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Tre Brown

NFC West Notes: Hawks, Davis-Price, Rams

June 11th, 2022 at 8:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not big on making big cornerback investments, with Richard Sherman‘s 2014 extension the exception, the Seahawks have some questions at the position ahead of training camp. A year after the team let Shaquill Griffin walk in free agency, 2021 starter D.J. Reed joined the Jets in March. The Seahawks did not use a first- or second-day draft pick at corner and, while they brought back Justin Coleman in the slot, have some uncertainty in how they will replace Reed. One option will be Artie Burns, the former Steelers first-round pick who signed a one-year, $2MM deal. Burns, 27, lined up opposite Sidney Jones with Seattle’s first-team defense at minicamp, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. Burns, who worked as a late-season starter with the Bears last season, has not been looked upon as a primary starter since the Steelers benched him in 2018. A pair of fourth-round picks — second-year cover man Tre Brown and rookie Coby Bryant — loom as options as well. Brown did not participate in minicamp, due to the knee injury that ended his rookie slate. After nearly four years after his Steelers starter run wrapped, Burns has a chance to carve out a key role with his third team.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • The 49ers‘ Tyrion Davis-Price third-round pick was somewhat surprising, but bolstering a backfield featuring other notable assets may be a two-fold solution. While the 49ers have starter Elijah Mitchell, backup Jeff Wilson and 2021 third-rounder Trey Sermon, Albert Breer of SI.com notes the selection of the LSU running back choice doubled as an “olive branch” of sorts to Deebo Samuel. Kyle Shanahan using Samuel as a between-the-tackles back last season is believed to be one of the gripes the disgruntled wide receiver had when he made his trade request in April. Davis-Price joining the backfield will provide more insurance so that Samuel — his 6.2 yards-per-carry figure notwithstanding — will not be needed for such a role in 2022. The 49ers continue to work toward a Samuel extension.
  • The Rams‘ big-ticket extensions for Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp will create a bit of cap room in 2022. The defending Super Bowl champions are gaining $3.63MM in space, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, with Donald tied to a $24MM cap number and Kupp tethered to a $17.8MM figure. Los Angeles’ Donald and Kupp deals occurred two days apart. Donald is now the game’s highest-paid non-quarterback, while Kupp’s new pact checks in at $26.7MM per year — fourth among wideouts — and carries a receiver-high $75MM guaranteed.
  • Shifting back to the Seahawks, they set to return their 2021 guard duo — Gabe Jackson and Damien Lewis — but their oldest O-lineman will be returning from offseason knee surgery, per Condotta. Jackson, 30, missed OTAs and the Seahawks’ minicamp because of the procedure. The former Raiders starter is going into his ninth season. Because of the new contract the Seahawks gave Jackson last year, he is set to count $9MM toward their 2022 cap. Jackson only missed one game in his first Seahawks season.
  • Staying on the Seahawks’ O-line, the team will feature a right tackle competition in camp. Rookie Abraham Lucas will vie for the job against second-year blockers Jake Curhan and Stone Forsythe, Condotta adds. A former UDFA, Curhan started five games last season. Forsythe, who has mostly worked as a left tackle during his short career, played just 14 offensive snaps as a rookie. Second-year Seattle OC Shane Waldron said he does not have an issue starting two rookies at tackle; No. 9 overall pick Charles Cross is set to succeed Duane Brown on the left side.

Injury Notes: Fields, Saints, Seahawks

November 22nd, 2021 at 10:51pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like Andy Dalton will be back in the lineup for the Bears on Thursday night. The veteran quarterback is expected to get the start for Chicago later this week, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).

Rookie Justin Fields is currently dealing with a rib injury, thrusting Dalton back into the starting lineup. The 34-year-old has barely seen the field since starting Chicago’s first two games. Since then, Dalton has appeared in two contests, completing 12 of his 24 pass attempts for 209 yards and two touchdowns.

Fortunately, it sounds like it’s more of a timing thing for Fields than anything else. The rookie spent the day undergoing more testing on his rib injury, but the turnaround time will ultimately keep Fields out of the lineup. Rapoport adds that the young QB has “been making major strides,” and it sounds like he’ll be back for the Bears before long. Fields has started eight of his 10 games this season, throwing four touchdowns vs. eight interceptions.

More injury notes from around the NFL:

  • Saints tight end Adam Trautman had a career day yesterday, but it came at a cost. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Trautman suffered a sprained MCL that will keep him sidelined for the next four to six weeks. Presumably, the former third-round pick will end up seeing a stint on the injured reserve. Trautman had a standout game on Sunday against the Eagles, finishing with five catches for 58 yards and one touchdown.
  • Saints defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson landed on injured reserve a few weeks back, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be sidelined for much more than the three required weeks. Rapoport tweets that Garden-Johnson’s expected recovery time from his foot injury is only three to four weeks. The 23-year-old started each of the Saints first seven games this season.
  • Saints quarterback Jameis Winston underwent surgery on his ACL earlier this month, but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that the procedure “did not include an MCL repair.” While there was damage to the MCL, doctors believe the ligament was still strong enough to heal on its own.
  • Seahawks rookie cornerback Tre Brown is likely done for the season, as Pete Carroll acknowledged that Brown will likely require season-ending knee surgery. “This is just the day after and it looks like surgery is imminent,” Carroll said (h/t Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “Yeah, so he would be [done for the year].” The fourth-round pick has gotten into five games (three starts) this season, collecting 10 tackles and one pass defended.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/16/21

October 16th, 2021 at 4:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Week 6 Saturday minor move blitz:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/21

October 4th, 2021 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/7/21

September 7th, 2021 at 6:39pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of the latest minor moves here:

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed off Broncos practice squad: CB Mac McCain

Tennessee Titans

Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Sign CB Tre Brown, Wrap Draft Class Deals

May 21st, 2021 at 3:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks and Tre Brown agreed to terms on his four-year rookie deal, according to the team. Seattle now has its 2021 draft class under contract.

