Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: S Joey Blount - Emerging Special Teams Ace?

Unexpectedly making the final roster and thriving as a kick and punt coverage tackling machine as an undrafted rookie, Joey Blount will have to continue making plays in the third phase of the game against bolstered competition at safety for the Seattle Seahawks.

Corbin K. Smith | Jun 23, 2023

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason activities wrapping up league-wide, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in less than two months, officially ushering in the 2023 season.

To celebrate the new incoming season, we'll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2023 campaign.

Joey Blount, Safety

Height/Weight: 6-1, 201 pounds

2022 Stats: Eight tackles

During a productive five-year career at Virginia, Blount racked up 303 tackles, nine interceptions, and three forced fumbles, seeing action at both safety positions in one of college football's best conferences. But he somehow fell under the radar despite his success with the Cavaliers, only earning All-ACC honors once and failing to receive an invite to the NFL combine or a pre-draft all-star showcase. With little exposure as a result, he went undrafted and signed with the Seahawks as a priority free agent.

Earning the trust of Seattle's coaching staff and his veteran teammates quickly, Blount shined throughout his first training camp and preseason as a reserve free safety and special teams stalwart, making several tackles on kick and punt coverage teams. Beating out former second-round pick Marquise Blair on the depth chart, he earned a spot on the initial 53-man roster and played in 11 games as a core special teams player before a knee injury landed him on injured reserve late in the season.

Best-Case Scenario: Back healthy and resuming where he left off as a rookie, Blount continues to fly downfield on kick and punt coverage units to register several tackles in the preseason and additionally plays well as the second-string free safety behind Quandre Diggs, showcasing enough upside for the organization to view him as a potential heir apparent at the position down the road.

Worst-Case Scenario: Unable to replicate his success from last summer, Blount loses ground to newcomers Jerrick Reed II and Jonathan Sutherland on the depth chart as training camp progresses and unlike a year ago, he gets waived during final roster cuts and signs with Seattle's practice squad or another team.

What to Expect in 2023: Exuding the grit, versatility, and physicality that coach Pete Carroll and his staff covet, Blount became the latest undrafted free agent to beat the odds and carve out a significant role on Sundays for the Seahawks last season. While injuries ultimately derailed his season and caused him to miss six games, he flourished on special teams when healthy, registering nearly double-digit tackles flying downfield on coverage units and drawing praise from Carroll and others for his efforts.

Back to 100 percent health, assuming Blount remains a force in the third phase of the game, he will have an edge over incoming rookies such as Reed and Sutherland with a year of NFL experience under his belt. But with those two rookies on his heels, the arrival of free agent Julian Love, and the impending return of Jamal Adams from an injury of his own, it won't be a cakewalk retaining his spot on the roster and he will have to step up his game on defense and special teams to ensure he doesn't get bypassed by new competitors this summer.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Profiles

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Published Jun 23, 2023

CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.