Tre Brown hurt, Seahawks deal for a cornerback and D.J. Reed returns — perhaps to starting
Why did the Seahawks trade for a second-year cornerback who barely played for the Houston Texans as a rookie?
Because now Tre Brown is hurt for Seattle.
As 2020 starter D.J. Reed, nickel defensive back Marquise Blair and former Green Bay starter Damarious Randall returned from injury to practice, another Seahawks cornerback went out injured. Brown is out indefinitely.
Last week, the second of Seattle’s three picks in April’s draft was getting his first extended time with the starting defense, at right cornerback.
Coach Pete Carroll says the rookie has “a sore knee.” Asked if it’s something that may keep Brown out a while, the coach said: “I don’t know that. I think we are kind of going day to day right now.”
And going to Houston.
Carroll said Brown’s injury and an oblique strain for sixth “dime” defensive back Ryan Neal are why John Reid is joining Seattle in yet another Seahawks trade with the Texans.
“The fact Tre Brown is down right now, you know, that’s why John Reid is coming in,” Carroll said. “We want to make sure that we have depth and we have the kind of competitive speed that we need out there.”
A league source confirmed to The News Tribune earlier Tuesday the Seahawks are trading a conditional, seventh-round draft choice to Houston to acquire Reid, a speedy, 5-foot-10 cornerback. The move is pending Reid completing a physical with his new team.
Reid was a fourth-round pick by Houston last year out of Penn State, where then-Texans coach Bill O’Brien’s coached in college football. This offseason Houston underwent a regime change and fired O’Brien. Reid is now part of that Texans turnover.
Carroll said Reid has played inside as a nickel defensive back against slot receivers. That’s the spot Seattle expects Blair to have in the opener Sept. 12 in his return from season-ending knee surgery last September. The Seahawks also have Ugo Amadi for nickel.
Amadi has been the primary nickel back most of this month while Blair has been out with what Carroll called a sore kneecap.
Carroll has an assistant coach on his staff who knows Reid better than anyone in Seattle. Seahawks first-year assistant special-teams coach Tracy Smith was Houston’s special-teams coordinator last season. Smith had Reid on his kicking-game units with the Texans.
If the very unproven Reid proves valuable and versatile enough to back-fill the hurting secondary and contribute on special teams, the Seahawks will keep him past next Tuesday’s deadline to cut 80 players to 53 for the first roster of the regular season. That alone may or may not trigger Seattle sending the seventh-round choice to Houston. The condition of the trade could be snaps or games played.
Reid played only 13% of the Texans’ defensive snaps last season, and 22% of special-teams plays.
D.J. Reed back — and starting
At least for now Brown’s injury takes away another option to start at cornerback, one of the Seahawks’ more concerning positions.
What Carroll said following Tuesday’s practice made it sound as if Reed is going to start the opener despite missing most of training camp with a strained groin.
Reed was back with the starting defense Tuesday at right cornerback. That’s the job he won at the end of last season.
Seattle lost both starters from 2020 to free agency this spring. Shaquill Griffin signed with his home-state Jacksonville Jaguars and Quinton Dunbar signed with the Detroit Lions, who have since cut Dunbar. That’s a large reason the Seahawks drafted Brown.
Reed was a revelation for the Seahawks in November and December last season after they picked him up off the waived-injured wire from division-rival San Francisco in the summer. Reed’s aggressiveness on passes in the air and sure tackling had him on the inside track to beginning the 2021 season as the starter.
Then he missed nearly three weeks of this month with his groin injury. Flowers replaced him in camp and shined in practices over much of August. He gave up a 28-yard catch on the first series of the first preseason game at Las Vegas because he didn’t turn his head to find the arriving ball. Yet he’s had what Carroll calls the best summer of his four since Seattle drafted him in 2018 and converted him from college safety.
Carroll may like to have Flowers and Ahkello Witherspoon as bookend, long, 6-3 cornerbacks in the coach’s Richard Sherman-like Seahawks prototype for the position.
But what he said Tuesday upon Reed’s return made it sound like his play at 5-9 will fit just fine against the Indianapolis Colts in the opener 2 1/2 weeks from now.
Asked if he’s seen enough from Reed last season to know he can be the starter now, even after missing almost all of training camp, Carroll said quickly and flatly: “Yes.”
“We love his play. We love the way he plays, and all that,” Carroll said. “He started camp in great fashion. It’s terrific to have him back out now, and with three weeks to go we know he’ll be ready for the opener.”
That’s on the right side, Reed over or versus Flowers.
On the left side, signs are this is going to be Damarious Randall’s prove-it week as the primary guy at least temporarily over Witherspoon, through Seattle’s preseason finale at home against the Los Angeles Chargers Saturday night.
“I am really anxious to see Damarious Randall,” Carroll said. “He’s missed some time, so this is an important couple weeks to see where he fits in the competition. Because, in my mind, the whole time he’s been here to compete for a starting spot, and I wanted to see what would happen. And he really hasn’t been able to grasp that opportunity yet. ...
“He’s going to get a shot this week (to) see how he does, and take it from there.”
This story was originally published August 24, 2021 at 5:47 PM.
