Renton – With co-captain of the offense Walter Jones placed on the season-ending injured reserve list on Wednesday, another captain on defense could soon follow in his footsteps and wind up on the IR.
Seattle Seahawks coach Jim Mora said veteran middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu traveled to Alabama this week to get his torn pectoral muscle evaluated by noted orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews, and that he and the team hope to make a decision soon on what course of action to take on the injury.
Tatupu suffered the injury on the last defensive series of the first half against Arizona on Oct. 18, and did not return.
Initially, Mora announced after the game that Tatupu would need surgery and was done for the season. But after further evaluation by team doctors, Mora said the pectoral muscle and tendons on his left pectoral weren’t completely torn from the bone.
Team doctors performed another magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the right pectoral muscle. There is a chance that Tatupu could rehabilitate the injury and return sometime this season.
Second-year pro David Hawthorne will get his second start of the season in place of Tatupu against Dallas on Sunday. Hawthorne started against Chicago when Tatupu missed the game with a hamstring injury.
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