Cody Barton was chosen by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2019 draft. The idea was that he had the athleticism to be good in coverage and a solid tackler. Was he going to replace Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright? No, not at that point.
Barton did rise to being a starter in 2022, the final year of his rookie deal, and he was, well...meh. He was terrible, but he wasn't very good. In other words, Seattle thought they could do better. The ironic part is that Barton might have been a decent fit in Mike Macdonald's system, but Macdonald was never the Seahawks coach during Barton's time.
Since leaving Seattle, the linebacker has played for the Denver Broncos (2023), the Washington Commanders (2024), and now the Tennessee Titans. He is a full-time starter for a bad Titans team, and he is signed through 2027, but his contract isn't expensive.
Former Seattle Seahawks draft pick Cody Barton might be on his way to another new team
Tennessee would save money by trading him. Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox thinks there is a decent chance that happens. Basically, the Titans have found out what the Seahawks already knew: Cody Barton is solid, but not transformative.
He's decent in coverage, for instance. Ignore the Pro Football Focus (yes, subscription required) for this season. It is a lousy 49.9. Yet, this is based on Barton allowing 18 of 24 pass targets to be completed, but for just 149 yards, no touchdowns, and Barton has two interceptions. That is good for an inside linebacker.
The former Seattle Seahawks linebacker has also been a good tackler. In his career, he has missed just 6.4 percent of his tackle attempts. This year, he sits at a career-high (or low, in a bad way) 10.9 percent, but even that isn't awful. But that kind of shows Barton's real value.
He isn't going to lose a team many games. He is fundamentally fine. But he also isn't going to win a team many games, and a team can almost certainly get an upgrade to Cody Barton's position. He won't be expensive to sign, but he isn't a long-term answer at one of the two inside linebacker positions.
Cody Barton, a former Seattle Seahawks draft pick, will probably play in the NFL for another five or six seasons and make a decent living. Yet, he will never be a star and probably go team to team. He is just good enough to have on a roster, but not good enough to count on to be a long-term starter.