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Seattle Seahawks Experimenting With Coby Bryant’s Best Positional Fit

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Seattle Seahawks Experimenting With Coby Bryant’s Best Positional Fit


Following a promising rookie season, Seattle Seahawks defensive back Coby Bryant saw a drastic decrease in his usage last season once the team added No. 5 overall pick Devon Witherspoon, an enforcing slot corner who was one of the lone bright spots for an inconsistent defense.

Landing on injured reserve soon after with a toe injury, Bryant played 77.3 percent of his 146 snaps in 2023 in the first two games of the season, while Witherspoon played opposite of Riq Woolen on the outside. Once Witherspoon moved inside most of the time, Bryant’s role diminished — playing just 23% of the team’s total defensive snaps after being on the field for 65% as a rookie in 2022, according to Pro Football Reference.

However, there is hope for the third-year pro. New Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde said the coaching staff continues to actively experiment with different roles for Bryant to try and get him involved in head coach Mike Macdonald’s new scheme that utilizes versatile playmakers.

“We’re just moving him in a couple of positions,” Durde said of Bryant after Seattle’s seventh OTA practice on Monday. “He’s playing safety at the moment and then he moved and got some reps at nickel as well, but we’re just really looking at all those situations and going through it.”

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In his college and professional careers, Bryant has insubstantial game experience in either safety position. Bryant has lined up at free safety or in the box on just 5.5 percent of his career snaps, with most of those in the latter position, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s been used mostly in the slot in the NFL after being a boundary corner at Cincinnati in college.

But, as Durde explained, the 6-1, 193-pound defensive back has potential at various positions that could at least make him valuable as a rotational player in specific defensive sets, potentially giving him an advantage over some of the players he will be competing against for a roster spot this summer.

Bryant has displayed a nose for the ball, as he forced four fumbles as a rookie in 2022 and added another in extremely limited play as a sophomore. He was also fairly effective as a pass rusher, generating two sacks, two quarterback knockdowns, and four pressures on just 12 pass rush snaps as a rookie, according to Pro Football Reference.

In his first two NFL seasons, Bryant’s struggles have primarily been in coverage, where he has allowed an average passer rating of 108.3 while mostly seeing the field in the slot, where his underwhelming change of direction athletic testing has shown up at times trying to defend NFL receivers.

When final roster cuts are made in late August, Bryant’s versatility and experience — at least in practice — in a wide range of positions will certainly give him an edge. As of now, he is the only player in the Seahawks secondary truly getting reps at both cornerback and safety, which speaks to the versatility he brings to the equation for a defense that values that trait immensely.

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“Definitely you can see it, but I think on the back end there’s a bit less room for error,” Durde said of Seattle’s overall defensive versatility. “So, right now … before you can build on the versatility, it’s really understanding your job, understanding the checks, understanding how they align and the detail within that. Once they master that, that’s when you can start the versatility.”

The potential of what Seattle has on the back end won’t be fully apparent until training camp when contact is permitted and defensive backs can contest catches. That will be when Bryant either solidifies his place on the Seahawks roster or falls out of favor with the new coaching staff, and he will be a player who bears close watching once the team reports in late July.



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Evacuations ordered in 3 south Seattle suburbs after levee fails after week of heavy rain

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Evacuations ordered in 3 south Seattle suburbs after levee fails after week of heavy rain


SEATTLE (AP) – Officials ordered immediate evacuations in three south Seattle suburbs Monday after a levee failed following a week of heavy rains.

The evacuation order from King County in Washington state covered homes and businesses east of the Green River in parts of Kent, Auburn and Tukwila.

Emergency shelters have been set up at the following locations:

  • Auburn Community and Event Center, 910 9th St. SE, Auburn, WA, 98002
  • Ray of Hope Shelter, 2806 Auburn Way N. Auburn, WA, 98002
  • Evergreen State Fairgrounds, 14405 179th Ave. SE., Monroe, WA 98272 (Open 24 hours) – Pets welcomed

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning covering nearly 47,000 people.

“Conditions are dangerous and access routes may be lost at any time,” the weather service said in a post on X.

