Ty Okada is Re-Igniting Seattle Seahawks' Safety Competition

After another impressive preseason outing on Saturday, Ty Okada is keeping the depth safety competition alive heading into the final exhibition game.

Aug 17, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39) celebrates an interception late in the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. / Casey Gower-USA TODAY Sports

It might be more difficult for the Seattle Seahawks to stash second-year free safety Ty Okada on the practice squad this season. On a safety-needy team, the undrafted rookie out of Montana State could contend for a regular-season role.

Okada has played the fifth-most defensive snaps of any Seahawks player through two preseason games, per Pro Football Focus. He punctuated his most recent performance versus the Tennessee Titans with a diving interception off a tipped pass over the middle of the field — flying to the ball from his deep safety spot, unhindered by his bloodied ear.

“Ty has done that since I’ve known him,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said postgame on Saturday. “Great attitude, great spirit. Plays physical, plays the way you want. Great mentality, the guys love him. Plays fast, communicates well. So, he’s had a great camp.”

The 5-11, 193-pound safety is tied for second on the team in preseason solo tackles with six, and he’s allowed a 31.9 passer rating on three targets (allowed two catches for 10 yards), per PFF. Only safety Coby Bryant, who has been targeted twice and has not surrendered a catch, has allowed a lower rating among Seattle’s defensive players who have had a pass thrown their way in coverage.

A diving pick by @tyokada ‼️ pic.twitter.com/dhQQqOYXfb

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 18, 2024

Okada was incredibly productive in his final two seasons at Montana State, and he played 38 snaps on special teams for Seattle last season as a rookie, bouncing between the active roster and practice squad.

From 2021–22 with the Bobcats, Okada compiled 151 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, 18 passes defensed and three interceptions (one returned for a 72-yard touchdown) in 28 starts. He was a second-team All-Big Sky selection both years.

Even with his stellar preseason, Okada faces the challenge of cracking a Seahawks safety rotation that might already be set. Seattle may not have any blue-chip players in the room, but it at least has three who are already roster locks in Rayshawn Jenkins, Julian Love and K’Von Wallace.

Bryant has also been on the rise since moving to safety, but his first preseason appearance (one interception and nearly a second) was much better than his second after he missed multiple tackles. It will likely be between Okada and Bryant for the fourth and final safety spot on Seattle’s initial 53-man roster.

Okada played 12 more snaps against the Titans than Bryant, but each played more than 30 — suggesting the competition may still be very much on between the two players. The coaching staff wants plenty of film to evaluate each of them, and each has lined up almost exclusively at free safety in the two preseason games.

Jul 30, 2023; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39) interacts with fans prior to training camp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Then, of course, there’s Jerrick Reed II, who has been sidelined since tearing his ACL in Seattle’s Week 11 game against the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 19, 2023. He is not expected to be ready to go by the regular season opener but could shake up the safety room further whenever he can return.

Reed, a sixth-round pick out of New Mexico last season, is currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and he will be eligible for the reserve/PUP list to begin the season as long as he doesn’t practice in the preseason. If that’s the case, Reed would be slated to miss at least the first four games of the season before a roster spot would have to be cleared for his return.

Seattle appeared thin at safety entering training camp after cutting two of its highly paid veterans, Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams. Now, because of its competition at the depth spots, a quality player could be claimed off waivers by another team before Seattle can bring them back on the practice squad.

Okada is arguably undersized at the NFL level, but he doesn’t play like he is. That’s the type of player Macdonald has stressed he wants on his football team.

Regardless, a tough decision will have to be made between Okada and Bryant following the Seahawks’ final preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday. That game will be crucial for both players.