Seahawks trade with Jaguars for ex-UW cornerback Sidney Jones. So what about Tre Flowers?
The Seahawks’ decision on what to do with Tre Flowers now includes importing a former Washington Huskies cornerback.
Seattle is trading with the Jacksonville Jaguars to acquire Sidney Jones. The Jaguars confirmed the trade Monday evening.
The Seahawks reportedly are sending a sixth-round draft choice to Jacksonville.
Jones confirmed the move by saying goodbye to the Jaguars on his Twitter account...
...and hello to the Seahawks:
Jones, 25, was a second-round choice of the Philadelphia Eagles, 43rd overall, in 2017. That was after Jones ruptured his Achilles tendon just before that year’s draft. He was out injured from July to the end of December 2017. He missed 25 games in three seasons with Philadelphia. The Eagles released him in September 2020. He spent the beginning of last season on the Jaguars practice squad then played in nine games for the Jaguars.
The Seahawks obviously were familiar with Jones from his time through 2016 starring across Lake Washington for UW. Some around the NFL saw him as a possible first-round pick. Seattle liked his speed and his 6-foot length coming into the draft, before his Achilles tear in early ‘17.
Flowers was the team’s starting right cornerback as a rookie in 2018, the year Seattle coach Pete Carroll drafted him and converted him from a 6-3 college safety to NFL cornerback. Flowers also started in 2019. He lost his job last summer after the Seahawks traded with Washington for Quinton Dunbar. Dunbar signed with Detroit this offseason.
Agressive D.J. Reed took Dunbar’s and Flowers’ job late last season. Reed, 5-9, has been injured for much of this month. He returned to practice last week.
When asked last week if Reed has already shown him and the team enough to start the Seahawks’ opener Sept. 12 at Indianapolis opposite Ahkello Witherspoon, 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.”
The Seahawks traded a conditional seventh-round pick to Houston last week to acquire cornerback John Reid. The second-year veteran was impressive in his first practice for Seattle, at left cornerback behind Witherspoon.
The 5-foot-10, 181-pound Reid broke up two passes away from DK Metcalf in positional drills during Reid’s first minutes on the field. The second pass break up was when Reid ran and reached back to knock Russell Wilson’s pass away. Reid came from behind to bat away a third pass during 11-on-11 scrimmaging.
“You can tell that he came in and wanted to make an impression,” defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. said. “He was making plays. He made himself be known.
“So far after one day, if anyone can make a really good first impression, he made a good one.”
Not good enough to prevent the Seahawks from trading for Jones.
A third reason Flowers may not be around past Tuesday’s 1 p.m. deadline for Seattle to set its initial 53-man roster for the regular season: the Seahawks used their second of only three draft choices this year on Oklahoma cornerback Tre Brown.
Brown, 5-10, has been out hurting the last two weeks. Carroll said that was precautionary, and that the rookie will be ready for the opener.
A fourth reason Flowers’ roster spot is in jeopardy: Jones is scheduled to earn $1.05 million this season. That’s half of the $2.1 million Flowers is scheduled to make after receiving an NFL performance-escalator raise for later-round picks this offseason. That was for him playing more than 91% of Seattle’s defensive snaps his first two seasons in the league.
In bringing Jones back to Seattle, the Seahawks are getting a 6-foot corner with 31 games of NFL experience at half Flowers’ cost.
This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 5:52 PM.