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The levee breach followed a week of heavy rain and flooding that inundated communities, forced the evacuations of tens of thousands of people, and prompted scores of rescues throughout western Washington state





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Report: Seattle Mariners a front-runner for Cards’ Donovan

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Report: Seattle Mariners a front-runner for Cards’ Donovan


The Seattle Mariners have emerged as one of two front-runners in trade talks with the St. Louis Cardinals for utilityman Brendan Donovan, The Athletic’s Katie Woo reported on Saturday.

Drayer: How Polanco’s departure impacts Seattle Mariners’ offseason

Woo reported a league source said trade discussions between the Mariners and Cardinals have been heating up since the Winter Meetings, and that switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje and outfielder Lazaro Montes – two of Seattle’s top-seven prospects, per MLB pipeline – are two names St. Louis has inquired about, among others.

The Cardinals will not trade Donovan unless they are “blown away” by the return, and it’s believed they are looking for at least two prospects, per Woo’s reporting.

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The San Francisco Giants were the other of the two front-runners Woo named. She also said that both the Mariners and Giants remain engaged in talks with the Arizona Diamondbacks about second baseman Ketel Marte.

Can the M’s give up what Arizona wants for a Ketel Marte trade?

Donovan, who will turn 29 next month, has two years of club control remaining. He’s played every position except catcher during his four-year career, with the majority of his time coming at second base and left field. He would figure to mainly factor in at second base and third base for the Mariners, who have young players like Cole Young, Ben Williamson and Colt Emerson vying for time at those positions.

Donovan was a first-time All-Star in 2025, batting .287 with a .353 on-base percentage, .422 slugging percentage, .775 OPS, 32 doubles, 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 118 games. His 13% strikeout rate ranked in the 92nd percentile of big league hitters and his 13.4% whiff rate in the 95th percentile, per Baseball Savant.

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Over four MLB seasons, Donovan has a career .282 average with a .361 on-base percentage, .411 slugging percentage, .772 OPS, 97 doubles, 40 homers and 202 RBIs in 492 games. He won the NL Gold Glove for utility players during his rookie season in 2022.

As for the prospects Woo reported the Cardinals inquiring about, the 22-year-old Cijntje is Seattle’s No. 7 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. The unique pitcher had a 3.99 ERA and 1.22 WHIP while holding opponents to a .207 average, striking out 120 batters and walking 51 in 108 1/3 innings pitched over 26 appearances (23 starts) across High-A and Double-A in 2025.

The 21-year-old Montes is considered to be the best power-hitting prospect in the Mariners’ farm system and is their No. 3 overall farmhand, per MLB Pipeline. The slugging outfielder hit .241 with a .354 on-base percentage, .504 slugging percentage, .858 OPS, 19 doubles, seven triples, 32 home runs, 89 RBIs, 83 walks and 169 strikeouts over 131 games across High-A and Double-A this year. Montes finished tied for third in home runs among minor leaguers across all levels.

The report that the M’s are one of the top contenders for Donovan came on the same day as they lost out on re-signing their top remaining free-agent target, second baseman/designated hitter Jorge Polanco, who reportedly agreed to a two-year, $40 million deal with the New York Mets.

More Seattle Mariners offseason coverage

• Backup catcher target emerges for Seattle Mariners, per reports
• Drayer: Mariners’ plan for 2B and 3B coming more into focus
• Salk: What we know and think about Seattle Mariners’ offseason needs
• Why Nolan Arenado could make sense as a Seattle Mariners trade target
• Drayer: Mariners’ plan for 2B and 3B coming more into focus
• The one move Passan says could make Mariners the AL favorites

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WEST SEATTLE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: As seen from two wheels

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WEST SEATTLE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: As seen from two wheels


Tonight’s spotlight lights are courtesy of Al, who sent this photo from a stop during The Beer Junction‘s wassail ride tonight – he says it’s in North Admiral, SW Atlantic between California SW and 44th SW. As for the ride, Al reports 17 people pedaled about six miles:

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Wherever and however you find lights worth sharing, westseattleblog@gmail.com – with or without a pic! (To see what we’ve shown already, scroll through this WSB archive!)





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