Bumpus: How Seahawks’ Julian Love addition can help Coby Bryant

The Seahawks made a notable addition to their secondary last week, signing 25-year-old safety Julian Love to a reported two-year, $12 million deal.

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Love was a jack-of-all-trades defender for the New York Giants last year, playing deep safety, nickel corner and in the defensive box close to the line of scrimmage.

When former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus first heard the news of Love’s signing, he thought it’d have a big impact on Jamal Adams, Seattle’s oft-injured strong safety who does many of the same things as Love on the football field. But after some time to dig into the move, Bumpus said Love’s signing actually will have a bigger impact on a different member of the Seahawks’ secondary.

“I look at Coby Bryant and I go that’s who this is really going to affect,” Bumpus said during Wednesday’s Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports. “Because we know that Julian Love can play in the slot (as a) nickel type of dude.”

Bryant, Seattle’s fourth-round pick last year out of Cincinnati, was initially drafted as an outside cornerback but moved to nickel in the preseason. He wound up serving as the Seahawks’ go-to nickel corner in 2022 and was tied for third in the NFL with four forced fumbles.

So what does the Love signing mean for Bryant and how he’s utilized?

“I think that they move him outside when they want to go dime (six defensive backs) or just play these types of mind games with Julian Love,” Bumpus said. “You move (Bryant) outside and allow him to be the corner that you thought you’re gonna get as the Jim Thorpe Award winner (as the best defensive back in college football).”

Ultimately, Bumpus thinks Love’s signing “might be a blessing” for the 23-year-old Bryant.

“Now you start to add more tricks to your trade. Look, ‘I can be a nickel guy, I can play in the slot, I can cover these dudes, I can also go outside and be an outside cover corner,'” he said. “I think the presence of Julian Love is going to force the Seahawks to use Coby Bryant in different ways, and all that is going to do is make Coby Bryant a better football player … I look at Coby Bryant and I go, ‘Alright, Coby, this might help you in your development.'”

Hear Bump’s full thoughts from the Four-Down Territory segment in the podcast below.

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