Tag: Cody Barton

KJ Wright says he will either play for Seahawks in 2022 or he will retire

However, Wright has singled out one team he will play for if he chooses to keep playing.

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Former Seahawks linebacker KJ Wright remains a free agent after his one-year tenure with the Raiders. It is safe to say that he is not exactly a coveted asset at his age; he will turn 33 years old next month and he can see the writing on the wall. 

However, Wright has singled out one team he will play for if he chooses to keep playing: the very team that drafted him.

“I think it’s pretty well known where I stand at, how I want to end my career, going into my 12th season,” Wright told SiriusXM. “If it’s not in Seattle, then I’ll be all good.”

Wright revealed that he left his family behind in Seattle to play for the Raiders and wishes to stay with them going forward, so the Emerald City is the only place that makes sense for him.

However, it is unknown if Seattle has any interest in bringing the veteran linebacker back into the fold, as they have two promising young linebackers in Jordyn Brooks and Cody Barton, and look to move forward with them. Wright also stated that he will not settle for a midseason signing, so don’t count on him returning if he is still unsigned months from now. 

Wright has had a storied Seahawks career and it would be heartening to see him in the blue and green again, but with his age and Seattle’s young talent at the forefront, it is difficult to see it happening.

“So we’ll see,” Wright concluded. “Seattle knows my heart. It only makes sense for me to go back. And so we’ll see what they end up doing.”

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Seahawks linebacker unit ranked among top 10 by Pro Football Focus

According to a new list at PFF, the Seahawks’ linebacker unit is the eighth-best in the NFL.

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The Seahawks released middle linebacker Bobby Wagner on the same day Russell Wilson was traded, removing what had been the centerpiece of their defense for the last 10 years. Moving forward, how well the new-look linebacker rotation performs will have a big impact on just how good this defense will be in the post-Wagner era.

While they don’t have anywhere near the experience of the famously-successul pairing of Wagner and K.J. Wright, Seattle does have a couple of young, quality starters at this spot. According to a new list at PFF, the Seahawks’ linebacker unit is the eighth-best in the NFL.

“This ranking may be a surprise after the Seahawks lost future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner in free agency this offseason, but Wagner seemed to be on the downslope of his career. Jordyn Brooks is an ascending star who will get more snaps this year. Cody Barton is another interesting player who will finally get a chance to start this season.”

Brooks had a rough rookie season in 2020, raising questions about the team using a first-round pick on him. He did grow a great deal last year, though – improving his PFF grades in run defense, tackling, pass rushing and especially coverage, which had been the weakest part of his game. Brooks will be the new defensive play-caller for this defense.

Meanwhile, Barton saw his first legitimate playing time in the final two games of the 2021 season, taking over at middle linebacker for Wagner, who suffered a knee injury on the first snap in Week 17. Barton proved more than effective and the defense as a whole appeared to be sharper in those games than they had been.

As for Seattle’s depth, the team added Joel Iyiegbuniwe in free agency. We’re projecting him and Ben Burr-Kirven will serve as the main backups.

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Seahawks: Ranking the 4 best bargains on the roster in 2022 by cap hit

Here are the four players who represent their best bargains in 2022 based on their cap numbers.

Pro Football Focus released a ranking today of the 32 best contracts in the NFL heading into the 2022 season. None of the players who are on the Seattle Seahawks’ roster at the moment made the cut.

While that’s not a huge surprise considering the state of their books, this team does have a few quality bargains here and there. Here are the four players who represent their best bargains in 2022 based on their cap numbers. All salary info comes from Over the Cap.

 

Seahawks: These 6 players are under the most pressure in 2022

Here are six players on the roster who are under the most pressure to perform during the 2022 season.

“Pressure changes everything. Some people, you squeeze ’em, they focus. Others fold.”

So said Al Pacino’s fiendish lawyer John Milton in 1997’s The Devil’s Advocate, a film whose creators knew just a little too much about the true nature and identity of evil. That’s a story for another day, though.

Pressure is the focus of this story – and there are more than a few Seattle Seahawks players who will be feeling plenty of it this coming season. In the absence of former franchise quarterback Russell Wilson and legendary middle linebacker Bobby Wagner a new chapter has begun in Seattle and new characters will have to emerge to fill that void in leadership.

Here are six players on the roster who are under the most pressure to perform during the 2022 season.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll: Jordyn Brooks is new defensive playcaller

The Seahawks need several players to step up into leadership positions this year in the absence of Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner.

The Seahawks need several players to step up into leadership positions this year in the absence of Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner.

While the competition to replace Wilson as the starting quarterback has yet to be settled, we have an answer on the other side of the ball. Speaking with reporters today after the end of the team’s first OTA practice, coach Pete Carroll confirmed that the new defensive playcaller will be linebacker Jordyn Brooks.

