Jadeveon Clowney still out with flu, 2 other Seahawks defensive starters miss practice
Jadeveon Clowney is still sick.
Now two more defensive starters have health issues, too.
Clowney, the Seahawks’ top passer, missed his second consecutive practice Thursday because of the flu. The three-time Pro Bowl defensive end has also for the last two games been playing through a core-muscle injury that may require surgery after this season.
Cornerback Shaquill Griffin missed practice with a new hamstring injury he apparently got while giving up multiple big plays, one for a touchdown, in last weekend’s loss at the Los Angeles Rams. Griffin practiced Wednesday on a limited basis before missing Thursday.
Mychal Kendricks sat out another practice with the strained hamstring he got three games ago while making 11 solo tackles against his former Philadelphia Eagles. Kendricks played through the pain in the win over Minnesota Dec. 2 then missed the Rams game.
Rookie Cody Barton is in line to possibly make his second NFL start on Sunday when the Seahawks (10-3) play at Carolina (5-8), the first of three consecutive games Seattle needs to win to end the regular season to win the NFC West. Barton started last weekend at Los Angeles and injured his ankle and knee during the game. But he’s been full go in practices this week.
“He’s got a little banged up in the game, but he came back and he got back in,” coach Pete Carroll said.
“He is kind of like denying being hurt; it’s not there.”
Tyler Lockett has been fully participating in practices this week. Seattle’s top wide receiver looks all the way back from the severely bruised shin that put him a Bay Area hospital for two nights last month, and the flu he played with 10 days ago against the Vikings.
Lockett has looked slower since his injury. He had one catch in two games after it, then had four receptions but for a relatively modest 43 yards last weekend against the Rams.
The Seahawks need to get Lockett going back to the near-team-record pace for a season in receptions and yards he was on before the injury Nov. 11 in the win at San Francisco.
And Russell Wilson knows it.
“Yeah, I think Tyler’s ready to roll, 100 percent,” the quarterback said Thursday. “He looks fresh and ready to play some great football.
“We got a three-game push right here. One game at a time. We’re looking forward to that opportunity. Everything that we want is ahead of us. We’re 10-3. There’s no time for ‘woe is me’ or anything like that.
“We’re ready to roll and we’re looking forward to the opportunity of finding ways to win and getting to the playoffs hopefully and hopefully go a long way.”
Tight end Luke Willson missed practice with the hamstring injury that’s kept the veteran sidelined the last two games. He had practiced some on Wednesday.
