This offseason, the San Francisco 49ers' cornerback room underwent massive changes. San Francisco's most notable loss was former second-team All-Pro Charvarius Ward. In addition to Ward, they lost multiple depth pieces, including Rock Ya-Sin, Issac Yiadom, and Nick McCloud. Due to these losses, the 49ers are expecting returning and new players to step up in 2025.
Third-round draft pick Upton Stout is certainly a player San Francisco has a ton of faith in. That said, one of the 49ers' free agent additions at cornerback is coming off a solid spring. That player is former Seattle Seahawks CB Tre Brown.
CB Tre Brown Is Flying Under the Radar After Strong Spring
Though the 28-year-old is in a competitive battle to be the starting nickel cornerback in 2025, he proved why he is worthy of getting a look during OTAs and mandatory minicamp. According toMatt Barrows of the Athletic, Brown was the top nickel cornerback during spring practices. Barrows added that on the final day of practice, Brown played outside corner with Deommodore Lenoir sitting out.
During his time in Seattle, Brown only played on the outside. His best season with the Seahawks was in the 2023 season. That year, Brown recorded 24 tackles, six pass deflections, one sack, and two interceptions.
Furthermore, he finished the year with a run defense grade of 64.0, a coverage grade of 64.1, a pass rush grade of 80.5, and an overall grade of 62.8. Those were all career bests for him.
However, with Renardo Green and Lenoir slated to be the starting outside cornerbacks, Brown's best chance at playing in 2025 is at nickel cornerback. Therefore, his efforts to look good during spring practices should put him in good standing going into training camp.
Nevertheless, how a player performs in training camp is much more important than what he does in OTAs and minicamp. So, if Brown wants to be a starter in 2025, he will need to carry his momentum into camp.
As long as he doesn't have an awful camp, Brown should have a backup corner spot locked down with his versatility.