Seattle, WA
‘Nothing is Given to Us’: Seahawks’ Coby Bryant Capitalizing on Starting Role
Seattle Seahawks safety Coby Bryant’s career resurgence is recent but prominent. He keeps getting better every week, and now he’s become an impact player every week.
Before Week 7 of this season, Bryant hadn’t started a game since Week 2 of the 2023 campaign. Now, since returning to a starting role, he’s playing almost every snap on defense for the Seahawks.
It’s thanks to Bryant’s performance in practice and new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald’s competitive philosophy: No starter’s job is safe, and playing time must be earned.
“It says a lot,” Bryant said Wednesday of the message Macdonald’s philosophy sends to the team. “That we are willing to work, and nothing is given to us. Once you get that opportunity you just take full advantage of it.”
Of course, it would also be less likely Bryant would have been given a chance to start if starting safety Rayshawn Jenkins hadn’t been placed on injured reserve with a hand injury after starting the first six games of the season for Seattle. But Bryant still had to beat out K’Von Wallace and Jerrick Reed II for playing time.
Macdonald said on Monday Bryant is “playing at a really high level,” and the numbers back that up. Pete Carroll’s coaching staff began moving Bryant to safety last season, but this has been the first full season of his football career he’s been almost exclusively at the position.
Bryant, who was initially reluctant to change positions, said he took advice from former Seahawks players Quandre Diggs and DeShawn Shead, as well as current starter Julian Love.
“Just so many changes,” Bryant said of his initial skepticism. “Being a young player, you don’t really understand that until you talk to guys. Quandre Diggs and a couple of other guys, having that conversation, it puts longevity on my career. It shows how they have faith in me.”
In his first start of the season versus the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7, Bryant logged a career-high 11 tackles and added an interception and pass deflection. He’s had at least a pass deflection and four tackles in each of the two games since, in addition to becoming an enforcer on the back end.
Bryant has had multiple punishing hits, including one on Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson in Week 9 that prevented what would have been a long completion to potentially set up a game-winning field goal. He’s consistently making plays in big spots and has played every defensive snap the last two games, per Pro Football Reference.
“Pretty well,” Bryant said of the adjustment to safety. “Obviously, there’s always things that I can get better at, that’s the biggest thing is that I am still trying to get better. I feel like I am doing pretty well.”
Seattle’s defense will look different in Week 11 than it did before the bye in Week 9. Starting inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson was waived when the team got back from the break as the team searched for answers in the middle of its defense. Wallace, also a safety, was also placed on injured reserve, opening the door for Reed to potentially appear in three-safety sets.
“It’s exciting for [Reed],” Bryant said. “Just all the things that he’s been through with his injury and everything. We’re excited to see him out there whether it’s special teams or defense. I know he is going to do well.”
Bryant said the team is rejuvenated after the bye. With the Seahawks currently at 4-5 overall (0-2 NFC West), Week 11 versus the San Francisco 49ers has essentially become a must-win game. Seattle lost to the Niners 36-24 in Week 6.
“We’re good man,” Bryant said. “We needed that bye [week], now it’s time to go back to work. Go in, focus, and go out there on Sunday and get the job done.”
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I caught this neighbor red-handed cleaning up the beach at Lincoln Park after last night’s … festivities…
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SEATTLE, WA – JULY 4: Dominique Malonga #14 of the Seattle Storm drives to the basket during the game against the Portland Fire on July 4, 2026 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. (David Ryder / NBAE / Getty Images)
SEATTLE – Carla Leite scored 20 points to lead the Portland Fire to a 77-72 victory over the Seattle Storm on Saturday night.
Leite made 4 of 8 shots and all 12 of her free throws, adding four assists for Portland (9-12). Bridget Carleton totaled 14 points and seven rebounds, while Megan Gustafson added 10 points and nine boards.
Dominique Malonga had 22 points to pace Seattle (5-17) and Natisha Hiedeman scored 15. Awa Fam had 12 points, while fellow rookie Flau’jae Johnson was held to a season-low one point.
Leite had two three-point plays to start the third quarter and Frieda Buhner came off the bench to score all nine of her points over a six-minute span as Portland turned a 32-30 halftime lead into a 54-47 advantage. Gustafson sank a 3-pointer for a 41-38 lead and the Fire never trailed again.
Emily Engstler had all nine of her points and six of her eight rebounds by halftime, helping Portland outscore Seattle 22-10 in the second period for a two-point lead at the break.
Hiedeman had nine points in the first quarter and Seattle used a 13-2 run over the final 5:27 to take a 20-10 lead before falling to 0-12 against Western Conference opponents this season.
