Bump: Bryant should be a priority for Seahawks to re-sign

The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks enter the offseason with a half-dozen starting-caliber players who are set to become free agents in mid-March: running back Kenneth Walker III, safety Coby Bryant, wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, edge rusher Boye Mafe, cornerback Riq Woolen and cornerback Josh Jobe.

And simply put, they can’t afford to keep all of them.

The Ken Walker contract situation: What you need to know

Among those six, Walker has commanded the most attention. But aside from the Super Bowl MVP, who should be No. 2 on the priority list?

Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus went with Bryant, who was a versatile playmaker for Seattle’s top-ranked defense this past season.

After beginning his career as a cornerback, the 6-foot-1, 193-pound Bryant has excelled since moving to safety and earning a starting job in 2024. Over the past two seasons, he’s filled up the stat sheet with seven interceptions, a pick-six, 13 pass breakups, five tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. He also has posted an elite 80.9 Pro Football Focus run defense grade over that span.

“Coby allows you to stay in that two-high (safety defense),” Bumpus said on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. “He allows you to stay in that base nickel defense. And he’s an enforcer. He comes down, he’s a great tackler, he has good ball skills. He’s really developed into one of the better safeties in the league.

“So it goes K9, and then it goes Coby.”

Re-signing Bryant won’t be cheap. Spotrac estimates his market value will be roughly $14.3 million per year.

If the Seahawks don’t re-sign Bryant, then Ty Okada would be next in line to play alongside veteran Julian Love as the two deep safeties in head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense, with rising star Nick Emmanwori continuing to serve as a versatile nickelback/safety hybrid.

Okada, who signed with Seattle in 2023 as an undrafted free agent out of Montana State, ended up making 11 starts this season while filling in due to injuries. And he played well, totaling an interception, six pass breakups, 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss.

But even so, Bumpus believes it’s important to keep Bryant in the fold.

“Ty has shown that he can play in this league, but there’s a difference between him and Coby,” Bumpus said. “Coby’s just a more explosive type of safety. … Coby makes up for stuff. Coby gets downhill a bit faster. He’s a stronger tackler (and) has great ball skills.

“You can get away with Ty Okada back there, but if you can keep Coby, you want to keep Coby,” he added. “Coby, J-Love, Nick Emmanwori (and three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon) – those four together are something special.”

Listen to the full Bump and Stacy conversation at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune into Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

Seattle Seahawks offseason coverage

• Paul Allen’s Seahawks ownership was a ‘one of one’ legacy
• What Seattle Seahawks GM said about the OC hiring process
• Quick hits on the Seattle Seahawks from GM John Schneider
• Four things we learned from new Seattle Seahawks OC Brian Fleury
• Why Macdonald landed on Fleury as Seattle Seahawks’ new OC

Related

4 takeaways from Seahawks’ initial 53-man rosterHere’s the Seahawks’ initial 53-man roster for 2026Aaron Donald ends retirement and returns to RamsSeahawks swing trade with Chargers for rookie cornerbackSeahawks Roster Tracker: Keep up on the cutdown to 53Seahawks officially sign Terrion Arnold amid CB’s legal issues