Cody Barton
Much of what was said about Collier can also be applied to Cody Barton, a tough-as-nails linebacker out of Utah. It’s mostly about tomorrow than today.
As such a high pick for an inside linebacker, especially for a team known to develop impact performers in the middle like Seattle, Barton comes with high expectations. Yet it’s hard for a rookie to make his presence felt when he can’t get on the field.
Unfortunately for Barton, the Seahawks are loaded at linebacker. They employ the best in the NFL in Bobby Wagner and next to him are strong performers like K.J. Wright and Mychal Kendricks. Barton has gotten on the field behind each aforementioned linebacker in practice and the preseason in an effort to teach him the roles, but that hasn’t led to much playing time overall.
In fact, until a recent injury to Kendricks, Barton had scarcely earned any defensive snaps in an actual game. Through 11 games, he’d been a solid special teams contributor but only had 7 snaps to his name. He filled in for Kendricks in Week 12 and even started for him thereafter. He then moved to the middle to fill in for Bobby Wagner after he suffered an ankle injury in Week 14.
While he shown some ability to get his hands on the ball and showcase his strong tackling ability he’s also been lost and out of position. Perhaps the worst look was this stiff arm from, um, Carolina Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen:
Let’s all say a little prayer for Cody Barton in his film session next week pic.twitter.com/ptNnhsddKm
— Jacson Bevens (@JacsonBevens) December 15, 2019
What is clear at this point, even nearly all the way through his rookie season, Barton is a liability as a starter for the Seahawks defense—a unit where admittedly there’s a lot of responsibility on the man in the middle. If Barton was a weakside player in the future, that might be better, but if the Seahawks picture Barton as the future of the heart of their defense, there’s a lot of work to be done to get him ready.
The good news? Barton is known for his passion and work ethic. The Seahawks made the investment and they’ve coached up players to fill these roles before. Barton is by no means a bust, but this year hasn’t been too heartening for his outlook.