RENTON, Wash. – Joey Blount has been an underdog throughout his football career. Barely recruited out of Landmark Christian High School or completely passed over in the pre-draft process last spring, he’s used to being overlooked and counted out.
Few defenders have matched Blount’s production at Virginia over the past five years. Playing free and strong safety as a jack of all trades, he racked up 303 combined tackles, nine interceptions, 5.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss, filling his stat sheet in one of college football’s premier conferences. Based on those numbers, he seems destined to be an NFL draft pick.
But somehow, because of the Cavalier’s interception records or the safety talent in the conference, Blunt flew under the radar on offense. Despite tallying 60 tackles and posting multiple interceptions in three separate seasons, he received All-ACC recognition only once as a third-team selection in 2019. He was not invited to the NFL combine after not even earning honorable mention as a senior. Or any of the star-studded shows.
Blount said he didn’t accept the invitation to the conference or the All-Star: “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised. “But I really believe everything was planned for me to be here. It was five years old and I left it on the field a lot. And you know, I wish I could get post career rewards. “
Yet, time and time again, Blount has grown — if not relished — carrying an underdog label. And, while he deserves more individual recognition for his greatness, his unique path still allowed him to achieve his ultimate goal of making it into the NFL.
After a stellar prep career and starting five seasons for the Cavaliers, the only ACC program to offer Blount a scholarship, the versatile safety proved the doubters wrong once again. Despite sweating it out on Monday, just days after the team’s preseason training camp, he became the latest in a long line of undrafted rookies to earn a spot on the Seahawks’ first 53-man roster.
“It was stressful. Just waiting in limbo,” Blount explained. “I told my parents it’s like limbo, like a gray area where you’re trying to figure out where you’re at. You’re waiting for the Grim Reaper to call your phone and you know, come see the coaches. But as time goes on and I don’t call, the guys next to me call. I was looking, I didn’t want to call. I didn’t want to get too excited. But at the same time, I was building confidence in myself.”
A division headlined by stars Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, joining Seattle’s deep-seat corps, few expected Blunt to crash the party and sign with the team in early April as an early free agent. With the experienced Marquis Blair, Ryan Neal and Josh Jones all returning behind Adams and Diggs, there doesn’t appear to be room for an undrafted starter unless a major injury occurs.
But behind the scenes, Blunt quietly felt good about his chances, partly because he found his way to Seattle. In the weeks leading up to the 2022 NFL draft, assistant defensive backs coach Deshaun Shead, who carved out his own NFL career with the Seahawks and played for their Super Bowl teams in 2013 and 2014, is in recruiting mode to lure the underrated defensive back to the Pacific Northwest.
“He talked to me during the draft, and he told me there were opportunities here in Seattle from an undrafted standpoint,” Blunt said. “And that’s something that really resonated with me… it doesn’t matter if you’re ready or not, the opportunity is going to be there. And he was very interested in me, invested in me. Other guys in the Seattle Seahawks organization contacted me, just investing and something here. Confidence that I can do it. It’s helped me believe in myself more that this is where I’m meant to be.
While other teams expressed interest in signing Blount after the draft, the presence of Shead and the work done by a staff that appreciates the culture in Seattle made the decision easy.
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Early on, Blount leaned on Sheed’s knowledge, constantly asking him questions and receiving the “inside scoop” from a coach who took a similar route with dreams of carving out an NFL career. He also played the role of a sponge covering former safeties like Neal and Jones during organized team activities. Once Adams and Diggs returned for minicamp, he tried to apply what he learned from them to his game.
Blount’s background, due to playing both safety positions at Virginia, helped him in the defensive scheme as he planned to swap between free and strong safety. But as he knew going in, special teams would ultimately be the difference maker in making or breaking his chances at a roster spot, and he wanted to make a strong impression in the third quarter of the game from the start.
“As special teams, I think that’s one of the messages I was told before I got here, special teams,” Blount said. “And I played special teams in college. I know they’re a big part of the game that’s often overlooked, and I thought I’d be apart of those teams here.”
After a 27-11 preseason loss to Chicago, Blount stood out as one of the few bright spots even though Seattle’s special teams have generally struggled in the preseason, drawing the ire of coach Pete Carroll. He recovered an onside kick late in the game, giving backup quarterback Jacob Eason a chance to get within one point in the closing moments.
In three exhibition games, Blunt finished with 12 tackles, including a pair on special teams, and allowed just two receptions for six yards in coverage. With his goal of playing defense in the league on the road, he made his mark at safety in the Seahawks’ finale, forcing a touchdown on Cowboys receiver Sammy Fehoko on a fourth-down layup.
Blunt earned a 78.8 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus, attracting the attention of Carroll, Shead, special teams coach Larry Izzo and the rest of Seattle’s coaching staff. His respectable 72.5 special teams rating ranks fifth on the team.
Blount said of his performance, “I think I just focused on the little things, the things you can control. All I told myself was I just wanted to do my best running to the ball. Anything I could do to separate myself and the guy next to me. And that caught the coach’s eye.” I think that’s what attracted him.
When most rookies are asked about the toughest adjustment going from college to the NFL, the speed of the game or the complexity of the playbook come up as frequent answers. But in Blount’s case, while he’s socializing himself, adapting to football being a business where players cycle in and out of the locker room has proved to be a turning point for him.
Blount, who warned that the NFL locker room is very different from college, admitted Thursday that he came into the league tired. But the coaching staff gave him the support he needed to adjust to that change, and one line from a guest speaker before Seattle’s preseason opener in Pittsburgh in particular stuck with him.
“It’s a kid’s game and they pay you a king’s ransom,” Blount recalled, indicating that line has been on his mind every day since.
As a member of the Seahawks, whose regular season opener is a week away, even as he juggles football with work, Blount understands the brutal nature of the business. As Shead knows firsthand, others with similar DNA are gunning for the job, and his position as a backup safety is far from over. There is a lot of work to be done to hold the position.
With that in mind, Blount isn’t about to forget how he got here, missing out on All-Star games or last spring’s combine consideration. As he’s done throughout his football career, he’s going to use those little things as motivation and fuel for his personal fire, even more accepting of his role as a player to ensure his longevity.
