Seahawks: 15 best defensive backs in franchise history

Number 1: Seahawks safety Kenny Easley, 1981-1987

How can Kenny Easley not be number one? He is a Hall of Famer. He was AFC Defensive Player of the Year in his third season and NFL Defensive Player of the Year in his fourth. He is the player that people compare Kam Chancellor to but Easly was really a mixture of Chancellor and Thomas. Easley could hit hard but he could cover in the passing game as well.

In 1984, Easley had 10 interceptions and returned 2 of them for touchdowns. While Easley had an injury-shortened career (he only played seven seasons and all of them with Seattle), he still managed to pick off 32 passes and have 8 sacks. In total, he returned 3 interceptions for touchdowns.

But besides being a fantastic player on the field, Easley was also a leader off of it. In 1982, he was part of a group of players who led a strike against owners. Fans missed games, sure. But Easley’s action helped lead the way for players of today to be a lot more wealthy while also allowing the league to be so successful financially.

There simply isn’t any other defensive back in Seahawks history or maybe even in NFL history quite like Easley. He could scare opposing players into not coming over the middle of the field but if they did, he could pick off the pass and run it back for a touchdown.