Brown surges in derby for Seahawks’ open starting cornerback job

Published 1:30 am Monday, August 21, 2023

By Gregg Bell / The News Tribune

SEATTLE — It’d been a minute.

It’d been almost three full years, in fact.

No wonder Tre Brown was carrying the ball he intercepted in the Seattle Seahawks’ second preseason game out of Lumen Field late Saturday night.

It was his first interception since December 2020. His last pick with less than a minute remaining won the Big 12 championship game for Oklahoma, over Iowa State, in his senior year with the Sooners.

“Brock Purdy was the quarterback,” Brown said of the former Cyclones now San Francisco 49ers starter. “It like his 21 to (27), they were driving down the field and I ended up getting the pick, the interception.

“So it’s a surreal feeling to get your hands on the ball again.”

He did that in another scoring situation Saturday, albeit with the stakes much lower. Lower for his team, anyway. Not for him.

Brown is trying to make it all the way back from a torn patellar tendon in his knee. That not only ended his rookie season as Seattle’s second selection in the 2021 draft, it limited him deep into last season.

Saturday night, the Dallas Cowboys were driving in the fourth quarter with Seattle leading a preseason game 17-14. Brown had started at left cornerback. He was still playing because coach Pete Carroll wants to see Brown in his first extended action in two years, plus the Seahawks have injuries from top draft pick Devon Witherspoon deep into their stash of young cornerbacks.

Cowboys third-string quarterback Will Grier scrambled to his right from the Seattle 20-yard line. Grier threw back across the field trying to connect with receiver Simi Fehoko running left across the goal line. Brown waited to the left of Fehoko. He was baiting the quarterback into thinking his receiver was open for a touchdown.

He wasn’t. When Grier threw the pass Brown was already breaking hard at Fehoko. He jumped in front of the receiver and snared the ball out of the air before Fehoko saw him. Brown then ran 20 yards up field to return the interception that kept the Seahawks ahead to stay, 17-14, in their 22-14 win.

Brown had leg cramps from before the previous play. He said he was actually asking out of the game to the Seahawks’ sideline. But no one saw his plea.

So he remained in the game — and changed it.

Brown also made an open-field tackle on a play similar to one he missed the previous week in the preseason opener against Minnesota.

In the Seahawks’ locker room after the Dallas game, Brown was asked what he thought he showed his coaches and team Saturday night.

“I showed that I’m back,” he said.

“I mean, it’s a long road, you know what I’m saying? It’s a marathon. A lot of people want to write you off early, but not realizing a lot of things. I haven’t played football in so long.”

That’s why Brown especially appreciated playing almost the entire game Saturday.

“I needed it. It was a good thing to get back out there and play.” he said. “It’s been a while since I really got just time to, really, just play. That’s something that I needed, myself.”

Carroll was asked if Brown may have won the starting cornerback job opposite Woolen with Saturday’s performance by Brown and rough game from another starting contender Michael Jackson.

“No, not at this point. No, I don’t think I can say that about it,” Carroll said.

“He’s a good football player,” Carroll said of Brown. “He’s played really well, consistently. We’re really lucky to have him on our side.”

Brown hasn’t won the job because rookie Devon Witherspoon has yet to fully enter the competition.

The fifth pick in this year’s draft has missed the last 10 days with a hamstring injury. He had one that limited him in offseason practices this spring, too.

Carroll said Witherspoon definitely fits the defense when he’s in there. Is that at left cornerback? Or, at nickel back inside against slot receivers? That’s where Witherspoon was playing with the starting defense this month before his injury.

Carroll said he expects Witherspoon to practice in morning walkthroughs this week, then if that goes well fully in main practices the week of Aug. 28. That’s after Seattle’s final preseason game, Saturday at Green Bay.

“I’m going to be surprised if ‘Spoon isn’t running a lot this week or next week,” Carroll said. “We’re looking at three weeks, the game week, the opener (Sept. 10 against the Los Angeles Rams).”

That means this competition between Brown, Jackson and Witherspoon to start with Woolen may just be heating up.

Brown edged ahead Saturday. Witherspoon gained, without playing.

“I see Tre as I did before he got hurt,” Carroll said. “Remember, I was fired up about him. He was looking like a starter then. He played really well, done some great stuff. He just had to leave.

“So he’s come back. He’s just shown that he’s a consistent football player. He can cover guys. He’s explosive. He’s tough. I really like the tackle he made tonight.”