Myles Bryant Was First from 2019 Huskies to Make NFL Breakthrough

Former Husky defensive back impresses his new employers with his versatility.

Myles Bryant wasn't going to let a little pandemic get in the way of his football career.

Rather than wait for things to return to normal, the former University of Washington defensive back took advantage of a restrictive world to immerse himself in his craft and establish himself as an NFL player.

For the New England Patriots, Bryant has gone from undrafted free agent to practice squad player to a regular member of the secondary rotation. He's played in seven games. He had his first interception two weeks ago against the Los Angeles Rams.

"I actually look at 2020 as kind of a blessing in disguise just in terms of us not being able to do stuff really outside of football really just being locked in on football," Bryant told the Patriots' press corps. "So I mean with that, there's not really too many distractions out there and I can hone in on whatever game plan we have going this week or what new coverages, what the other team does. So for me, I really just try to take the time out and learn this stuff."

Bryant is part of a UW football class that headed to the pros after the 2019 season, one that seemed to be collectively dismissed, either going undrafted or drafted in the later rounds. This group included the likes of Hunter Bryant, Salvon Ahmed, Nick Harris, Trey Adams, Jacob Eason and others, and has to really work for everything it can get. 

A free safety/cornerback from Pasadena, California, Myles Bryant was the first of them to draw extended playing time.

He had the advantage of previously knowing and using some of New England's defensive concepts. Husky coaches visited with Bill Belichick's staff a few years back and came home with some fresh ideas.

The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Bryant has filled multiple roles for New England, a big part of the attraction to him as a pro player. Two-thirds of his game-day snaps have come at free safety, the rest at slot cornerback. He had a pair of tackles in Sunday's 22-12 loss at Miami.

Even that hard-to-please guy at the top for the Patriots, often begrudging in his praise, especially with a somewhat obscure rookie, looks at Bryant and see's his kind of player.

"He's a smart kid, he's picked up things well and he's shown that he can handle multiple positions and multiple roles, and function effectively in them," Belichick said. "He's a done a good job for us."

The New England coaching staff saw Bryant make his move in training camp and demonstrate his versatility. It was just a matter of time before he would get signed to the roster and carve out some playing time. 

"Myles, when you turn on his college tape, you can tell one thing: the guy is competitive and he can play football," said Mike Pellegrino, Patriots cornerbacks coach. I saw him in his junior year playing at the nickel spot and then you saw him in his senior year playing at the safety role. So, we knew as soon as we got him he could do multiple roles."

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