The Seattle Seahawks let safety Coby Bryant leave in free agency. He signed with the Chicago Bears for three years and as much as $40 million. Ty Okada appeared ready to take over his spot, but that might not be happening after Seattle chose TCU safety Bud Clark in the second round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Clark isn't built the same as Bryant or Okada. He is thinner and faster, and might get some time in the slot instead of at safety to begin his career. That would push Devon Witherspoon more to the outside, however, so Clark's reps in the slot might be limited.
What he can do, and what Bryant was able to do, is take the ball away. He had 15 interceptions in college and was twice named Second-Team All-Big 12. He has a nose for forcing turnovers that will get him on the field faster than he might otherwise.
Bud Clark will likely take the job of Seattle Seahawks' Ty Okada sooner rather than later
Okada is sound fundamentally, a good tackler, and excellent in run support. So was Coby Bryant. In this aspect, Okada might have the initial advantage over Clark. While Clark might naturally be better in pass coverage, he will need to learn Mike Macdonald's system and not be baited into poor plays by NFL receivers.
Clark will also need to gain some mass. He only weighs 188 pounds, and that isn't enough to hold up under the immense size and speed of professional players. Once in the Seahawks conditioning program, however, he should gain muscle while losing none of the kind of speed that allowed him to run a 4.41 40-yard dash.
In Week 1, unless Bud Clark especially impresses in minicamp, training camp, and the preseason, Ty Okada will probably start opposite Julian Love, but by Week 6, that might not be the case.
Mike Macdonald isn't afraid to make in-season changes that can improve his defense. He has done so at linebacker recently, for instance, starting Drake Thomas over Tyrice Knight.
Eventually, Bud Clark is going to prove himself in practice enough by stealing the ball out of the air on passes from quarterbacks, and he will likely turn that into production in real games. Macdonald is a safety whisperer, so Clark is coming to the best possible team for him. 12s will probably see him shine sooner rather than later.
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