'I Want to Be The Best': Seattle Seahawks CB Tre Brown Has All-Pro Aspirations

Entering a contract year, Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown wants to emerge as of the top players in the NFL at his position.

Oct 17, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown (22) reacts after a defensive stop against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Heinz Field. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the final year of his rookie contract, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown is on a mission to earn himself a payday.

Brown is coming off his most productive season in the NFL since being selected by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. In 2023, Brown was also the healthiest he’s been in his career, playing in 15 games (seven starts) after appearing in 11 over his first two seasons.

Even when healthy, however, Brown has been in and out of the starting lineup. Last year, he and Mike Jackson each made at least four starts, mostly opposite of Riq Woolen. When speaking to the media before practice on Tuesday, Brown doubled down on comments he made earlier in training camp, stating he wants to emerge as a Pro Bowler and All-Pro corner in 2024.

“I want to be the best. You’ve got to shoot for the sky,” Brown said. “You shoot for things that most people think is unreachable, but you think it’s reachable to you … you got to do that by being great and taking it one play at a time. So, once you do those things — go out there and be you and make those plays one play at a time — it’ll all stack up at the end.”

Brown said his typical playing weight is around 189 pounds, but he’s bulked up to 195. That was the result of wanting “to play bigger,” he said, which will help him in shedding blocks and being physical with receivers.

Last season, Brown finished with 34 total tackles, five tackles for loss, six pass deflections, two forced fumbles and two interceptions — all career highs. He also returned his first career interception for a touchdown in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions.

There’s no question Brown has the talent to grow into a reliable starting cornerback in the NFL when healthy. He has displayed his ability to create turnovers, and he’s been good in coverage more often than not.

Consistency has been Brown’s biggest hurdle, and he also was assessed for nine penalties last season, which tied for eighth in the NFL among cornerbacks. Woolen also had nine.

“Sometimes some calls don’t be good calls, you know what I’m saying?” Brown said. “And you can see those things where refs make mistakes, too. But as long as I go out there and still show that I can cover those guys, I mean, I let it speak for itself.”

Jan 7, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson (14) catches a pass against Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown (22) during the second half at State Farm Stadium. / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Brown, like all his other defensive teammates, is adjusting to the new defensive scheme being put together by head coach Mike Macdonald. So far he’s enjoying the change, Brown said.

“There’s a lot of calls where we’re all playing things that we’ve never played in our careers,” Brown added. “So, we’re still learning those things, but it gives the defense a lot of versatility because you got guys who can actually do that with the skill sets that we all have.”

Among non-rookies, Artie Burns, Brown and Jackson will all be free agents after this season. In some ways, all three will be playing for their job with Seattle in 2024, assuming all three are kept on the 53-man roster at the end of the preseason and aren’t traded before or during the season.

Even with Brown’s clear desire to be a leader and top producer in the cornerback room, he also understands everyone playing the position for the Seahawks has a shared mission.

“We all want to be great, and we all want to be in that Super Bowl at the end of the season,” he said. “So we got to just bring everybody and make sure everybody’s on the same page, and understand where we’re trying to get and where we’re trying to go.”