KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Pete Carroll, as coach of the Seattle Seahawks, cut defensive back Ron Parker five times before Parker established his career with the Kansas City Chiefs this season.
Carroll, who coaches the Seahawks against Parker and the Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, said that placing Parker on waivers five times was actually a sign of how much the Seahawks thought of Parker.
“We loved him,’’ Carroll said. “Imagine what would have happened if we didn’t like him. He was a really good kid for us and battled with a bunch of guys. He was a young pup with all the rest of them. It’s great to see him playing so well and being such a big factor for [the Chiefs].”
Parker had been released eight times, including twice by the Carolina Panthers and once by the Oakland Raiders, before joining the Chiefs last year. This season, he has been one of the Chiefs’ most valuable defensive players.
He replaced the injured Eric Berry as a starting safety in the second game of the season and played well in Berry’s absence. Last week, with Berry back in the lineup for the first time, Parker shifted to cornerback and made several clutch plays to help the Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills 17-13.
Parker could be having that kind of impact for the Seahawks. But because Seattle has so many good defensive backs, he never had the chance.
“We’ve had really good depth for the last couple years here, so it’s been hard to make the team and he was certainly right in the mix,’’ Carroll said. “That’s why we kept bringing him back, because we were trying to figure out a way [for Parker] to stay with us.”