Bumpus: Seahawks CB battle between Tre Flowers, Quinton Dunbar ‘closer than people expect’

The Seahawks made a couple of big trades this offseason to improve their secondary, the first being a move to bring in Quinton Dunbar, one of the highest-rated cornerbacks in the game in 2019.

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With charges dismissed against Dunbar in the armed robbery case that cast a shadow on his offseason, it’s a clear path for him to start from the get-go in 2020… right?

Turns out it may not be that simple, as 710 ESPN Seattle analyst and former Seahawks wide receiver Michael Bumpus explained Tuesday on our Two-a-Days series on Instagram (follow here).

“I think the battle is closer than what people expect,” Bumpus said in regards to the right cornerback position. “If I was that coaching staff, I’m going in and I’m thinking I’m gonna give Tre Flowers some reps, too – 60-40 maybe Dunbar to Flowers. I’m not giving up on this kid yet because he’s getting better, he’s long, he looks the part, he can go and attack the ball, and he did have success last year.”

Flowers, a fifth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2018, had to make the transition from safety at Oklahoma State to cornerback in the pros after joining Seattle, and while he’s had his moments (he tied for the team lead with three interceptions in 2019), he also has struggled to find consistent success. But something stood out to Bumpus on Tuesday.

“Tre Flowers, he had a press conference, and dude sounds confident. This sounds like a different Tre Flowers,” he said. “It’s the same Tre Flowers because he’s humble, he works hard, he’s a bit soft-spoken, but the swag is turned up a little bit. He said this is the most confident he’s been his whole career in the NFL.

“When you’re a DB, you have to be confident. If you do not have confidence, you’re done. As a DB, you’re on an island, you’re gonna get beat, your mistakes are amplified. I think he went through his tough times last year. He also had a lot of success last year. … I like the vibe I’m getting from this dude.”

Bumpus added that he’s seen Flowers’ confidence coming through on the field during training camp, as well. And there’s another reason why Flowers may continue to see regular playing time in 2020.

“You bring in Quinton Dunbar to win that spot, and it’s probably going to be his spot. But right now you gotta think about Quinton Dunbar, he said he was out of shape, he was learning a new defense. Is he really comfortable? We don’t know. He looks comfortable, but they haven’t hit anybody yet.”

Bumpus’ ultimate message is pretty clear.

“Do not sleep on my guy Tre Flowers,” he said. “I think it’s Dunbar’s job to lose, but we’ll see.”

You can hear Bumpus’ full comments on Flowers in the video below starting at the 4:22 mark, and make sure to catch Two-a-Days at 5:30 p.m. on 710 ESPN Seattle’s Instagram the rest of this week.

Follow Michael Bumpus on Twitter.

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