Coby Bryant Growing Comfortable in New Surroundings as Seahawks' Slot Cornerback
RENTON, Wash. - Prior to being selected by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Coby Bryant earned his reputation as a stalwart boundary cornerback opposite of future top-five pick Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner starring at Cincinnati.
But Bryant, who captured the Jim Thorpe Award as college football's best defensive back as a senior for the Bearcats last fall, arrived in Seattle with minimal experience playing in the slot. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, he logged 59 total snaps as a nickel cornerback during his entire four-year career on campus, or less than two percent of his 3,127 total snaps.
Keeping that limited playing time in mind, especially considering the immense success and national recognition he enjoyed excelling outside at the college level, one couldn't have blamed Bryant if he would have been hesitant about changing positions when Seattle's coaching staff approached him about trying the nickel role amid his first NFL training camp.
However, living up to his "Red Mamba" nickname perfectly, Bryant hasn't ever met a challenge he wasn't ready to take head on. When the Seahawks asked him to slide inside before their exhibition opener in Pittsburgh, he didn't bat an eye, viewing it as a prime opportunity to see early playing time and contribute on defense right away.
"I told them absolutely, I'll do it," Bryant told reporters on Thursday. "Whatever I can do to the help the team. It doesn't matter what it is."
Admittedly, Bryant made the switch without knowing much about the nickel position and the Seahawks threw him into the fire to an extent, forcing him to adapt in a trial by fire experience. Detractors would have pointed to Bryant's 40-yard dash time and slow 3-cone drill and questioned his fit at a position that requires speed and quickness to defend routes on both sides of the field.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for Bryant to be dealt his first taste of adversity, as Steelers backup Mason Rudolph connected with rookie receiver George Pickens for a 26-yard touchdown with him trailing in coverage to put the home team up 14-0 in the first quarter. He yielded three catches on four targets in that contest, but per the player himself, coaches were encouraged by what they saw and how he responded in the second half.
Fast forwarding to the start of September, Bryant only logged two defensive snaps in a season opening win over the Broncos with veteran Justin Coleman receiving the majority of slot reps. Unfortunately, former Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson immediately tested him in coverage once he checked into the game, dumping a deep ball over the rookie's shoulders into the hands of receiver Jerry Jeudy, who wound up racing 67 yards for a long touchdown.
Rather than become discouraged by giving up the big play, however, Bryant exercised short-term memory and quickly put the mistake behind him. Reflecting on a tough debut, at the urging of his veteran teammates, he put his focus into learning from the miscue and continuing to work towards becoming more comfortable at his new position.
"I was a little nervous. Didn't know if I was really going to get in. And then obviously, when I got in, I gave up a touchdown," Bryant said. "But honestly, me being a rookie, that's what rookies need, to be humbled and to learn from those experiences. So, when the next year rookies come in, I could give them that experience, or that that example. So just things like that just keep growing and just keep getting better and trusting in myself."
Not easily rattled and always playing with great poise, Bryant found himself vaulted into the lineup when Coleman tweaked his hamstring in practice leading up to a Week 2 matchup against the 49ers. Though growing pains continued, including committing two critical penalties and missing three tackles in a loss at Levis Stadium, he also flashed in his first extensive action, forcing a fumble against star receiver Deebo Samuel.
One week later, Bryant showed off his versatility registering his first career NFL sack on a slot blitz, coming untouched off the edge to rock Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota. Over the course of the next three weeks, he forced a trio of fumbles that were all recovered by Seahawks teammates, including a pair of recoveries by fellow rookie Tariq Woolen. Two of those turnovers led to touchdown passes from Geno Smith to tight end Noah Fant and receiver Tyler Lockett.
Exhibiting a propensity for punching the ball out of the hands of opponents that would make former Bears star Charles "Peanut" Tillman proud, Bryant made history in Sunday's 19-9 win over Arizona by becoming the first rookie since the NFL began tracking forced fumbles as a statistic in 2000 to record four of them in his first six games.
When asked where he mastered the art of forcing fumbles, Bryant said he developed the skill on his own over time. Citing timing as the most important key to success, he referenced his most recent one when an unsuspecting Kyler Murray didn't see him running up from behind and held the ball loose and away from his body, presenting a golden opportunity to knock the ball out.
"You have to time it up perfectly," Bryant elaborated. "The ball carriers can sometimes be extremely vulnerable when they are about to go to the ground or when they don’t see you. I catch them when they don’t see me. That’s the perfect time to be able to punch and make a tackle at the same time because the tackle is just as important.”
Along with emerging as one of the NFL's best at stripping the ball away from ball carriers, Bryant has gradually improved in coverage playing the nickel role as well. Since getting torched by Jeudy in the opener, per Pro Football Focus, he has allowed 13 receptions on 22 targets for under 10 yards per reception over the past five games with quarterbacks posting an 89.4 passer rating against him.
His lone blemish during that span? Bryant yielded a controversial touchdown against the Saints where he appeared to jar the ball out of receiver Chris Olave's hands as he went to the ground. Officials opted not to overturn the play after review.
Getting acclimated to defending more routes against faster receivers out of the slot and covering more space than he did playing on the boundary, Bryant has embraced the position change and while there's much room for improvement, he continues to get more comfortable by week. Teaming up with Woolen, who won NFC Player of the Week honors this week and leads the league with four interceptions, the pair of corners have emerged as two of the NFL's top playmaking rookies.
After somehow falling into day three of the draft despite his decorated college resume, Bryant isn't concerned about silencing critics who questioned his speed or athleticism coming into the draft process. Instead, using those critiques as motivation, he's confidently letting his play do the talking in the Seahawks' secondary and focusing on getting better in every aspect of his game.
"Ultimately, it’s about proving to myself before I prove it to anyone else. I always had a chip on my shoulder, and it just adds more fuel to the fire.”
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