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The 49ers are Signing Seahawks Cornerback Tre Brown

The 49ers just took a flier on another defensive back.
Grant Cohn|
Aug 10, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown (22) during warmups prior to the game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Aug 10, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown (22) during warmups prior to the game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers just took a flier on another defensive back.

They're signing Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown according to his agency. He joins Jason Pinnock and Richie Grant as veteran defensive backs the 49ers have signed since the legal tampering period began on Monday.

Brown, 27, was drafted by the Seahawks in the fourth round back in 2021. In four seasons, he started 13 games, played 1,169 snaps at cornerback, intercepted two passes and gave up four touchdown catches.

Under Pete Carroll, Brown was the Seahawks' primary No. 3 cornerback -- he played more than 50 percent of the defensive snaps when healthy. But under new head coach Mike Macdonald last season, Brown gradually got phased out.

Considering the 49ers seem to have virtually zero budget for free agents this season, this is a solid signing. He fits Robert Saleh's scheme, he's in his prime and he's cheap.

Brown most likely will compete with Darrell Luter Jr., Tre Tomlinson, Tre Avery and a rookie to be the 49ers' No. 3 cornerback behind starters Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green. As of now, Brown would be the favorite to win that competition based purely on experience.

If Brown plays, he should improve the 49ers' run defense on the perimeter right away. It's unclear if he'll be good enough in coverage to actually stay on the field. Last season, he gave up a passer rating of 124.4 when targeted.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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