Duane Brown and Quandre Diggs return to practice for the Seahawks
Duane Brown and Quandre Diggs are both back at practice for the Seattle Seahawks after holding out, according to Pro Football Talk. Brown and Diggs were holding out to engage in contract re-negotiation talks during the preseason.
Both are in the final year of their contracts with the Seahawks and will be free agents after this season if they fail to reach a deal with the organization.
Brown’s situation
Brown is a key piece to the Seahawks’ success on the offensive side of the ball. The 36-year-old left tackle is responsible for protecting All-Pro quarterback Russell Wilson’s blindside. And since coming over from the Houston Texans in 2017, he has done that. According to Pro Football Focus, Brown was the fifth-best tackle last season. Although he is aging, Brown has shown consistency and dependability at the position. Throughout the preseason Wilson has gone to bat for his left tackle multiple times, as ESPN detailed.
Needless to say, the Seahawks are happy that Brown is back. He is expected to start week one against the Indianapolis Colts. Head coach Pete Carrol took questions from reporters on whether his All-Pro tackle was ready for their season opener.
“Yeah, he’s ready to go. He’s ready to go,” said Carroll. “We’re pleased to have him. All in all, the camp that he was able to put forth — he did all the learning. He’s really healthy.”
The Seahawks did restructure his contract, converting his roster bonuses into guarantees and even frontloading the deal. Even though an extension was not ironed out; this move has put a hold to their standstill till the close of the season.
Diggs’ situation
Like Brown, Diggs is looking for an extension and remain a Seahawk while doing so. Diggs is one-half of the Seahawks’ dominant safety duo. He was ranked number 77 in this year’s NFL top 100 players list; while his running mate Jamal Adams, came in at spot number 31. He also witnessed Adams become the NFL’s highest-paid safety at $70 million over the next four years.
Diggs did not hold out or rather “hold in” as long as Brown did. He sat out the last week of the teams’ preseason practices but said that he was not holding out from the team. And that the “situation” would be settled, and he’d be back on the field soon.
Although Diggs’s situation did not end the same way as Brown’s, with a contract restructure, he too will be in the starting lineup for the Seahawks this weekend. And with how he’s played in Seattle so far, he could be well on his way to a big payday from the Seahawks or another team willing to pay what’s needed to acquire the Pro-Bowl safety’s talents.