The Seattle Seahawks were expected to have a stout defense in 2025. The plan this past offseason was to rebuild the offense, bring nearly everybody back from the 2024 defense, and win a lot of games when head coach Mike Macdonald's scheme dominated.
That has mostly been what has happened. The offense has been better than expected, and the defense has been expectedly good. One reason is that the team has gotten a breakout performance from supersub Ty Okada.
Entering this season, the 2023 unsigned free agent out of Montana State had only logged 33 snaps. The safety was unremarkable in those reps, and had whiffed on two of his five tackle attempts. Everyone but Okada and the Seahawks coaching staff should be shocked by what has happened this year.
Ty Okada having a breakout season for the Seattle Seahawks
After starter Julian Love hurt his hamstring in Week 2, Okada started in his place in Week 3 and was electric. He had six tackles, including a sack, and a pass broken up. Love returned in Week 4, though, so Okada was moved back to the bench and only got one rep. Then, Love aggravated his injury, and Okada was back to starting.
He could have shown that his excellent performance in Week 4 was just a one-off accident. Instead, he was arguably even better in starting seven straight games as Love was forced to sit out. The Seahawks' elite defense did not drop off because Okada was playing, and he was producing.
Overall, he has had eight total quarterback pressures, 62 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and has corrected any potential tackling issue he might have had. He has missed on just 11.3 percent of his tackle attempts this season, a good number for a defensive back.
He is also back to being a starter. Julian Love returned in Week 14, and for the next three games, Okada got a bunch of reps, but he was coming off the bench. In Week 16, however, starter Coby Bryant hurt his knee, and he might not return until the playoffs.
No worries, as Okada took his place in Week 17 against the Carolina Panthers and may have had the best game of his career. On the second play of the game, the safety made an impressive open-field tackle for a 2-yard loss. He helped set the tone for a Seahawks defensive destruction of Carolina.
But Okada didn't stop with the one great tackle. He had five tackles, a quarterback pressure, three run stuffs at the line of scrimmage, and while he allowed both of his pass targets to be completed, they amounted to zero yards.
Ty Okada might be playing well enough that he makes Coby Bryant expendable. Bryant is a free agent this coming offseason and had already stopped extension talks with the Seattle Seahawks. Okada is an exclusive rights free agent, who Seattle will obviously pick up his option. Bryant's unwillingness to aggressively seek a new deal might open the door for Okada to take his spot.