RENTON — The deadline for NFL teams to cut their rosters from 90 to 75 players is 1 p.m. Tuesday, and on Monday the Seahawks got a head start by making six moves, including terminating the contract of veteran cornerback Brandon Browner, meaning there will be no Legion of Boom reunion this season.
Browner, who played from Seattle from 2011-13, was an original member of the Legion of Boom secondary, and his unusual size for a cornerback (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) in some ways defined the unit. He played for New England in 2014 and New Orleans in 2015, and after he was released by the Saints in the offseason, he was re-signed by the Seahawks in an effort to add veteran depth.
Browner originally was expected to play both cornerback and safety for the Seahawks, depending on matchups. However, he found himself being used exclusively at safety, a position he hadn’t played before, and was behind Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Kelcie McCray in the pecking order.
Another free-agent signing, defensive tackle Sealver Siliga, was placed on injured reserve after missing all of training camp and the preseason with a calf injury. Linebacker/fullback Kyle Coleman, receiver Montario Hunter and defensive end DeAngelo Tyson were waived, and wide receiver Deshon Foxx was waived with an injury designation.
Sherman on Kaepernick
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick created a firestrom when he chose not to stand for the national anthem prior to last Friday’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman is one of the most outspoken players in the NFL, and following Monday’s practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, Sherman was asked about Kaepernick.
“There is some depth and some truth in what he was doing,” Sherman said. “I think he could have picked a better platform and a better way to do it. Every day they say athletes are so robotic and do everything by the book, and when somebody takes a stand like that he gets his head chopped off.”
Kaepernick, who is African American, said after the game he wasn’t “going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Sherman, while not necessarily agreeing with Kaepernick’s actions, expressed sympathy with Kaepernick’s message.
“Any time you don’t stand during the national anthem, people are going to criticize it,” Sherman said. “That’s the unfortunate part of it. You can’t ever stand against the flag and things like that. A lot of people sacrificed for things like that. But there is also deeper meaning to what he did. He’s talking about the oppression of African Americans in this country, and that has been going on for a long time.
“I think a lot of the focus has shifted away from his message and shifted — to some people rightfully so — to him taking a stand against the nation, etc.,” Sherman continued. “I think there’s also things in this nation people need to remember and take heed of and also acknowledge. This is the same country that had ‘Whites’ and ‘Colored’ signs on the bathroom. We’re still in that country, we’re still in that nation and that needs to be acknowledged and that needs to be changed.”
For more on the Seattle sports scene, check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at www.heraldnet.com/tag/seattle-sidelines, or follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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