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The Jacksonville Jaguars have poached several defenders away from the Seattle Seahawks since Gus Bradley took over as head coach. Fortunately for us, defensive lineman Red Bryant was one of them.
Bryant was originally drafted by the Seahawks as an interior defensive lineman, but struggled. That's when the team moved him to a five-tech defensive end, where he's done far better. SB Nation's Field Gulls blog did a very good job explaining how a 6'4" 350-pound behemoth could flourish at defensive end.
His main role is to push the pocket back on the snap to disrupt running lanes and hopefully move the quarterback off his spot. He's not much of a pass rusher, but he moves well for a man his size (6'4, 335), and his long arms help him corral running backs and keep tackles at an arm's length. His main role is to stop the run and set the tone physically at the line of scrimmage.
The Jaguars brought him in for this same role within their defensive scheme and, in my opinion, did a very good job. His strengths in 2014 were that of defending the run, which I think he did consistently throughout the season. And he wasn't just an interior stuffer either. I mean... look at this.
Whew.
Overall, I think Bryant was our best free agent signing, as he produced every game, and played in nearly 50% of the team's defensive snaps this year.
How would you grade the signing of Bryant?