Rams onboard familiar NFC West rival after Ahkello Witherspoon injury

The Los Angeles Rams expected to reinforce the team's secondary after the untimely injury to veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon forced the team to move him to an injured reserve designation.

While that opened a roster slot, L.A. has many options at its disposal. Several recognizable veteran cornerbacks await their chance to sign on with an NFL team.

Curiously, the front office opted for the road less traveled.

So, who is he?

Tre Brown is a veteran defensive back who was selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the 137th overall pick in Round 4 of the 2021 NFL Draft. He was a rotational role player for the Hawks for four seasons before testing his value in the 2025 free-agent market. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers but was released when they needed to pare down to 53 players.

He has finally returned to the NFC West once more, this time wearing the Horns.

Brown is a 5-foot-10, 185-pound cornerback who has appeared in 39 games over the past four seasons, starting 13 of those games. He snagged two interceptions in 2023, one for a pick-six. And he has a decent pass-coverage history, allowing just 63.7 percent of passes targeting his receiver to find their mark.

What's the low-down on new Rams CB Tre Brown?

One source who has followed his career suggests Brown struggles to defend tall NFL wide receivers. Another newsworthy factoid is that he has also been quite proficient on special teams. In fact, in his final season with the Seahawks, he was used heavily on the third phase.

Brown's 2021 NFL Draft profile described him as a "maniacal special teams ace," and based on the Rams' recent struggles in punt coverage, that may very well be the primary reason for signing him over more recognizable options. The front office is quite shrewd at fitting the right players into specific niche roles, and Brown's signing appears to be more evidence of that.

That is not to say he brings nothing to the defense. While it will take time to get Brown up to speed to compete in the secondary, he could be an instant impact player on special teams on coverage units.

While he did not face the team as a rookie, Brown did see action over the past three seasons in both games, serving primarily on special teams. He started both games against Los Angeles in 2023 and recorded a total of nine tackles and one tackle for a loss in those contests. He showed promise as a rookie in 2021 but injured his knee in 2022. The veteran earned respect in 2023 in press coverage, but he was not a player the Seahawks trusted as a starter.

That's not the role he will fill on L.A.'s defense either. With a secondary now losing one starting cornerback, the defense needs a capable corner who can defend the pass, perhaps add to special teams, and knows the teams from the NFC West.

Brown certainly checks those boxes.

It's unlikely that he will see playing time in Week 3, but he could play a factor at some point this month.

As always, thanks for reading.

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