The Seattle Seahawks will have a number of key decisions to make when it comes to who they retain from their group of players hitting free agency.
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That could ultimately mean the team ends up having to decide between one player over the other.
So what if it comes down to choosing between wide receiver Rashid Shaheed and safety Coby Bryant? Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus shared who he would re-sign in that scenario Wednesday during Four Down Territory on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.
“Coby because I think he is one of the pieces that kind of unlocks this defense,” Bumpus said. “Ty Okada can play if Coby were not here. He’s shown that. My man’s a baller, a smart dude.”
The 26-year-old Bryant has settled in nicely since converting to a full-time safety role in head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense last season. The Cincinnati product and winner of the Jim Thorpe Award in college has 13 passes defended, seven interceptions, five tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in 32 regular season games since 2024.
As Bumpus mentioned, Okada filled in well at safety throughout this past season when needed. With Bryant missing two games and Julian Love missing nine, Okada made 11 fill-in starts and had six passes defended, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. His 73.0 Pro Football Focus grade was 17th among safeties.
But when it comes to re-signing Shaheed, Bumpus said the Seahawks already have a cheaper option with a similar but more complete skill set at wide receiver on the roster.
“I think Tory Horton is probably a more complete receiver right now than Rashid Shaheed,” he said. “I think Rashid was kind of like a one-trick pony. Like, I’m just gonna run by you. Where I think Horton, I’ve seen Horton be efficient with his route running. I’m not saying Rashid is a bad receiver. It’s just we know what Rashid is here to do, right? Return kicks, use that speed.
“And I think that you get all those abilities with Horton, and he’s cheaper, he’s on a rookie contract. You can save yourself some money there and maybe you go spend a little bit more on a running back because you don’t have Rashid Shaheed.”
The Seahawks acquired Shaheed in a Nov. 4 trade with the New Orleans Saints. In 12 games with Seattle including the playoffs, he had three return touchdowns (two punts, one kickoff) and caught 18 of 36 targets for 266 yards and no TDs. He also ran for 86 yards on 11 carries.
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Horton caught 13 of 22 targets for 161 yards and five TDs while adding a TD on a punt return in eight games last season before shin and groin injuries sidelined him for the final nine games of the regular season and the playoffs.
“I think Coby Bryant is severely underrated,” Bumpus said. “He can play the corner, the nickel, safety, get into the box. Whatever you want him to do, he can do it. He brings fire to this team. I think both (Bryant and Shaheed) are extremely valuable, but I think just because of Tory Horton, that if I had to choose one, I’m going to lean into Coby. “
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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