5 Seahawks that need to step up their game heading into a contract year
By Lee Vowell
Seahawks linebacker Cody Barton
It’s Cody Barton’s world; He just needs to prove he is worth taking a chance on after the Seahawks released Bobby Wagner this offseason. Wagner, of course, is a future Hall of Famer who was a 6-time Associated Press First-Team All-Pro while in Seattle since 2012. No Wagner plays for NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams.
Barton hasn’t had a lot of playing time in the last three seasons because of Wagner and former Seahawk K.J. Wright. He now has one year to show he can put up close to the production that Wagner did. No one should expect Barton to be as good as Wagner because few players in NFL history have been.
Still, Barton can do things now than Wagner can. Wagner did have some splash plays on coverage over his career but overall isn’t the best coverage linebacker. While the linebackers, in general, were extremely poorly coached in 2021 as far as coverage goes, Wagner should also have had the experience to read the field a bit better. Seattle got burned a lot by throws over the middle where the linebackers should have been.
Barton can cover pretty well. He also has speed and can help against the run sideline to sideline. Barton also will help budding star Jordyn Brooks be Wagner-esque. Brooks doesn’t miss tackles, just like Wagner. But if Barton can play more like Wright to Brooks’ Wagner, the Seahawks might have their starting LB duo for the next five years or more.