Key Seahawks defenders Bruce Irvin, Marquise Blair both out for the year with torn ACLs
The Seahawks won the game, but lost two key members of their struggling defense.
Linebacker Bruce Irvin and nickel defensive back Marquise Blair are out for the season and need reconstructive knee surgeries for torn anterior cruciate ligaments. Coach Pete Carroll announced that Monday afternoon, a day after Seattle’s 35-30 win over the New England Patriots.
“Really a big blow,” Carroll said. “I know a lot of team lost players this weekend. We certainly felt it with both those guys.
“Both those guys have a lot to offer your team, in their attitude, approach and style of play. And, so, it will be difficult to replace those guys, in that regard.
This is absolutely not how Irvin envisioned his Seahawks reunion. Nor is it what the team’s sickly pass rush and pass defense need. Seattle has allowed Matt Ryan and Cam Newton to throw for a total of 847 yards in the first two games. Russell Wilson otherworldly start to the season (nine touchdown passes) is why Seattle is 2-0 instead of perhaps 0-2.
The team signed back Irvin, its 2012 first-round pick, in free agency this spring. It is a one-year contract worth $3 million guaranteed.
He turns 33 in November.
Irvin has been the starting strongside linebacker in Seattle’s base 4-3 defense since the first practice of training camp last month. When the Seahawks have gone into nickel with five defensive backs and two linebackers, which they have more than 70% of the time through two games, Irvin has joined Benson Mayowa as a rush end.
The team’s options to replace Irvin at linebacker are Cody Barton, rookie first-round draft choice Jordyn Brooks or K.J. Wright, the team’s longest-tenured player.
Barton has played strongside linebacker for Seattle, at the end of the Patriots game after Irvin went out and at the end of last season as a rookie, after the since-departed Mychal Kendricks’ season-ending injury. Brooks has been a weakside linebacker backing up Wright, because of the rookie’s speed. Wright has played strongside, in his first years in the league a decade ago, though he won a Super Bowl and became a Pro Bowl linebacker at weakside.
Brooks would seem to be in line to play more now. After all, he’s the team’s first-round pick. If the coaches don’t play him know, when will they?
“I’m really excited about him playing,” Carroll said.
“He hits like a ton of bricks... We were trying to bring him along slowly. Maybe now we’ve got to (play him).”
Carroll says he has “no reservations” playing Brooks more, “other than he’s new.”
Seattle also lost Blair during Sunday’s night victory. The team’s second-round pick in 2019 got hurt while getting spun and banged around with Wright trying to tackle New England running back Sony Michel.
Ugo Amadi replaced Blair Sunday and will be the fifth defensive back going forward.
Carroll said he was “sick” about Blair’s injury.
Amadi was the team’s nickel back at the end of last season as a rookie. This offseason, Carroll and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. decided to convert the bigger, taller Blair from strong safety to nickel back to provide more options to match-up against bigger slot receivers.
Now, it’s back to the 5-foot-9 Amadi.
The Seahawks signed Irvin to boost a pass rush that finished next to last in the NFL in sacks in 2019, then lost three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney to Tennessee in free agency this month. Last month, they lost out on four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Everson Griffen. Seattle tried to sign him, but he chose Dallas instead.
The Seahawks (2-0) host the Cowboys (1-1) Sunday—while in dire need to pass rushers.
Yes, Carroll and Seattle general manager John Schneider will be shopping for any and all pass-rush help before then. Again. But the shelves are REALLY bare and picked over by now, three weeks into the season.
Mayowa, signed this offseason from the Raiders, has the only sack by a Seahawks defensive lineman in 91 drop backs by opposing quarterbacks this season. He played 65 of the team’s 72 snaps on defense against New England. Playing 90% of the snaps at age 29 is not sustainable over the 16-game regular season.
Irvin has three of the eight hits on QBs by a Seattle defensive lineman. And the position is thinning by the day.
Rasheem Green, the team’s sack leader last season, missed the New England game. He has a pinched nerve in his neck and his return is unknown. Carroll said Green will get further evaluated Wednesday.
Rookie second-round draft choice Darrell Taylor was supposed to be a top “Leo” end pass rushing off the weakside. But he has yet to practice let alone play. He is on the non-football-injury list. By league rules the first time he can practice is after the sixth week of the season, a month from now.
Taylor had surgery Jan. 30 to insert a Titanium rod into his lower leg. That was to repair a stress fracture he played all last season with at the University of Tennessee.
Carroll said Friday Taylor’s recovery has gone far slower than the Seahawks and their medical staff surmised it would when they drafted him in late April. Carroll said Monday Taylor got off training track on his own during the coronavirus pandemic that shut down NFL team facilities from March to the end of July.
With the Patriots driving in the final minute and Sunday night’s game on the line, the Seahawks had Damontre Moore with Mayowa as end trying in vain to pressure quarterback Cam Newton. Moore was on his couch until Seattle signed him as a street free agent two weeks ago.
Rookie fifth-round pick Alton Robinson has yet to play. He was impressive during training camp as a strong yet quick edge rusher. But he’s been inactive for the first two games, but figures to get a sizable role this week against Dallas with Irvin now out, too.
Robinson is going to play now, beginning on Sunday against Dallas.
“Alton’s got to be a part of it (now),” Carroll said. “He was right at the edge of it for (the Patriots game); he was the next guy to go (active).
“I can’t see how he can’t be a part of this game plan. I think he’s up, to take Bruce’s place.”
This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 3:36 PM.