Brooks has some big cleats to fill, as Wagner held that role for the last 10 years and did it as well as any defender in the game.

In his rookie year Brooks had some issues on the field but he made tremendous strides in 2021. His coverage, range and overall ability took a significant leap. The Seahawks will need him to make another step forward if their defense is to avoid a major dropoff in the post-Wagner era.

There’s no word as of yet who will replace Wagner as defensive captain, but this news obviously should put Brooks in the running.

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Seahawks have a tough decision to make on Bobby Wagner this offseason

Seahawks have a tough decision to make on Bobby Wagner this offseason

Bobby Wagner has been a force to be reckoned with throughout his long and storied career. The tenth-year linebacker has earned a reputation as the most consistent defensive player for the Seattle Seahawks over the past decade in a sizable quantity of such players. A six-time First-team All-Pro, two-time Second-team All-Pro, eight-time Pro Bowler, and a key contributor to Seattle’s Super Bowl run and sustained success, there is no doubt he will be headed to Canton when all is said and done.

With that said, the Seahawks must make a decision on Wagner’s future this offseason along with that of numerous other key players. As it stands, Wagner is a potential cap casualty; he has a cap hit of over $20 million in the final year of his current contract and the Seahawks could save $16.6 million in cap space by releasing him, according to Spotrac. 

The team possesses approximately $51 million in available cap space for next season per OverTheCap.com but the Seahawks could spend a good portion of it on free agency and at least a small portion will be necessary to sign the players they draft in 2022. They could create a good chunk of additional cap space by cutting Wagner. Despite his career-high 170 tackles (93 solo) in 15 games in 2021, he only accumulated three tackles for loss and his decline in athleticism has been more obvious this season. Wagner will turn 32 years old this offseason and Jordyn Brooks looks to take over as captain of the defense soon while Cody Barton has shown some promise at the linebacker position as well.

So what is the argument for keeping Wagner onboard for 2022? He is a future Hall of Famer and just because he has lost a step does not mean he is not a competent player anymore. The stats he posted this year are not entirely empty and he can still be a contributor, especially if both parties agree to restructure his contract, but the cost may be too high.

Regardless of the outcome of Wagner’s situation, he will be remembered as one of the greatest linebackers and Seattle Seahawks in NFL history.

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Pete Carroll says Bobby Wagner won’t require surgery on his knee

Today, coach Pete Carroll told ESPN that Wagner won’t require surgery and there’s no major damage to report.

The Seahawks scored a win over the Lions on Sunday, but they’re still finishing in last place and all they did was hurt the Jets’ draft position in the first round. Seattle also suffered a few injuries, including one for the most critical defensive player on the team.

Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner went down on the first defensive snap of the game against Detroit. He was later spotted heading to the locker room and was listed as questionable to return with a knee injury. We didn’t get an update on his status but he never came back on the field. Today, coach Pete Carroll told ESPN that Wagner won’t require surgery and there’s no major damage to report. However, he’s not sure if Bobby can play in the season finale against the Cardinals.

If Wagner is done for the season, he finishes the 2021 campaign with a career-high 170 combined tackles, second-most in the league behind Falcons linebacker Foye Oluokun.

Cody Barton stepped in at Wagner’s spot and performed well, totaling seven tackles and earning one of the highest PFF grades on the team.

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Seahawks Highlights: Marquise Blair scores defensive touchdown after Cody Barton hit

The Seahawks aren’t playing many starters tonight, but the backups showed up in the mood to make some noise.

The Seahawks aren’t playing many starters tonight, but the backups showed up in the mood to make some noise.

The first defensive series for Seattle against Los Angeles was a strong one, with Nick Bellore, Darrell Taylor and Cody Barton all making plays. The best work came from defensive back Marquise Blair, who made a nice tackle on the first snap. Blair also scored a defensive touchdown after Barton blasted Chargers QB Chase Daniel on a blitz. Watch.

The Seahawks lead 7-0 early in the first quarter.

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2 Studs and 1 Dud from Seahawks Week 1 preseason game

Football is finally back!

Football is finally back! After six long months following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ dominant victory in Super Bowl LV, fans are out of the sports wilderness and back on their couches watching their favorite teams.

The 12th Man is no different, as they have gotten their first glimpse of the Seahawks on the field since the Wild Card round last season. Unfortunately, the 12s will have to wait a little longer to see another Seahawks victory as Seattle dropped their preseason opener to the Las Vegas Raiders 20-7.

With a 13-point loss, how can there be more Studs than Duds this week? Because the preseason – especially the first week – is less about wins and losses, as much as it is looking at individual performances.

In the end, there isn’t a whole lot of substance – for good or ill – one can reasonably take away from the first exhibition game of the year for the sake of season forecasting. As a result, here is who stood out in Preseason Week 1.