Any time an NFL team selects 11 new players in the draft like the Seattle Seahawks did this year, it signals an upcoming roster turnover.
Those type of roster churns tend to impact a lot of veterans, who are faced with the possibility they may not have a job come September.
That is the case for many Seahawks players, who may have just been replaced by one of the many new faces to take the field for Seattle’s rookie minicamp over the weekend.
The Seahawks loaded up on wide receivers, snagging three in the draft and bringing in a few more undrafted free agents as well. While Doug Baldwin’s future is very much in jeopardy following three offseason surgeries, the trio of new receivers could also be bad news for veteran Jaron Brown, who may be on the chopping block.
Cutting Brown would save the Seahawks $3,725,000 in cap space, per spotrac, which is money they could use to help shore up their defensive line by signing a veteran like Ziggy Ansah or Nick Perry.
Plus, with Tyler Lockett and David Moore still around, Seattle may not have much use for Brown, who was only targeted 19 times last year.
However, Brown was incredibly effective in those 19 targets, hauling in 14 receptions for 166 yards and five touchdowns.
So much so, in fact, coach Pete Carroll feels they should have used him more last year and intends to do so more in 2019.
“Jaron Brown is a really good player that we look back and we could’ve used him a lot more,” coach Carroll commented in March during an interview with 710 ESPN Seattle. “He did a lot of things for us. He blocked well, and fit into a lot of stuff, scored five touchdowns on a limited amount of catches. So we know we can go to him, he’s a real pro and so we’re anxious to see him develop more.”
A receiver corps featuring Lockett, Moore and the draft picks – D.K. Metcalf, Gary Jennings and John Ursua – will provide a lot of competition for Brown over the summer. If Carroll really wants to see more of the veteran next year, than Ursua could be passed through waivers and sent to the practice squad.
Either way, the receiver position is going to be one to watch very closely during training camp, whether or not Baldwin is in the fold.
