Tre Flowers Possibly Set to Start in Seahawks Preseason Opener

When the Seahawks drafted Oklahoma State safety Tre Flowers in the fifth round of this year’s NFL Draft, the chances of him starting at cornerback were slim to none.

But eyeing a possible replacement for departed rangy cover man Richard Sherman, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll envisioned a way to make the most out of Flowers’ size, speed and playmaking ability.

Fast-forward to this coming Thursday night. The Seahawks open up their preseason against the Indianapolis Colts and the long-awaited return of Andrew Luck. But Byron Maxwell, who was set to start, is dealing with an injury which should provide even more snaps for a slew of youngster in Seattle’s secondary.

Carroll says Maxwell has a groin hip flexor issue. So sounds like may see Tre Flowers start Thursday. Carroll says Sweezy has an ankle issue, got rolled up on last week.

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) August 7, 2018

With Flowers being the apparent next man up, it appears that the Cowboy defender who most viewed as a long shot to make the roster, might get a chance at batting down a ball or two from the former Stanford QB.

Whether or not he starts, Flowers should see significant time this preseason, giving him all the more chance to wow his head coach and No. 1 fan, Carroll. It looks like he’s earned another fan, as well.

A couple of days ago, new Seattle defensive coordinator Ken Norton, Jr. talked about his newest asset and how he’s making the transition to corner.

“Tre, he’s a natural,” Norton said. “Not only is he a natural athlete and really smart, but he listens to everything you’re saying, and he applies really well. He’s going to be a really, really good player.”

Norton went on about Flowers’ speed on the field as well as in the film room.

“Terrific. Long, fast, smart, guy is really humble,” said Norton. “He learns in an instant. He takes everything that we teach him in the classroom, brings it right out to the practice. Makes mistakes, learns from mistakes, and he never makes the same mistake twice. He’s a guy that makes new mistakes and he learns really fast.

“So, there’s no limit to how good he can be.”