Seattle Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe is making the most of his chances.
Jobe has made a strong impact over the last two weeks, showing solid performances in his first two games after being on the practice squad earlier in the season.
Now, he has a chance to secure a higher position on the depth chart, as coach Mike Macdonald mentioned that the third cornerback spot is “a competition” with starter Tre Brown returning from an ankle injury. Brown was active against Buffalo but did not play.
Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon are the team’s top two cornerbacks.
“Stacking a lot of great practice reps, starts to flash, and if you want to play, that’s kind of how it works,” Macdonald said about Jobe. “It takes a while to kind of gain up some of that momentum and some of those plays behind your belt.
You show that type of consistency, that builds trust with the coaching staff, and the rest of your teammates.”
Jobe, who won a national championship with Alabama in 2020 and became a special teams standout in his first two NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, recorded six tackles and two passes defended in his Seahawks debut against Atlanta on October 20.
He then made seven tackles and intercepted Josh Allen this past Sunday against the Bills. That interception was the first of Jobe’s professional career and was also Allen’s first of the season, breaking a streak of 301 pass attempts without a pick.
“It was a big interception for me, first of my career, I was pretty excited,” Jobe said. “Josh Allen is a great quarterback at the end of the day, but you know, things happen. I played perfect technique, and I knew what to expect and it just came. It went well for me.”
It hasn’t been a perfect start for Jobe, as the Bills targeted him, and Khalil Shakir caught a 35-yard pass against him. However, he has done enough to earn a chance to show he belongs on the field.
“I think all the guys, whenever their time is up, they shine,” linebacker Tyrel Dodson said. “So I think he’s doing a good job maximizing opportunities right now.”
Jobe was released by the Eagles in August and signed with the Seahawks’ practice squad on August 29.
He made a good impression while on the practice squad, which led to an opportunity to play when Brown was unable to play against Atlanta. “I know our offensive players felt it when he’s been on the practice squad,” Macdonald said.
“And the quality of play he’s been putting on tape, and when you get your opportunity and take advantage of it, then that’s going to make us better as a football team and then we’re going to want to keep finding ways to get you in the football game.”
Macdonald mentioned that the decision on whether Brown, Jobe, or rookie Nehemiah Pritchett will start against the Los Angeles Rams will likely be made on Friday, depending on who performs best in practice this week.
“Both guys are really good,” Macdonald said. “Nehemiah is probably the next guy behind those two. But any one of those three guys, we’re really confident in what they’re able to do for us.”
While he has been able to make an impact, Jobe feels he hasn’t fully proven himself yet. As an undrafted player who was on the practice squad until recently, nothing is guaranteed.
All he can do now is keep making plays and hope for more opportunities.
“It’s an honor to be in that position,” Jobe said. “I’m just here to come out here and just work every day. At the end of the day, this is a job, and every day is an interview for me, so I just have to keep working and keep competing. That’s my main goal.”
