Huard: What Tre Brown brings to the Seahawks’ cornerback room

A big reason for the Seahawks’ success in 2022 has been the play of a very young secondary, and that group is getting better starting this week with the return of a promising young cornerback.

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Rookie fifth-round pick Tariq Woolen has shined at one outside corner spot and fourth-round rookie Coby Bryant has played well at nickel. Michael Jackson has been solid playing opposite Woolen, but he now has some competition for playing time in a player who flashed for the Seahawks in 2021.

That would be Tre Brown, a fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma in the 2021 NFL Draft who played well for Seattle last year, appearing in five games and starting in three. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told reporters this week Brown will work on the left side of the field, which is Jackson’s side.

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Unfortunately for Brown and the Seahawks, a rookie season that started with a knee injury that cost Brown the start of the year ended with another knee injury, that being a severe patellar injury that has so far also kept him out of action in 2022.

But that may change on Sunday when the Seahawks take on the Las Vegas Raiders in Seattle as Brown has been activated to the 53-man roster from the PUP list.

So what does Brown bring to the Seahawks’ cornerback room? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard broke it down during Wednesday’s Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports 710 AM.

“Quickness. He’s got some of that cat-like quickness and instincts,” Huard said. “And he’s got just a toughness, too. He’ll come up and smack you and hit you.”

Now it’s just a matter of how conservative the Seahawks and Carroll want to be with Brown after nearly a year removed from his last NFL game.

“They have paced him all the way along, they have not rushed his process at all,” Huard said.

What may help Brown and the Seahawks in his return, Huard said, is that the Raiders are somewhat of a soft landing spot for the young defensive back.

The Raiders have arguably the best receiver in the NFL in Davante Adams, but their receiving corps is severely depleted as Hunter Renfrow, an 1,000-yard receiver in 2021, and Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller are on injured reserve.

“Outside of Davante Adams, this is a below-average receiving corps,” Huard said. ” … The rest of the (current) crew is not elite by any means. So maybe you think OK, this could be a soft landing, there could be some series here or there where you put Tre Brown in.”

If Brown does play and line up against Adams, though, it’s a different ballgame.

“If he’s on Davante… it’s gonna crank to 100 and it’s gonna get real (very) fast,” Huard said.

Listen to the full second hour of Wednesday’s Brock and Salk at this link or in the player below.

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