Seahawks CB Tre Brown dishes on his rookie year, defense’s growth, more

The Seahawks had the smallest 2021 NFL Draft class, selecting just three players.

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Of those three, second-round receiver Dee Eskridge has played just 12 snaps and sixth-round offensive tackle Stone Forsythe has yet to play in a game. But fourth-round cornerback Tre Brown is making a name for himself on the perimeter of the Seahawks’ defense.

Brown, who starred at Oklahoma during his college days, missed the first five games of the year, in addition to the preseason, due to a knee injury. But he made his NFL debut in Week 6 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and made an immediate impact while playing in 53% of Seattle’s defensive snaps. That number jumped to 68% in Week 7 and in Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Brown got his first NFL start and played 90% of the snaps on defense. Now, it appears that the Seahawks have their starting cornerback tandem in Brown and D.J. Reed.

On Wednesday, Brown joined former Seahawks linebacker and current Seahawks radio analyst Dave Wyman and Bob Stelton on 710 ESPN Seattle’s Wyman and Bob to talk about making the jump to the NFL, his play and much more. Here’s a bit of what the rookie had to say.

Getting going as a rookie

It took a few weeks for Brown to get onto the field because of the injury, which he admitted was “a little bit frustrating.” But the experience wasn’t all bad.

“I always look at everything as a positive. Things happen for a reason,” he said. ” … Just being able to watch on the sideline and taking notes from all the (veteran) guys, (then) my time came and it was perfect timing. I came in at the right time, made those plays, did what I was supposed to do. And for me taking a step back watching all those vet guys (who) gave me the notes and be able to go out there and just apply that on the field, like I said, man, I can’t think God’s timing enough because it was just the perfect time for me to get out (there).”

Many who make the jump from college to the pros talk about the game speed being the biggest change. Brown said that wasn’t the case for him because he practiced against future first-round receivers like Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb while at Oklahoma, and he played in the Big-12 where it gets pretty pass-heavy. Instead the physical nature of the NFL was the biggest difference between the pros and college.

“You’re going out there and you’ve got to make tackles in the open field against some great vet guys,” he said. “(We’re) talking about the best in the world and then your body just (getting) banged up. So that’s definitely been the difference maker, right there, just the physicality of everything.”

The quarterback play is also a massive difference as well.

“Being in the league now and just seeing the difference of you’re playing against great QBs where everything is almost perfect and if you’re not in the right spot, they’re gonna make you pay for it, so you almost have to do everything right 10 times out of 10 or they’re gonna find you regardless,” he said.

Defense’s growth

From Week 2 to Week 5, the Seahawks were, once again, ranking near the bottom of the league in most major defensive categories.

But from Week 6 to now, that unit has steadily gotten better, and Brown has seen that firsthand and has been part of it.

“I see a new stat every other day, you know, talking about how we’re fourth in this or third in this,” he said. “I remember not too long ago everybody was talking about how our defense is one of the worst. But we believed in ourselves and we we kept our heads down and we kept working and we made a lot of strides.”

“You can see a lot of numbers that’s been cut down,” he added. “We’re one of the top teams in defense on third down stops. And man I’m just proud of this team because we know what we’ve got in front of us and that’s what we were we’re fighting for. We’re not out there, you know, listening to outside noise.”

Playing in front of the 12s, going to Lambeau

Brown made his NFL debut Week 6 on the road in Pittsburgh, but for the last two weeks he’s gotten to play at home at Lumen Field in Seattle. Brown was asked about that atmosphere.

“Man, it was a crazy feeling because me being able to sit back and watching those guys come out of the tunnel and then just watching the crowd go crazy and being able to just sit back and just watch everything unfold and then just being able to go out there and make those plays and then just listen to the crowd, man, it was just a crazy feeling,” he said.

Now, Brown and the Seahawks hit the road, this time going to Green Bay to play the Packers at Lambeau Field.

“I’ve lived all those moments, but I think this is gonna be one of the biggest moments,” he said of his young NFL career. “I’m going against Aaron Rodgers and Lambeau Field is one of the loudest (stadiums), there’s cheeseheads everywhere.”

There will also be some nostalgia at play for Brown.

“Growing up seeing one of my favorite DBs play there (in) Charles Woodson and watching guys be able to go out there and just jump in the stands and being able to enjoy the fans, it’s gonna be really crazy,” Brown said.

Brown will have a tall task not just with Rodgers, but in likely lining up at times against All-Pro receiver Davante Adams.

“Aaron Rodgers is one of the best QBs, I’d say, of all time,” Brown said. “You’ve (also) got Davante Adams, so there’s going to be a lot of wild moments out there. But I’m not gonna be spooked about any of it. I’m going to go out there and play my game.”

Listen to the full interview with Brown at this link or in the player below.

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