The Seattle Seahawks have finally upgraded their offensive line. According to multiple reports, the Seahawks have acquired tackle Duane Brown from the Houston Texans, less than a day after the Seahawks defeated the Texans in one of the best games of the 2017 NFL season.
Seattle has traded for OT Duane Brown, source tells ESPN. Brown is out of Houston and will go to Seattle
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 30, 2017
Here we go; The #Seahawks have traded for OT Duane Brown, source said. From Seattle to Houston, back to Seattle.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 30, 2017
CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora confirmed the compensation for Brown, as the Seahawks will send cornerback Jeremy Lane to Houston, along with a 2018 fifth-round pick and a 2019 second-round pick. (The Seahawks previously traded their 2018 second-round pick to the Jets for Sheldon Richardson.) Lane has been supplanted in Seattle's starting lineup by rookie Shaquill Griffin.
Just been told Jeremy Lane (well out of favor in Seattle) is in Brown deal. Seahawks also deal a 5th and a 2nd round pick. We'll worth it...
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) October 30, 2017
La Canfora reported two weeks ago that opposing general managers expected the Seahawks to go after Brown in a trade. They had previously approached the Bills about their left tackle, Cordy Glenn, but those conversations largely fizzled.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider later confirmed the acquisition of Brown and the trade of Lane.
Seahawks GM John Schneider confirms trade for Brown calling him"a heck of a player.Been a heck of a player for a long time.''
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) October 30, 2017
Brown's acquisition is an important one for a team whose offensive line -- and specifically left tackle Rees Odhiambo -- has struggled all season. Giving Russell Wilson better protection throughout the rest of the year will help him carry an offense that has struggled to run the ball and has become almost entirely dependent on his ability to avoid pressure and deliver the ball downfield.
Brown has been unhappy in Houston all season. He held out for a new contract through all of training camp and most of the regular season, suiting up for the first time this weekend.
Brown was also one of many players that was upset by -- and considered walking out because of -- Texans owner Bob McNair's comments in which he appeared to refer to NFL players as "inmates" that are running the prison. McNair later apologized and claimed he was referring to the league office, but that explanation was not well-received in NFL circles.
Brown told Pro Football Talk in a Saturday morning interview that there were other things McNair said and did that caused concern. When Brown was a rookie in 2008, Barack Obama was elected president. "He came to talk to the team," Brown said of McNair. "He was visibly upset about it. He said, 'I know a lot of y'all are happy right now, but it's not the outcome that some of us were looking for.' That was very shocking to me."
Brown also noted that after he protested during the national anthem last season, unlike players from some other teams, he did not receive any organizational support. "I protested [during the national anthem] last year, and there was no backing of my character as a man as a leader or a player," Brown said. "There was nothing said by [McNair] or the organization to back me at all. They just kind of sent me to the wolves."
