Emotional Tre Brown returns, competes with Michael Jackson to regain Seahawks starting job
For every other Seahawk, it was yet another practice of so many during a grinding season.
For Tre Brown, it was poignant.
Two weeks ago, the second-year cornerback returned to the field at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center to practice with his teammates for the first time in 12 months.
It ended a year full of uncertainty. His recovery from a nasty, ruptured patellar tendon in his left knee at times was slower than he wanted. He couldn’t walk for two months after his surgery last November. He didn’t see progress in his rehabilitation until this September.
By then, he was watching two new Seahawks cornerbacks, Tariq Woolen and Michael Jackson, thrive without him able to compete for his job.
“It’s been an emotional feeling,” Brown said this week. “I’ve been away from the game for so long, I have been watching everybody do their thing, and just cheering. I wanted to be out there and play with my guys.
“For the first time, stepping out onto the field a couple of weeks ago, it was very emotional, I’ll tell you that.”
The Seahawks aren’t complaining. It’s actually a great problem to have for the push for a division title.
They have three starting cornerbacks for two jobs.
This is the first week Brown is back on the active roster following surgery that ended his impressive 2021 rookie season after just three starts. Many wonder how Brown is going to merge into the defense’s fast lane for the 6-4 Seahawks.
Woolen, the right cornerback, is second in the NFL with five interceptions. He is favorite to win the league’s defensive rookie of the year award. Michael Jackson on the left side has rapidly improved defending passes. That’s on top of his rugged tackling skills that won him Brown’s job this summer over veterans Sidney Jones (since waived) and Artie Burns (since mothballed).
Brown’s not wondering where he fits.
“I showed (last year) that I belong in this league and that I can be one of the best corners in this league,” he said, “because every day it’s me versus me. I’m my biggest critic.
“So I want to go out there and make those plays. Those plays that I made (in 2021) were a small, little sample of what I can do.”
Coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday he is keeping Brown playing on the left side.
“Just because that’s where he spent most of his time, yeah,” Carroll said. “I don’t want to do a lot of change-ups with him right now. I‘d rather have him go where he is most comfortable. He’s fine about playing on the other side, he said. But right now, he’s going to play on the left side for a while.”
That makes sense. Left cornerback is where the 5-foot-8 Brown thrived attacking passes in flight and receivers in his limited opportunities to debut last season.
It’s also opposite Woolen.
He isn’t going anywhere as the starring right cornerback, probably for the next four Seahawks seasons of his rookie contract. The 6-4 marvel and former wide receiver at the University of Texas-San Antonio with 4.26-second speed in the 40-yard dash was the NFL defensive rookie of the month for October. Opposing offenses have mostly avoided throwing at him, as if he’s a veteran All-Pro.
The 23-year-old his Seahawks teammates and coaches call “Avatar” has validated Carroll starting him from the first preseason game in August.
Woolen has validated Carroll as much as any Seahawks draft choice since Richard Sherman, the former Stanford wide receiver the coach started at cornerback as a rookie in 2011.
That leaves Jackson. The fourth-year veteran has made his first 10 NFL starts the first 10 games this season. It’s him versus Brown in a competition to start at left cornerback that may begin Sunday when Seattle hosts Las Vegas (3-7) at Lumen Field (1:05 p.m., channel 7).
Brown, Jackson competing
Jackson and Brown may alternate series some to decide who wins the job.
And defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt said he’s evaluating every aspect of practice, too, to decide between Jackson and Brown to start opposite Woolen into December.
“A lot of it comes down to execution of techniques, execution of scheme when they have their one-on-one opportunities. Are they winning them?” Hurtt said. “Who’s playing the cleanest football? Who’s being the most productive on the ball, PBUs (pass break-ups)? All those types of things. Getting the ball out, turnovers, takeaways, all those types of things.
“So, you have to evaluate them on a day-by-day basis on what’s going at practice and obviously, when they get their opportunities in the game. And the rest of it kind of shapes itself out.”
Hurtt was asked if the competition is wide open now at left cornerback.
“I wouldn’t say that,” the defensive coordinator said.
“I think ‘Mike Jack’ has been competing and playing good football, but obviously we have a lot of confidence in Tre. We’ll let all those things shape themselves out. It will take care of themselves. We’ll see where it is.
“There is nothing wrong having multiple good players at the corner position.”
As for the idea of Woolen, Jackson and Brown all playing at the same time: no. Brown has not played inside slot cornerback as a nickel, fifth defensive back. Not for Seattle. Not in college at Oklahoma through 2020. And rookie Coby Bryant has excelled as the Seahawks’ nickel.
Jackson is more than fine with this competition.
A guy who has been released three times in the league, who has been on the practice squads of three teams (Dallas, New England, Seattle) is ALWAYS competing to keep what he’s scrapped to earn.
“It’s the NFL. It’s a job. Nobody’s spot’s locked in,” Jackson said.
“That competition, that comes with it.”
Brown emotional about being back
This is Brown’s third week back practicing. He went with the team to Germany and practiced with the defense before Seattle’s game there against Tampa Bay. But this coming out of the team’s bye is the first week Brown has been on the active roster and is eligible to play in a game.
Carroll has been talking for months about how eager he’s been to see Brown back on the field, and how well Brown was playing last year when he got hurt in a game against Arizona.
Asked if he wants to get Brown into the defense against the Raiders, Carroll said: “Yes. The answer is yes to that.
“I don’t know if it will happen or not. He’s competing to show that he’s ready to go. He had a good week last week. From this point forward, he’s physically adapted back in, so he could go.”
Now he’s back to where he was as a rookie early last season: having to prove himself.
What else is new in the NFL?
“It was tough that I got hurt, but for me to establish myself, you have to go out there and do that every day, every week, week in, and week out,” Brown said. “Your job is not always safe, and that’s the beauty about it for me. That’s what keeps me level-headed.
“Just going out there and being humble knowing that it could be here today and gone tomorrow.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2022 at 5:13 AM.
