Seahawks Counting on Cody Barton, 2019 Draft Class Making Substantial Contributions in 2022

On the field and in the locker room, the Seahawks need several players to step up to help fill the void left behind by Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner. For the team to be competitive next season, the pressure is on the 2019 draft class to make the most of the final year of their rookie contracts.

RENTON, WA - As the Seahawks embark on a new era without Russell Wilson or Bobby Wagner, if one thing has become abundantly clear in the first four organized team activity workouts, the team will be relying on their 2019 draft class to help pick up much of the slack this season and potentially beyond.

While DK Metcalf has been the obvious star from the 2019 class and should soon be one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL, this is especially evident on the defensive side of the ball where multiple players entering the final year of their rookie contract will be battling for significant roles. Most importantly, all of these players will be trying to play their way into Seattle's future plans and a second contract.

While Jordyn Brooks will replace Wagner as the Seahawks' defensive play caller in the huddle and sport the green dot on his helmet for the first time in 2022, 2019 third-round pick Cody Barton will finally have his first legitimate opportunity to start alongside him at MIKE linebacker. Running a defense with more 3-4 looks, former first-round pick L.J. Collier has transitioned to defensive tackle full time and will vie for reps against Quinton Jefferson and newcomer Shelby Harris.

In the secondary, Marquise Blair and Ugo Amadi will be in the middle of a three-way competition with veteran Justin Coleman for the slot cornerback gig. Both will also be in the mix for snaps as a third safety on the field in specific nickel and dime sets.

Speaking with reporters following Tuesday's OTA session at the VMAC, defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt touched on several of these players and where they may fit into Seattle's defensive plans. Starting with Barton stepping into Wagner's massive shoes in the middle alongside Brooks, he praised the ex-Utah standout for his effort and energy defending the pass.

“He's always had a great awareness for that," Hurtt said of Barton. "He's got a background being a safety growing up, and then obviously working his way down into the box, so you see some of those things with his awareness and picking up pass routes and the communication with guys on the back end."

As Hurtt noted, due to Wagner's presence, Barton has been forced to cut his teeth on special teams in his first three seasons with minimal chances to contribute on defense. As a rookie, he started four regular season and playoff games at strongside linebacker for an injured Mychal Kendricks, though the position didn't necessarily cater to his strengths being asked to set the edge. Over the past two seasons, he played less than 16 percent of Seattle's defensive snaps while starting three games as an injury replacement at the WILL and MIKE linebacker spots.

But even considering the lack of experience, Barton showed enough in limited playing time for the Seahawks to pass on drafting a linebacker in April, including playing well in the final two games last season replacing an injured Wagner. Through words and actions this offseason, the organization has given him an emphatic vote of confidence as a potential long-term successor for No. 54 and on the practice field, he's already established a greater leadership presence this spring.

"Really excited for him, for the opportunity," Hurtt said. "For him, it's just the opportunity being there. The effort, the attention to detail for Cody has always been a part of it, but now he has a great opportunity and he's had a really nice spring so far.”

While Barton has flashed when granted the chance to play extended snaps, Collier's first three NFL seasons have been a major disappointment. Drafted 29th overall in the 2019 draft, an ankle injury suffered early in his first training camp limited him to just 11 games and three total tackles as a rookie. Even after starting all 16 games in 2020, he fell out of Seattle's defensive rotation last season and the team voluntarily made him inactive as a healthy scratch seven times.

To put his struggles in perspective, Collier failed to produce a sack in two of the past three seasons and recorded only 3.0 sacks in 37 games played. In comparison, Jadeveon Clowney, Jefferson, and Darrell Taylor produced as many in roughly a third of the games and two of those players didn't even play for the Seahawks over the past two seasons.

Still, after enduring a brutal third season and having his fifth-year option declined by Seattle, a noticeably bigger Collier showed up for voluntary workouts eager to prove himself and right the ship. Over the past few weeks, Hurtt has seen a different player on the practice field who seems to have figured things out this offseason and could be poised to take on a bigger role in a scheme that may better utilize his skill set as an interior rusher.

“Sometimes for young guys, particularly with defensive linemen, it's such a technical position. It takes time. It takes time for those guys to learn things, to figure it out, to come into their man body, coming into this league, and for things to kind of slow down a little bit for him," Hurtt explained. "Out of the entire group of guys on defense, he's had one of the better springs out of everyone, so really excited for him and where he is going. Continues to be strong in the run game. He's came in bigger, and stronger, and faster than what he has been in previous years. Been rushing the passer really well, so just want to see him continue to stack days.”

In the secondary, Blair has yet to return to action after missing most of the 2021 season with a fractured knee cap. While coach Pete Carroll hasn't provided an update on him since OTAs started, he likely will be ready to go for the start of training camp entering a make-or-break fourth season after being plagued by injuries over the past couple of years. If he's healthy, he could still emerge as a difference maker.

But with Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams out of town rehabbing from their own injuries, Amadi has taken advantage by seeing first-team reps at free safety as well as playing snaps at slot cornerback during the first four OTA sessions. From Hurtt's viewpoint, after playing extensive snaps in Blair's place the past two years, he's seen the former Oregon standout grow the most in regard to his ability to disguise his intentions defensively, whether he's coming on the blitz, playing man, or dropping back into zone.

Interestingly, Hurtt indicated that a previous college connection has benefited Amadi adjusting to Seattle's new scheme this spring.

“What's funny is, playing at Oregon at the time, Jim Leavitt was the D-coordinator there. Leavitt worked under [Vic] Fangio, I believe it was in San Francisco if I'm not mistaken," Hurtt remarked. "So a lot of these things that we're doing is very similar to him or familiar to him schematically, so it's been really good. His awareness with routes, seeing the ball, communicating with guys, and the pickups is where he's strong at.”

With training camp now less than two months away, few prognosticators expect the Seahawks to contend in 2022 after jettisoning Wilson and Wagner. In fact, expectations for the franchise haven't been this low since Carroll and general manager John Schneider first arrived more than a decade ago and with so many new pieces on both sides of the football, most experts have them vying for a top-five pick instead of a playoff spot.

In order to exceed expectations and prove critics wrong, Seattle will undoubtedly need several players to make a major jump to help offset the departures of two of the best players in franchise history. If Barton, Collier, Blair, and/or Amadi can elevate their games with much on the line in the final year of their respective rookie deals, that could go a long way towards the team surprising in the loaded NFC West and winning more games than anticipated.