Rookie Tre Brown shows he may (should) be next up to start at Seahawks’ problem position
If competition is truly the bedrock theme to Pete Carroll Seahawks program, Tre Brown deserves to start the rest of this season.
The way the rookie from Oklahoma competed in his NFL debut at Seattle’s most problematic position last weekend was better than anyone else has competed so far this season at cornerback.
Brown, the second of the Seahawks’ three choices in the draft this spring, came off injured reserve to play 40 of 75 snaps in the team’s overtime loss at Pittsburgh Sunday night.
It was his first action since he sprained his knee in Seattle’s second preseason game, Aug. 21 against Denver.
He entered as planned for starting left cornerback Sidney Jones at the start of a Steelers possession in the second quarter. Brown finished with three tackles, including two stops on third downs. The second was an immediate, exquisite tackle on Ray-Ray McCloud 1 yard short of the line to gain on a wide-receiver screen in overtime. That forced Pittsburgh to punt and gave the Seahawks’ offense a chance to win the game.
Quarterback Geno Smith lost a fumble on the first scrimmage play after Brown’s tackle, gifting the Steelers the winning field goal.
All-Pro captain Bobby Wagner, whom Brown credits for keeping him sharp and grounded mentally while he missed two months injured, was particularly impressed with that overtime stop by the new cornerback.
“He did great, man,” Wagner, the 10th-year veteran middle linebacker, said. “We talked a little bit before (the game). I just told him to play free.
“I know it was a long time ago, but I still remember being a rookie. A lot going on in your head. You might try to do too much.
“You know, he had a really big tackle on that third down. The guy could have gotten the first down had he not broken so quick.
“I’m excited to see him grow and get more opportunity to play. It’s going to be fun to watch him play.”
Brown had tackles on two of his first five NFL plays. He ended his first drive cutting off Dionte Johnson one of the Steelers’ few deep go routes Sunday, when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was obviously challenging the new guy on third down.
But then — poof! — Brown vanished.
Jones returned. He was playing into the second half. It appeared Brown would not re-enter the game. Then Jones left 5 minutes into the third quarter because teammate Marquise Blair slammed McCloud into Jones on a tackle. Jones left with a chest injury and did not return.
Brown was the best of three cornerbacks the Seahawks (2-4) have tried with opposite starter D.J. Reed in six games.
He was better in 40 defensive snaps than Tre Flowers was starting the first three games. Brown was better that Jones was in three starts replacing Flowers.
Brown continued making plays upon re-entering.
With the Steelers leading 17-7 and at the Seattle 17-yard line threatening to make it a three-score lead in the third quarter, Roethlisberger threw another screen pass, to Johnson. Brown charged into the screen like a bull. That mess allowed Seattle’s Blair to race in and dump Johnson for a 3-yard loss.
Pittsburgh settled for a field goal. That kept it a two-score game. The Seahawks eventually rallied to tie the game at 20 and force overtime.
In overtime, he made a similar charge on yet another screen and sure, shoulder tackle on McCloud, the play about which Wagner marveled.
All three of Brown’s tackles were textbook. He led with the shoulder with his head up and stopped all the ball carrier’s forward momentum.
Brown had two of Seattle’s nine stops on third down. The Steelers were just 5 for 14 converting on third downs. Last month, Tennessee and Minnesota were 6 for 14 and 9 for 14 on third down in consecutive Seattle losses.
It wasn’t all because of Brown, but he contributed to Seattle “holding” the Steelers to 345 total yards. That was the fewest yards allowed by the Seahawks since their opening win Sept. 12 at Indianapolis. They entered Pittsburgh having tied an NFL record allowing at least 450 yards in four consecutive games.
The coaches like Reed’s aggressiveness and comfort playing on the right side, where he seized a starting job late last season. Reed had nine tackles and two pass breakups in Pittsburgh, his best, most aggressive game of 2021.
At 5-10, Brown and the 5-9 Reed don’t fit Carroll’s prototype for a Seattle cornerback: the Richard Sherman type, 6-3 or 6-2 with long arms.
Those types have failed recently. Carroll and general manager John Schneider traded 6-3 Ahkello Witherspoon, who started in the preseason, to Pittsburgh just before the start of this regular season.
That was because of plays like this:
The 6-3 Flowers won the job over Witherspoon to begin this season. He lasted three, soft games. Last week, as Brown was returning off injured reserve, the Seahawks waived Flowers. He is now with Cincinnati. Flowers was a college safety Carroll drafted and converted to cornerback, then started as a rookie in 2018 and again in ‘19.
With the way Reed and Brown played in Pittsburgh, Carroll’s tall, long prototype for Seahawks cornerbacks may need an update.
The speedy Brown was known as a coverage and ball hound for Oklahoma in the wild, pass-a-rama Big 12 Conference, where defense is often optional.
After one, sterling performance, he deserves to start Monday night when the Seahawks host the New Orleans Saints (3-2).
“I thought it was really good. He looked really good,” Carroll said. “The opportunities he had, he was right where he was supposed to be. ...When he had the chance to make some plays, he looked like he was on it.
“That’s all he’s shown us. I’ve told you guys that. That’s what he’s been doing. And that was a really good first go. He’s been brought up right in the way he played in Oklahoma and all those big games and all that. This was not too big for him.
“He was really poised and did a nice job. Deserves to play more.”
This story was originally published October 21, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
