Position switch could make Seahawks' Tyrone Broden the NFL's tallest cornerback | Notebook

RENTON - Tyrone Broden wasn't on the field for the Seahawks during the team's rookie minicamp this weekend while still recovering from a foot injury.

But once he makes it back between the lines, he will loom as one of the team's most intriguing stories of the 2026 season.

The Seahawks announced Thursday that Broden - who spent most of last year on the team's practice squad after signing as an undrafted free agent before getting injured - is moving from receiver to cornerback.

That announcement was more eye-catching than usual for one reason - Broden stands just over 6 foot 5, which would reportedly make him the tallest cornerback in NFL history if he were to play in a regular-season game.

As revealed by Pro Football Talk via research from Pro Football Reference, no player listed at taller than 6 foot 4 has ever played cornerback in a regular-season NFL game.

PFT noted that there were two cornerbacks last year who measured 6 foot 4 - former Seahawk Riq Woolen (now with the Eagles) and Nahshon Wright of the Bears (now with the Jets).

Broden was listed in his bio at Arkansas as being 6 foot 7, but then officially measured 6 foot 5-1/8 inches, 194 pounds at the school's pro day in the run-up to the 2025 draft.

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald explained the position switch following Saturday's final of two rookie minicamp practices by noting the team saw signs Broden might be able to make such a move during training camp and his time on the practice squad last year before his injury, which landed him on injured reserve.

"He's someone that did a great job at the beginning of last year and unfortunately got hurt, Macdonald said. "We loved his movement ability, and he's got ball skills and he competes. He's got a great attitude. We felt like it could translate to being a heck of a (defensive back) one day.

"… He can bend really well. He's not just a straight legged 6-foot-whatever. He can move and get in and out of breaks. His lateral quickness is really good. He's a great special teams player. He's a great gunner. Those are traits that you look for in defensive players. So we think that's going to translate."

Broden was also listed as a safety as well as a receiver during his days at West Bloomfield (Mich.) High, but was solely a receiver during his college days at Bowling Green and Arkansas.

"People do it all the time, moving from one side of the ball to the other, mostly from receiver to DB," Macdonald said. "I think - you don't want to put a timetable on it. Just see where it goes and see how he takes it up. We haven't seen him take a rep yet at corner, so we'll see. We'll see when the time comes."

For now, it's unclear when that time will come as Broden has to get fully healthy before getting on the field.

"He's dealing with some health things right now in terms of his timeline on when he can get back on the field,'' Macdonald said. "So right now we're not exactly sure when that's going to happen, but he's in meetings, and he's got a great spirit about him. We're excited about it. It's going to take some time, but he's a great guy for the job."

Sherman welcome any time

A highlight for many of the players attending the camp will undoubtedly be the sight of former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman watching from the sidelines Friday. Sherman watched all of practice and conversed with a few players during and afterward.

Sherman wasn't at practice Saturday.

But Macdonald said he is welcome any time.

"Yeah, that was awesome," Macdonald said. "It was great to see Sherm. Hopefully he's got a key here. He's welcome any time. It was fun to see him out there and get caught up. I know the guys appreciated it. That was fun."

Macdonald said he thinks current players getting up-close access to players such as Sherman or Kam Chancellor - who also has been seen at practices the last few years - is invaluable.

"It's awesome," Macdonald said. "He's (Sherman) one of the best to ever do it, and he's ours. So we take a lot of pride in having great players like that. Technique is important, but I think just like the mentality that it takes to play DB and corner at a high level for our organization, breathe life into these guys. There's a lot of things going on in their minds right now at this point in their careers, and to have a guy like Sherm or Kam come around and encourage the guys and be positive, I think that goes a long way."

Tryout players vie to get noticed

The Seahawks had 44 players in camp on a tryout basis. Seattle has one open roster spot and could fill that by signing one of the tryout players to the 91-man roster, or also release a player or two to make room for any tryout players.

Macdonald, though, said even if tryout players aren't signed now they could be considered to sign later.

Macdonald referred to the team having an overall roster of 120 - which includes the 91-man roster and then others on a list who could be signed throughout the season as needs arise.

Some of the players in for the camp on a tryout basis will undoubtedly be put on that list and kept in mind for moves later.

"It's a chasing edges thing that we believe in here,'' he said. "We found some really great players to be on our kind of 120."

Macdonald said that is explained to the players while they are here.

"Everyone's on a different timeline," he said. "I think they understand that, and that's part of the messaging, too. We've had several guys that have come back in camp or even after camp or after the season. We've had a couple of examples of that, too. … Just keep plugging away, trying your best. Don't worry about the count or timing or all that, but trust the process.

Tryout players who seemed to show this weekend they could merit consideration now or down the road included Jeff Sims, who played quarterback at Georgia Tech, Nebraska and Arizona State, but at 6 foot 4, 223 pounds is now making the move to receiver and made a couple catches over the weekend (he is also expected to attend the New York Giants minicamp next weekend); Jermaine Terry II, a tight end from Oregon State; safety Myles Rowser of Arizona State, who had a pick-six during an early team drill setting off a raucous celebration; and running back Miles Davis of Utah State, who appeared to typically work after Jadarian Price in the running back rotation.

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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 11:39 PM.