Expect the unexpected from Seahawks rookie LB Cody Barton
Jul 31, 2019, 10:49 AM | Updated: 11:59 am
LB Cody Barton has been a standout in Seahawks training camp. (Getty)
(Getty)
Cody Barton is a name Seahawks fans will hear a lot this year, whether it be through fierce competition or his engaging personality. In fact, it will probably be both.
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Barton has made a splash through training camp via broken up passes and an impressive interception, but there’s a lot more to the young linebacker.
SHEESH CODY BARTON
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/RaUsCd9VrL
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) July 28, 2019
Hailing from Park City, Utah, he finds himself comfortable on a farm, riding horses and fishing.
“Always an adventure,” as Barton told 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny, Dave and Moore on Tuesday.
Those observing training camp might think he’s just as comfortable in the Seahawks’ defense. One notable trait is his ability to disseminate information to his teammates, especially when playing the Mike position, also known as inside linebacker.
“That’s something I take pride in, is being able to communicate on the field. I like being able to talk to guys and tell them what’s going on on the field,” Barton said. “Also, when people talk on the field it helps themselves.”
Barton adds that while he’s working with his teammates, he’s also working on himself. As he put it: “I’m not gonna lie, though, at times I’m uncomfortable talking, but I feel like to grow as a player you gotta get outside your comfort zone so I try to push myself.”
While Cody looks anything but uncomfortable on the practice fields at the VMAC, he admits his biggest surprise throughout the draft and professional process was himself.
“When I was first going to the NFL, I thought it was gonna be crazy… I didn’t have enough confidence in myself that I should have had,” he explained. “It might be crazy fast… What surprised me was, oh man, I could do this, I’m here.”
In fact, Barton didn’t even know Seattle was an option.
“I met with – I think it was at the East-West Shrine Bowl – I might’ve met one of the scouts for the Seahawks,” Barton said when asked about his combine and draft experience. “I think I might’ve met a scout for the Seahawks at the combine, but just at the train station. Besides that, I didn’t talk to anybody. I didn’t even know they wanted me.”
Now that Barton has realized – along with the rest of Seahawks nation – that he does indeed have what it takes to be here, where does he fit in? According to him, pretty much anywhere. He was primarily stationed at middle linebacker throughout the first few days of camp, but his portfolio continues to expand.
“This week, they just started playing me at SAM a little bit,” Barton says, referencing Seattle’s strong outside linebacker spot. “In the end, I’m overall comfortable playing any position. If you’re a linebacker, you’ll be versatile, so I’m just learning them all.”
Barton added that he’s also open and willing to playing special teams.
Barton even had a play Tuesday that caught 710 ESPN Seattle’s Dave Wyman, himself a former Seahawks linebacker, by surprise – he broke up a pass intended for wide receiver Tyler Lockett. As Wyman told Barton, “Linebackers don’t cover Tyler Lockett.” That didn’t matter much to Cody, though.
“They had him in the backfield, in the running back position to get a mismatch. I was like, ‘He’s probably gonna go deep,’ so I just stayed back and once he turned I just rammed him.”
If there’s a prediction worth making, it’s definitely that Cody Barton will make an impact on Seahawks fans in many ways this season. Stay tuned.
