Seahawks aches: Phillip Dorsett’s foot injury is old, Brandon Shell’s ankle is new
Finally, something has slowed Phillip Dorsett’s supersonic summer with Seattle.
An old foot injury.
The former zooming target for Tom Brady in New England was blowing past Seahawks starting defensive backs Shaquill Griffin, Quandre Diggs and others in practice for weeks. Then his nagging foot pain put him on the sidelines this week, for two practices then Seattle’s mock game Wednesday at CenturyLink Field.
“Phillip’s got a sore foot that he’s had, in and out, for quite some time,” coach Pete Carroll said. “And it just acted up, so we have to rest it for a bit and see if we can get back.
“He said he feels really good...after just a couple days (off).”
Dorsett got more rest Thursday when the players had a day off. They return to the practice field Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
But with still two weeks until the team leaves for the opening game Sept. 13 at Atlanta, Dorsett may already be a candidate for reduced practice time and workload management this season.
The Seahawks signed Dorsett to a one-year contract with just over $1 million this offseason to stretch defenses with his sprints down the field. That theoretically would leave more space underneath his routes for slithery, quick Tyler Lockett and hulking DK Metcalf.
“He’s the fastest guy we’ve ever had here,” Carroll said last week.
“He runs in the time realms we don’t even think really exist. You know, 4.2s and stuff.”
But Dorsett’s speed may be put to tests this season if one of this sleek racer’s wheels is wobbly.
“It might be the kind of situation we’ve got to monitor and see, you know, what it takes to keep him feeling good,” Carroll said, “because he has had it for a while.”
Dorsett’s injury comes right as offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and quarterback Russell Wilson were putting Dorsett in more routes and concepts within the passing game.
“In our system with Russ and the way Russ likes to bomb the football, he’s a big factor for us,” Carroll said last week, before Dorsett’s foot sidelined him. “Matter of fact, we’re just installing stuff the next couple days that really accentuate some of those kinds of plays, and I’m really anxious to see him fit in. ...
“That’s what you’ve seen. He’s gotten behind us a couple times.”
Before winning a Super Bowl with Brady and the Patriots, the 5-foot-10, 192-pound Dorsett was one of Andrew Luck’s targets in Indianapolis over Dorsett’s first five years in the NFL. His career-high of 33 receptions came in 2016 for the Colts, who that year had Schottenheimer as quarterbacks coach. Schottenheimer is entering his third year as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator and play caller.
Now he’s got Wilson. He was asked last week to compare his newest quarterback with Brady.
“They’ve just got that ‘it’ factor,” Dorsett said.
“I mean, (Wilson’s) the ultimate competitor. You can tell he wants to win at everything he does. Not just win games. When we go to practice he wants to win every individual play. That’s just how he’s wired.
“He wants to be great. It’s just a blessing to be a part of it.”
Dorsett’s speed to run past defenses and have cornerbacks chasing him deep down the field has the potential to give Wilson and the Seahawks’ offense a new dimension this season.
If his foot heals enough.
Shell’s ankle
A member of the first-team offensive line is injured just as the coaches are trying to settle on the starting five so it can jell for a week or so before the opener.
Right tackle Brandon Shell turned his ankle in the warm-ups Wednesday before the mock-game scrimmage. He played a few snaps then yielded to veteran Cedric Ogbuehi.
“We’ve got to figure out what it is,” Carroll said.
Shell has been the clear starter at right tackle for all 12 practices of training camp. The Seahawks signed him in free agency from the New York Jets in March on a two-year, $11 million contract to replace departed former first-round pick Germain Ifedi. He has shown better quickness and athleticism getting outside to block edge rushers than his predecessor.
Jamarco Jones has started at right tackle for Seattle in the past. He has been a standout as a reserve guard this month, particularly during one-on-one passing drills repelling starting defensive linemen Jarran Reed, Benson Mayowa and others. Jones is earning a trusted place as a sixth blocker who has played four positions: right and left guard, plus right and left tackle.
“I’d be remiss if I said Jamarco Jones wasn’t having a terrific camp,” Schottenheimer said this week.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 6:50 AM.