Of course, this proved a simpler task than in most cases. The Seahawks made just three picks this year. That marked the fewest in the NFL and eclipsed their five-man 1997 draft — headlined by top-six picks Shawn Springs and Walter Jones — for the fewest in franchise history.

A cornerback out of Oklahoma, Brown is ticketed to begin his career on the boundary. While the Seahawks have generally preferred tall corners on the outside under their current regime, the 5-foot-10 Brown will line up there once team drills commence. Brown, whom the Seahawks selected at No. 137 overall, intercepted three passes last season and played a regular role for the past three Sooners teams.

Brown joins second-round wide receiver D’Wayne Eskridge (Western Michigan) and sixth-round tackle Stone Forsythe (Florida) in the Seahawks’ 2021 draft trio. All three are signed through 2024.

Hawks Sign Round 2 Pick D’Wayne Eskridge

May 14th, 2021 at 6:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks started their rookie minicamp Friday; their top 2021 draft pick is now under contract. The team agreed to terms with second-rounder D’Wayne Eskridge, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets.

One of college football’s top deep threats in recent years, Eskridge went to the Seahawks at No. 56 overall. The team dipped into the Mid-American Conference’s talent pool here, with Eskridge attending Western Michigan, and will pair him with former Day 2 picks Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf.

Eskridge played parts of five seasons at the mid-major program, redshirting after four games in 2019. In his final two full seasons, the 5-foot-8 wide receiver eclipsed 20 yards per reception. While Eskridge never tallied an 800-yard season, he was on pace to post a dominant stat line as a senior. The MAC limited its schedule to six games in 2020; Eskridge still posted 768 receiving yards and a career-high eight touchdowns.

Seattle lost backup wideout David Moore this offseason and recently severed ties with Josh Gordon, paving a path for Eskridge. Day 3 picks and UDFAs populate the rest of the Seahawks’ receiving corps.

Eskridge and sixth-round tackle Stone Forsythe are under contract. Fourth-round cornerback Tre Brown is participating in minicamp but is not yet signed.

NFC West Notes: Sherman, Seahawks, Cards

May 5th, 2021 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of Richard Sherman‘s potential paths appears to have closed, with the Raiders having reunited Casey Hayward with DC Gus Bradley. This narrows the All-Pro cornerback’s suitor total. The 49ers may still be in play, despite Sherman indicating in February he would not be back.

“There’s always a chance it could end up working back in the Bay, that I head back that way,” Sherman said Wednesday during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take (via NBC Sports Bay Area). “That’s another place I’m really comfortable going. Obviously know the staff, know the team well. Just spent time there and would be ecstatic if something happened there.”

Sherman added that a deal that would bring him back to San Francisco is unlikely to commence until late in the summer or perhaps in-season. The 49ers may, however, still possess a need for a boundary corner. The team re-signed Emmanuel Moseley and injury-prone Jason Verrett and used third- and fifth-round picks on corners. But a proven starter like Sherman could still be necessary. Sherman has also spoken with the Saints and Seahawks. Sherman, 33, still lives in the city and said Wednesday a second Seahawks stint would appeal to him. Pete Carroll, however, said the addition of another veteran cornerback is not on the team’s front-burner at this point, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • Despite Cardinals first-round pick Zaven Collins checking in at 270 pounds this offseason, the team is not planning to use him as a Chandler Jones complementary pass rusher. The second hybrid linebacker to join the Cards as a first-round pick in the past two years, Collins is ticketed for an inside linebacker role alongside 2020 first-rounder Isaiah Simmons. GM Steve Keim fashions Collins as a middle linebacker, via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban. Simmons, whom the Cards deployed as more of a hybrid player, did not assimilate immediately as a rookie and ended up playing less than 35% of the team’s defensive snaps last season. But the Cards will use Collins, who did work as more of a chess piece at Tulsa, off the ball to start his career. The Cardinals have invested plenty at the off-ball ‘backer spots in recent years, having stationed Haason Reddick there upon drafting him in the 2017 first round and signing Jordan Hicks last year.
  • Normally high on tall corners for their outside spots, the Seahawks deviated from that philosophy last season by playing 5-foot-9 D.J. Reed on the boundary. They will follow suit with fourth-round pick Tre Brown, who checks in at 5-10. “We would love to have big corners and all that,” GM John Schneider said, via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson. “… But you have to adjust to the times, too, and there is only a certain amount of players that you can pick from.”
  • Although the Seahawks drafted tackle Stone Forsythe in Round 6, Schneider said he attempted to make a trade that would allow the team to select him in the fourth, via Henderson. Forsythe, who played at Florida, was the only O-lineman the Seahawks chose. Of course, the team only ended up making three picks this year.
  • Former 49ers third-round pick Jalen Hurd has not played in a regular-season game, despite being a 2019 draftee. The once-promising wideout has seen back and knee injuries sidetrack his career. While Hurd should not be considered a lock to play for the 49ers, due to his run of injuries, GM John Lynch expects him to be ready to go come camp, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.