he is, the NFL Player Personnel Policy Manual states, "The Commissioner also has the authority to determine in advance whether a player's time on the Exempt List will be finite or will continue until the Commissioner deems the exemption should be lifted and the player returned to the Active List."

NFL players including Michael Vick, Adrian Peterson and Kareem Hunt have landed on the list in the past while facing legal issues.

A key point of the Commissioner’s Exempt List is that only NFL commissioner Roger Goodell can place a player on it or take a player off it. Until then, the players are not allowed to play in games, but can still attend meetings and workouts.

In essence, if placed on the list, Arnold would stay active with the Seahawks and be ready to come off the list at any time. However, when he would actually come off the list would remain a mystery and likely not be determined until the issues around his charges were cleared up.

According to The Seattle Times, on July 31, Arnold submitted a written plea of not guilty of all charges and his next court date comes on Oct. 5 in Tampa.

The Seahawks will have played four regular-season games at that point.

Should Seattle Seahawks have signed Terrion Arnold?

On the field, there is plenty to like about what Arnold could bring to the Seahawks. He's made 91 tackles in 24 games over the past two seasons for Detroit, and he could be a depth piece for Seattle's defense, which remains a key to the team's identity.

However, if he ever plays in Seattle, questions will always follow about what happened in Florida, and what those questions might do for team chemistry and focus, especially for a team that will be under the microscope all season as it defends its Super Bowl title.

Signing Arnold was just the first step of what could be a long process for the cornerback and the Seahawks. Now it may be some time before anyone knows if the move was a success, failure or even worth the attention it is getting.