Portland went 1-3 on a four-game trip.
Up next
Seattle: At Los Angeles Sparks on Monday.
Portland: Hosts Las Vegas Aces on Thursday.
The Source: Information in this story came from The Associated Press.
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An exciting cross-conference WNBA matchup takes center stage on Independence Day as the Portland Fire travel north to the Emerald City to clash with the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at 6:00 PM PT.
The home-standing Storm look to assert their dominance behind a balanced offensive attack led by dynamic playmaker Dominique Malonga and veteran guard Naty Hiedeman. The visiting Fire will try to play the ultimate holiday spoiler, counting on a heavy scoring punch from Carla Leite to disrupt Seattle’s defensive rhythm. To help you locate the sharpest analytical angles before tip-off, we cross-referenced our advanced game simulations with live, crowd-sourced contract data from Polymarket, the world’s largest decentralized prediction platform.
Fire vs. Storm: Matchup Overview
- Teams: Portland Fire vs. Seattle Storm
- Date: Saturday, July 4, 2026
- Time: 6:00 PM PT
- Venue: Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle, WA)
Current Betting Odds
- Spread: Storm -4.5 (+100), Fire +4.5 (-106)
- Total (Over/Under): 171.5 Points
- Moneyline: Fire +170, Storm -174
The odds and lines featured in this article are the best available from selected sports betting sites like Novig and BetMGM at the time of publication and are subject to change.
Polymarket Prediction Market Insights:
Polymarket’s liquid wagering pools offer real-time tracking of public and sharp sentiment, where contract share prices adjust fluidly to represent precise market-implied probabilities:
- Seattle Storm Moneyline (To Win): 63¢ (63% implied probability)
- Portland Fire Moneyline (To Win): 38¢ (38% implied probability)
- Storm Spread (-4.5): 50¢ (50% implied probability)
- Fire Spread (+4.5): 52¢ (52% implied probability)
- Total Points Over 171.5: 51¢ (51% implied probability)
- Total Points Under 171.5: 50¢ (50% implied probability)
(Note: Prediction market participants on Polymarket are trading the game notably closer than standard sportsbooks, pricing Seattle as a more modest 63% moneyline favorite).
Deep Betting Market Analysis & Projections
By routing raw roster efficiency matrices, player matchup data, and home-court advantages through 10,000 algorithmic simulations, our predictive engine has mapped out the highest-probability vectors for Saturday’s showdown:
1. Outright Moneyline: Seattle Storm (73.7% Win Probability)
- The Data: Our machine-learning model gives Seattle a commanding 73.7% probability to win straight up.
- The Angle: This represents a massive value gap on the prediction exchanges. While sportsbooks have priced the Storm heavily at -174, Polymarket traders are valuing Seattle shares at just 63¢. Backing the Storm moneyline contract on Polymarket provides exceptional statistical leverage over standard bookmaker juice.
2. The Point Spread: Storm -4.5 (+100)
- The Data: Simulations indicate a strong 58.0% probability that Seattle covers the -4.5 spread.
- The Angle: Our model projects a final score of Storm 88, Fire 81, indicating a seven-point victory for the hosts. Laying the 4.5 points with Seattle at even money (+100) on Novig represents an analytical edge over public sentiment.
3. Game Total: Under 171.5 Points (+106)
- The Data: The simulation baseline shows a clear 58.6% lean toward the Under.
- The Angle: Our projected combined score sits at 169 points. With Novig offering a plus-money premium of +106 on the Under, fading a high-scoring track meet provides a very comfortable mathematical cushion compared to public expectations.
WNBA Player Props: Projected Box Scores
To evaluate how the individual stars will impact the floor at Climate Pledge Arena, here is the statistical breakdown from our game simulations:
Seattle Storm Projection
- Dominique Malonga: 18 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST
- Naty Hiedeman: 14 PTS, 2 REB, 4 AST
- Awak Kuier Fam: 13 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST
- Flau’jae Johnson: 12 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
- Jordan Horston: 6 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST
Portland Fire Projection
- Carla Leite: 15 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST
- Brack Carleton: 10 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
- Megan Gustafson: 9 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST
- Luisa Geiselsoder: 9 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST
- Emily Engstler: 8 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST
Fire vs. Storm Summary:
The data signals a celebratory night for Seattle fans, as the Storm are structurally positioned to handle their Pacific Northwest rivals. While backing Seattle on the flat moneyline via Polymarket yields the highest pure value, locking in Under 171.5 points (+106) provides an excellent statistical fallback play.
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