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Seattle Seahawks DB Coby Bryant.
There’s been a lot of focus on how the Las Vegas Raiders will fix the offense in free agency and the draft this offseason, but the defense needs a lot of work, too. Rob Leonard hasn’t been a defensive coordinator before, so the team needs to set him up for success.
The Raiders need upgrades at all three levels, but there might be some strong options in the secondary available in free agency. Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao wasn’t consistent last season, and other safety Jeremy Chinn might make more sense as a nickel cornerback.
The Seattle Seahawks just won the Super Bowl with an elite defense that Klint Kubiak got an up-close look at. One of the most important players in the run was safety Coby Bryant. He’s a free agent this offseason and could be too expensive for Seattle to afford.
Greg Auman of FOX Sports projects the Raiders to sign Bryant in free agency.
“Bryant, 26, is another part of Seattle’s amazing 2022 draft class, a fourth-rounder who has deftly shifted from corner to safety and has seven interceptions in the last two seasons,” Auman wrote. “Like any Super Bowl team, the Seahawks will be hard-pressed to keep all of their young talents coming off rookie contracts. It might be a choice between Bryant at $12-14 million a year over their young corners. We have Seattle with five free agents in the top 50, and that could increase with success in the Super Bowl.”
Raiders Also Predicted to Sign Jaquan Brisker
Just adding Bryant would likely be enough for the Raiders to feel good about their safety room. However, Auman thinks the team could go all-in on fixing the secondary.
He also predicted that the Raiders would sign Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker.
“Brisker, 26, got healthy again in 2025, piling up 93 tackles in a vastly improved Bears secondary,” Auman wrote. “Chicago has major decisions to make on who to keep in that group and who to let go, with Brisker and veteran safety Kevin Byard both free agents. Will teams make a big investment in a player who’s had three concussions? Will the Bears lean into Byard at age 32 because his ball skills fit in better with the nature of their defense?”
Does Brisker-Bryant Pairing Make Sense?
The Raiders would probably be wiser to not spend a ton of money on two safeties, but it would be an interesting strategy. Both Bryant and Brisker are 26 and have started a lot of games. They’d form a very strong safety duo for years to come.
That said, the Raiders would likely rather distribute their money in different ways. The team needs to remake their linebacker room, find another cornerback or two and upgrade the defensive line, especially if Maxx Crosby gets traded.
Luckily, the Raiders do have a ton of money to work with. They could be big spenders this offseason. Perhaps adding both Bryant and Brisker would be a move they’d consider making. Adding them certainly wouldn’t make the defense worse, but the Raiders need to be smart with building out this roster.
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd
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