Getty Tre Brown suffered a significant knee injury against the Cardinals.
An important part of the Seattle Seahawks secondary could miss some significant time as the team tries to bounce back from a 3-7 record. Rookie cornerback Tre Brown suffered a patellar tendon injury against the Arizona Cardinals and will undergo more tests to determine how long he will remain out of the lineup.
Head coach Pete Carroll provided the update during his postgame press conference on Sunday, November 21. He stopped short of declaring that the injury would be season-ending, but he acknowledged that “those are pretty tough.”
Brown suffered the injury while attempting to cover AJ Green on a deep pass down the right sideline. His knee appeared to give out as he went to knock away the ball, sending him to the turf. Brown was able to leave the field, but he limped while walking to the sideline.
Following the injury, Sidney Jones moved over to the left cornerback position. Bless Austin came into the game and took over for Jones at the right cornerback spot for the remainder of the game. Starter DJ Reed was inactive for the game while dealing with an injury of his own.
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Brown Performed Well During His Limited Appearances
GettyTre Brown has performed well in limited starts.
The rookie missed the first five games of the season while dealing with a knee injury that he suffered prior to Week 1. He landed on Injured Reserve and continued to focus on his recovery while Tre Flowers, Reed, and Jones all saw time at cornerback.
The Seahawks activated Brown ahead of the Week 6 loss to the Steelers, making him a potential factor for the defense. He ultimately played 53% of the snaps and tallied three solo tackles. Brown continued to increase his number of snaps each week while taking over as a starter at the left cornerback spot.
According to Pro Football Focus, Brown has an overall grade of 65.7 and a coverage grade of 66.3. He earned solid marks in the 70s from PFF for his performances against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers, but the games against the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars dropped his grade.
The game against the Packers, in particular, was relatively quiet for the rookie. Aaron Rodgers only targeted him twice, resulting in two incompletions. Brown also broke up a fourth-down throw with a hard hit on wide receiver Allen Lazard.
The Seahawks Will Hope for Another Cornerback’s Return
With Brown out for an undetermined amount of time, the Seahawks will move forward with Jones back in a starting position. They will also aim to get another starter, DJ Reed, back to full strength.
The reliable corner missed the November 21 loss to the Cardinals while dealing with a minor knee injury. He attempted to make his return to full health prior to kickoff, but he couldn’t quite complete the process. Though Carroll noted that Reed came close.
“He came down in practice I think it was Thursday on his — going for a ball, and he just jolted his knee a little bit, and he has a little bit of a strain that just couldn’t clear up in a couple of day’s time,” Carroll said during his availability after the 23-13 loss. “He tried. He tried to get through it, and there’s little findings in there, but it was just jammed enough that he couldn’t get going, and he has to play on the edge, and you’ve got to be right.”
If Reed can return to practice and full health, he will retain his job as a starting cornerback while working across from Jones. If he suffers another setback, the Seahawks will have to face the Football Team with Austin playing meaningful snaps.
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